Grant Administration: Section 4.9 Grievance Procedures

Several federal regulatory compliance requirements instruct grantees to develop and implement grievance procedures to address complaints or disputes that arise in administering CDBG or federal funds in general. The types of complaints include:

  • discrimination
  • citizen participation/public input
  • contract and procurement disputes
  • other program requirements such as acquisition and relocation actions or labor standards
  • decisions about eligibility and providing assistance

Grantees must develop grievance procedures to address these situations. Attachment 4-15 contains Sample Grievance Procedures that municipalities can adopt to cover any of these complaints. Each complaint and the resolution of the complaint should be well documented in the grantee’s files. Attachment 4-15 Sample Grievance Procedures (New)

If the grantee chooses to create its own procedure, the grantee must provide citizens with the name, address, and phone number of a contact person who can receive and respond to complaints. Complaints related to the scope and work of the project should be addressed by the grantee. Where practical, the grantee should respond to any complaints within 15 working days of its receipt. Because complaints and grievances are best handled at the local level, CDFA will forward any complaints it receives about a project to the grantee. CDFA will notify the person filing the complaint that it has been forwarded to the grantee and will direct the complainant to follow up directly with the grantee. It is the responsibility of the grantee to address the complaints regardless of whether a sub-recipient or consultant is managing the local project.

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