Any person who believes he/she has been discriminated against on the basis of race, color, or national origin by the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) may file a Title VI complaint by completing and submitting the agency’s Title VI Complaint form to the address indicated on the form. Complaints must be filed no more than 180 days from the date(s) of the alleged incident.
Once the complaint form is received by Long Island Rail Road’s Office of Diversity Management it will be reviewed to determine whether the complaint constitutes a Title VI complaint and/or whether there is sufficient information for an investigation. The complainant will receive an acknowledgement letter informing him/her whether the complaint is covered under Title VI and/or if more information is needed for a Title VI investigation to take place. In the event more information is needed, the Office of Diversity Management will contact the complainant, and the complainant shall be given a reasonable amount of time to provide the requested information. If the information is not received, the Office of Diversity Management may administratively close the case. A case can be administratively closed if a complainant fails to cooperate with the investigation or indicates he/she no longer wishes to pursue his/her case.
The Office of Diversity Management will investigate Title VI complaints for which it has sufficient information. After the investigation is completed, the complainant will be issued one of two letters: a closure letter or a letter of finding (LOF). A closure letter summarizes the allegations, and states that a Title VI violation could not be established and that the case will be closed. An LOF summarizes the allegations regarding the alleged incident, and explains whether any type of corrective action was recommended. If the complainant wishes to appeal the decision, he/she has fifteen (15) business days from the date of the closure letter or LOF to make the request to the Office of Diversity Management’s Director (contact info indicated on the complaint form), and must include any reason(s) why such appeal should be granted.
A person may also file a complaint directly with the U.S. Department of Transportation by contacting the Department at: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, Office of Civil Rights, Attention: Complaint Team, East Building 5th Floor—TCR, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20590.
Download the Long Island Rail Road Title VI Complaint form in English.
Descargar el Formulario de Queja de Título VI de Long Island Rail Road en español.