Civil rights complaints about county welfare departments
Your civil rights complaint about a county welfare department can also be filed with another state agency. In some cases, your complaint can also be filed with a federal agency.
For any discrimination complaint involving your county welfare department, contact the California Civil Rights Department (formerly known as the Department of Fair Employment and Housing):
California Civil Rights Department
651 Bannon Street, Suite 200
Sacramento, CA 95811
Communication Center: 800-884-1684 (voice) or 800-700-2320 (TTY)
Email: contact.center@calcivilrights.ca.gov
Contact for disability accommodations: accommodations@calcivilrights.ca.gov or call 844-541-2877
If your discrimination complaint involves CalFresh, contact the U.S. Department of Agriculture:
Office of the Assistance Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW STOP 9410
Washington, DC 20250-9410
Email: program.intake@usda.gov
Fax: (202) 690-7442 or (833) 256-1665
Toll-free: (866) 632-9992
TDD: (202) 260-1026 or (202) 401-0216
For discrimination complaints involving programs funded by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (including CalWORKs, Child Welfare Services, In-Home Supportive Services, etc.), contact the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:
Centralized Case Management Operations
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Room 509F HHH Bldg.
Washington, DC 20201
Email: OCRComplaint@hhs.gov
Other complaints or concerns
Please see below for a list of referrals for common issues or complaints that are not within our authority to handle:
If you have questions about your benefits, want to request a new worker, or would like to file a customer service complaint, contact your local county welfare department.
If you have questions about General Assistance (GA) or General Relief (GR) benefits or to file a discrimination complaint about these programs, contact your local county welfare office.
If you would like to file a civil rights complaint, or other complaint, on behalf of an IHSS provider, contact your local county welfare department.
If you have questions or inquiries regarding your rights under Adult Protective Services, call (800) 884-1684 or visit Your Rights Under Adult Protective Services.
If you have questions about a state hearing or need to request a hearing, contact the State Hearings Division at 1-800-743-8525 or visit the State Hearings Request and Appeals Case Management System page for additional information. Ask for a state hearing if you disagree with an agency’s action or inaction on your benefits or services.
If you have questions about Medi-Cal or health care benefits, visit the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). If you would like to file a Medi-Cal discrimination complaint, call the DHCS Office of Civil Rights at (916) 440-7370 or visit the DHCS Office of Civil Rights page for additional information.
For discrimination complaints related to housing, employment, businesses, or state and local government agencies, contact the California Civil Rights Department (formerly known as the Department of Fair Employment and Housing) at 800-884-1684 (voice) or 800-700-2320 (TTY). You may also visit the Civil Rights Department website for additional information.
If you have questions or would like to file a complaint about your unemployment benefits or other supportive services, call 1-800-480-3287 or visit the Employment Development Department (EDD) page for additional information.
If you have questions or would like to file a complaint about your social security benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), contact the Social Security Administration.
To report suspected IHSS fraud, contact the IHSS Fraud Hotline at 1-800-822-6222.
To report suspected Child Abuse or Neglect, visit the CDSS Report page for a list of county hotlines.
To obtain legal assistance and/or to learn about your rights in other areas (ex. immigration, family law, restraining orders, landlord/tenant, employment, etc.), consider visiting LawHelpCA.
To file a discrimination complaint against your employer, contact the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
To learn about other programs and services offered by CDSS, please visit the CDSS Home Page. For more information on filing other types of complaints with CDSS, please visit this CDSS webpage on filing complaints.