Standards for Determining Age Discrimination

29 C.F.R. Part ..., Subpart B
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01

29 C.F.R. § 35.10 Rules against age discrimination.

The rules stated in this section are subject to the exceptions contained in §§ 35.12 and 35.13. (a) General rule. No person in the United States shall be, on the basis of age, excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of or subjected to discrimination under, any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance from DOL. (b) Specific rules. A recipient may not, directly or through contractual, licensing, or other arrangements, use age distinctions or take any other actions that have the effect of, on the basis of age: (1) Excluding individuals from, denying them the benefits of, or subjecting them to discrimination under, a program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance from DOL; or (2) Denying or limiting individuals in their opportunity to participate in any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance from DOL. (c) Other forms of age discrimination. The listing of specific forms of age discrimination in paragraph (b) of this section is not exhaustive and does not imply that any other form of age discrimination is permitted.

29 C.F.R. § 35.11 Definitions of the terms “normal operation” and “statutory objective.”

As used in this part, the term: (a) Normal operation means the operation of a program or activity without significant changes that would impair the ability of the program or activity to meet its objectives. (b) Statutory objective means any purpose of a program or activity expressly stated in any Federal statute, State statute, or local statute or ordinance adopted by an elected, general purpose legislative body.

29 C.F.R. § 35.12 Exceptions to the rules against age discrimination: normal operation or statutory objective of any program or activity.

A recipient is permitted to take an action otherwise prohibited by § 35.10 if the action reasonably takes age into account as a factor necessary to the normal operation or the achievement of any statutory objective of a program or activity. An action reasonably takes age into account as a factor necessary to the normal operation or the achievement of any statutory objective of a program or activity if: (a) Age is used as a measure or approximation of one or more other characteristics; (b) The other characteristic(s) must be measured or approximated in order for the normal operation of the program or activity to continue, or to achieve any statutory objective of the program or activity; (c) The other characteristic(s) can reasonably be measured or approximated by the use of age; and (d) The other characteristic(s) are impractical to measure directly on an individual basis.

29 C.F.R. § 35.13 Exceptions to the rules against age discrimination: reasonable factors other than age.

A recipient is permitted to take an action otherwise prohibited by § 35.10, if that action is based on a factor other than age, even though the action may have a disproportionate effect on persons of different ages. An action is based on a factor other than age only if the factor bears a direct and substantial relationship to the normal operation of the program or activity or to the achievement of a statutory objective.

29 C.F.R. § 35.14 Burden of proof.

The recipient has the burden of proving that an age distinction or other action falls within the exceptions outlined in §§ 35.12 and 35.13.

29 C.F.R. § 35.15 Remedial action.

Even in the absence of a finding of discrimination, a recipient, in administering a program, may take steps to overcome the effects of conditions that resulted in a limited participation on the basis of age. Nothing in this section will permit any otherwise prohibited use of age distinctions that have the effect of excluding individuals from, denying them benefits of, subjecting them to discrimination under, or limiting them in their opportunity to participate in any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance from DOL.

29 C.F.R. § 35.16 Special benefits for children and the elderly.

If a recipient is operating a program or activity that provides special benefits to the elderly or to children, the use of such age distinctions is presumed to be necessary to the normal operation of the program or activity, notwithstanding the provisions of § 35.12.

29 C.F.R. § 35.17 Age distinctions in DOL regulations.

Any age distinction in regulations issued by DOL is presumed to be necessary to the achievement of a statutory objective of the program or activity to which the regulations apply, notwithstanding the provisions of § 35.12.

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