Grievance Procedure

It is the policy of Inova not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act prohibits disabled individuals from being excluded from participation in, being denied the benefits of, or being subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability by any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. These laws and regulations may be examined in the office of Section 504 and Section 1557 Compliance Coordinator for each Inova entity, designated as the Office of Patient Relations at any Inova hospital and Administrative Management at any other Inova facility.

Inova has adopted an internal grievance procedure providing for prompt and equitable resolution of complaints alleging any actions prohibited by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act or Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. Any person who believes someone has been subjected to discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability may file a grievance under this procedure or call our Grievance Procedure Hotline at 703-205-2175 for support.

It is against the law for Inova to retaliate against anyone who opposes discrimination, files a grievance, or participates in the investigation of a grievance.

1. A grievance should be in writing, contain the name and address of the person filing it, and the location, date and a brief description of the discriminatory act.
2. A grievance should be filed with the facility’s designated Section 504 and Section 1557 Compliance Coordinator within 60 calendar days after the person filing the grievance becomes aware of the alleged discriminatory act.
3. The Section 504 and Section 1557 Compliance Coordinator or designee will investigate the grievance. The grievance investigation may be informal but it will be thorough. The investigation will afford all interested persons and their representatives an opportunity to submit evidence relevant to the grievance.
4. The Section 504 and Section 1557 Compliance Coordinator shall issue a written decision on the grievance, based on a preponderance of the evidence, no later than 30 calendar days after its filing.
5. The Section 504 and Section 1557 Compliance Coordinator shall maintain the files and records relating to all complaints filed for at least three (3) years.
6. The Section 504 and Section 1557 Compliance Coordinator or designee may participate in the investigation of complaints, and advise appropriate senior leadership concerning their resolution.
7. The availability of this grievance procedure does not prevent a person from pursuing other legal or administrative remedies, including filing a complaint of discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in court of with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights.

A person may file a complaint of discrimination electronically through the Office for Civil Rights Complaint Portal at https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/portal/lobby.jsf, or by mail or phone at:

Regional Manager
Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
150 S. Independence Mall West Suite 372, Public Ledger Building
Philadelphia, PA 19106-9111
Main Line: 800-368-1019
Fax: 215-861-4431
TDD: 800-537-7697

Complaint forms are available at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/office/file/index.html. Such complaints must be filed within 180 days of the date of the alleged discrimination.

8. Inova will make appropriate arrangements to ensure that individuals with disabilities and individuals with limited English proficiency are provided auxiliary aids and services or language assistance services, respectively, if needed to participate in this grievance process. Such arrangements may include, but are not limited to, providing qualified interpreters, providing taped cassettes of materials for individuals with low vision, or assuring a barrier-free location for the proceedings. The Section 504 and Section 1557 Compliance Coordinator will be responsible for such arrangements.
9. These rules shall be liberally construed to protect the substantial rights of the interested persons to meet appropriate due process standards and assure compliance with Section 504 and the regulations.