Revision 15-4; Effective October 1, 2015

All Programs

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) does not discriminate against any applicant or participant in any aspect of program administration. All eligible households receive benefits without regard to age, race, color, sex, disability, religious creed, national origin, or political beliefs.

HHSC must:

• inform the public of this nondiscrimination policy and the applicable complaint procedures, and
• provide access to nondiscrimination information within 10 days of a request.

Individuals should be referred to the Civil Rights Office toll-free at 1-888-388-6332. Staff can email the individual’s request to HHSCivilRightsOffice@hhsc.state.tx.us.

SNAP

Each certification office must display the nondiscrimination poster provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Revision 15-4; Effective October 1, 2015

All Programs

HHSC obtains racial and ethnic information about all individuals. The racial or ethnic categories are: American Indian or Alaskan Native, Asian or Pacific Islander, black (not of Hispanic origin), Hispanic, and white (not of Hispanic origin). Individuals are requested to voluntarily identify their race or ethnicity on the applications for HHSC assistance. If this information is not voluntarily provided on the application form, the advisor must determine the category by asking an individual to self-identify the individual’s race. The individual’s racial identity is self-declared. If the individual does not want to provide the information, the individual’s race is listed as “unknown.” In the Individual Household logical unit of work (LUW) on the individual’s Add New Individual Information, Edit Existing Individual ID Information or Edit New Individual Information page, the advisor must select the appropriate ethnicity and race from the drop-down menus.