Office for Civil Rights

E37876

civil rights enforcement agency federal agency

The Office for Civil Rights is a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services responsible for enforcing civil rights, privacy, and nondiscrimination laws in health and human services programs.

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All labels observed (9)

Label	Occurrences
HHS Office for Civil Rights	6
Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services	5
Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services	2
Office for Civil Rights canonical	1
Office for Civil Rights (HHS OCR)	1
Office for Civil Rights (HHS)	1
Office for Civil Rights of HHS	1
Office of Civil Rights (OJP)	1
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights	1

How this entity was disambiguated

This entity first appeared as the object of triple T293702 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.

NED1 Entity disambiguation (via context triple) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Office for Civil Rights
Context triple: [United States Department of Health and Human Services, hasPart, Office for Civil Rights]

A. Office for Civil Rights
The Office for Civil Rights is a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Education responsible for enforcing civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in educational programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.
B. Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
The Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties is a division within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that advises on and oversees policies and practices to ensure they respect civil rights, civil liberties, and individual privacy.
C. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is a U.S. federal agency responsible for enforcing laws that prohibit workplace discrimination based on protected characteristics such as race, sex, religion, and national origin.
D. Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs
The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs is a U.S. government agency that enforces equal employment opportunity and affirmative action requirements for federal contractors and subcontractors.
E. Civil Rights Division
The Civil Rights Division is a branch of the U.S. Department of Justice responsible for enforcing federal laws that prohibit discrimination and protect civil rights.
F. None of above. chosen
G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.

NED2 Entity disambiguation (via description) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Office for Civil Rights
Target entity description: The Office for Civil Rights is a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services responsible for enforcing civil rights, privacy, and nondiscrimination laws in health and human services programs.

A. Office for Civil Rights
The Office for Civil Rights is a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Education responsible for enforcing civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in educational programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.
B. Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
The Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties is a division within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that advises on and oversees policies and practices to ensure they respect civil rights, civil liberties, and individual privacy.
C. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is a U.S. federal agency responsible for enforcing laws that prohibit workplace discrimination based on protected characteristics such as race, sex, religion, and national origin.
D. Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs
The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs is a U.S. government agency that enforces equal employment opportunity and affirmative action requirements for federal contractors and subcontractors.
E. Civil Rights Division
The Civil Rights Division is a branch of the U.S. Department of Justice responsible for enforcing federal laws that prohibit discrimination and protect civil rights.
F. None of above. chosen

Statements (44)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	civil rights enforcement agency ⓘ federal agency ⓘ
abbreviation	OCR ⓘ
collaboratesWith	Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ⓘ Department of Justice Civil Rights Division ⓘ linked to: Civil Rights Division
country	United States ⓘ linked to: United States of America
enforces	Age Discrimination Act of 1975 (as applied to HHS-funded programs) ⓘ linked to: Age Discrimination Act of 1975 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act breach notification rule ⓘ linked to: HIPAA Breach Notification Rule Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act privacy rule ⓘ linked to: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act security rule ⓘ linked to: HIPAA Security Rule Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act ⓘ linked to: Affordable Care Act Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (as applied to HHS-funded programs) ⓘ Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (as applied to HHS-funded programs) ⓘ linked to: Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 federal conscience and religious freedom protections in health care (within HHS jurisdiction) ⓘ
engagesIn	outreach and education on civil rights and privacy protections in health care ⓘ
focusesOn	civil rights in health care ⓘ health information privacy ⓘ nondiscrimination in federally assisted health and human services programs ⓘ
handles	complaints alleging discrimination in HHS-funded programs ⓘ complaints alleging violations of HIPAA privacy and security rules ⓘ
headquartersLocation	Washington, D.C. ⓘ
issues	guidance on HIPAA compliance ⓘ guidance on civil rights and nondiscrimination in health programs ⓘ
jurisdiction	federal health and human services programs in the United States ⓘ
languageOfWork	English ⓘ
legalForm	federal executive branch agency component ⓘ
mayEnter	resolution agreements with corrective action plans ⓘ
mayImpose	civil monetary penalties for certain HIPAA violations ⓘ
mission	to ensure equal access to and protect the privacy and security of health and human services ⓘ
oversightOf	HHS-funded health care providers and programs ⓘ HIPAA business associates ⓘ HIPAA-covered entities ⓘ state and local agencies receiving HHS financial assistance ⓘ
parentAgency	United States Department of Health and Human Services ⓘ
partOf	Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services ⓘ linked to: United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
provides	technical assistance to covered entities and recipients of HHS funds ⓘ
regulates	use and disclosure of protected health information under HIPAA ⓘ
responsibleFor	enforcement of civil rights laws in health and human services programs ⓘ enforcement of federal health information privacy laws ⓘ enforcement of nondiscrimination laws in health and human services programs ⓘ
sector	health and human services ⓘ
subordinateTo	Secretary of Health and Human Services ⓘ linked to: United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
typeOfJurisdiction	civil administrative enforcement ⓘ
website	https://www.hhs.gov/ocr ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (19)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

United States Department of Health and Human Services → hasPart → Office for Civil Rights ⓘ

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act → enforcedBy → Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ⓘ