HHS Issues Final Rule to Prevent Discrimination in Health and Human Services Grant Programs

Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources (ASFR), issued a final rule to affirm nondiscrimination in HHS-funded programs and services.

The Health and Human Services Grants Regulation (HHS Grants Rule) Final Rule protects lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) people by clarifying and reaffirming the prohibition on discrimination on the basis of sex - including sexual orientation and gender identity - in specific health and human services programs, consistent with the Supreme Court decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, 590 U.S. 644 (2020).

The final rule confirms these protections in specific HHS programs, including services and grants that provide aid to refugees, early childhood education services, assistance to people experiencing homelessness, substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and prevention, community mental health services, maternal and child health services, and community services.

The final rule may be viewed or downloaded at: https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection/2024-08880/health-and-human-services-grants-regulation