Federal Laws & Agencies

As an employer, federal contractor, and recipient of federal financial assistance, UVA complies with the federal laws and Executive Order related to discrimination listed below.

  • Race, Color, Religion, Sex, National Origin

    Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VII”), as amended, protects applicants and employees from discrimination in hiring, promotion, discharge, pay, fringe benefits, job training, classification, referral, and other aspects of employment, on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), or national origin. Religious discrimination includes failing to reasonably accommodate an employee’s religious practices where the accommodation does not impose undue hardship.

    Executive Order 11246, as amended, prohibits job discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin, and requires affirmative action to ensure equality of opportunity in all aspects of employment.  

  • Disability

    Title I and Title V of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”), as amended, protect qualified individuals from discrimination on the basis of disability in hiring, promotion, discharge, pay, fringe benefits, job training, classification, referral, and other aspects of employment. Disability discrimination includes not making reasonable accommodation to the known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified individual with a disability who is an applicant or employee, barring undue hardship.

    Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (“Rehabilitation Act”), as amended, protects qualified individuals from discrimination on the basis of disability in hiring, promotion, discharge, pay, fringe benefits, job training, classification, referral, and other aspects of employment. Disability discrimination includes not making reasonable accommodation to the known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified individual with a disability who is an applicant or employee, barring undue hardship. Section 503 also requires that federal contractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment qualified individuals with disabilities at all levels of employment, including the executive level.  

  • Age

    The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (“ADEA”), as amended, protects applicants and employees 40 years of age or older from discrimination based on age in hiring, promotion, discharge, pay, fringe benefits, job training, classification, referral, and other aspects of employment.  

  • Sex (Wages)

    In addition to sex discrimination prohibited by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, as amended, the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (“EPA”), as amended, prohibits sex discrimination in the payment of wages to women and men who are performing substantially comparable duties, in positions that require equal skills, efforts, and responsibilities, under similar working conditions, in the same establishment.  

  • Genetics

    Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (“GINA”) protects applicants and employees from discrimination based on genetic information in hiring, promotion, discharge, pay, fringe benefits, job training, classification, referral, and other aspects of employment. GINA also restricts employers’ acquisition of genetic information and strictly limits disclosure of genetic information. Genetic information includes information about genetic tests of applicants, employees, or their family members; the manifestation of diseases or disorders in family members (family medical history); and requests for or receipt of genetic services by applicants, employees, or their family members.  

  • Disabled, Recently Separated, Other Protected, and Armed Forces Service Medal Veterans

    The Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (“VEVRA”), as amended, prohibits job discrimination and requires affirmative action to employ and advance in employment disabled veterans, recently separated veterans (within three years of discharge or release from active duty), other protected veterans (veterans who served during a war or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized), and Armed Forces service medal veterans (veterans who, while on active duty, participated in a U.S. military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded).  

  • Retaliation

    All of these federal laws prohibit covered entities from retaliating against a person who files a charge of discrimination, participates in a discrimination or Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) proceeding, or otherwise opposes an unlawful employment practice.

FEDERAL AGENCIES

  • U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

    Any person who believes discrimination has occurred in violation of Title VII, ADA, ADEA, EPA, or GINA may contact the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”). There are strict time limits for filing charges of employment discrimination. To preserve the ability of EEOC to act on your behalf and to protect your right to file a private lawsuit, should you ultimately need to, you should contact EEOC promptly when discrimination is suspected:

    U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
    1-800-669-4000 (toll-free) or 1-800-669-6820 (toll-free TTY number for individuals with hearing impairments)

    EEOC field office information is available at www.eeoc.gov or in most telephone directories in the U.S. Government or Federal Government section. Additional information about EEOC, including information about charge filing, is available at www.eeoc.gov.

  • Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP)

    Any person who believes the contractor has violated its nondiscrimination or affirmative action obligations under Executive Order 11246, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, or VEVRA should immediately contact:

    Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs - U.S. Department of Labor
    200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20210
    1-800-397-6251 (toll-free) or 202-693-1337 (TTY)

    OFCCP may also be contacted by e-mail at OFCCP-Public@dol.gov, or by calling an OFCCP regional or district office, listed in most telephone directories under U.S. Government, Department of Labor.

PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

  • Race, Color, National Origin, Sex

    In addition to the protections of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin in programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance. Employment discrimination against persons is covered by Title VI if the primary objective of the financial assistance is provision of employment, or where employment discrimination causes or may cause discrimination in providing services under such programs. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sex in educational programs or activities which receive federal financial assistance.  

  • Individuals with Disabilities

    Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended, prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of disability in any program or activity which receives federal financial assistance. Discrimination is prohibited in all aspects of employment against persons with disabilities who, with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the essential functions of the job.

    If you believe you have been discriminated against in a program of the institution which receives federal financial assistance, you should immediately contact the federal agency providing such assistance.