Effective Dates: 10/01/2026 - Present Previous | Next

TN 2 (10-26)

GN 00211.001 Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973: Standard and Non-Standard Accommodations

CITATIONS:

Public Law 93-112, as amended;
29 U.S.C. 794;
45 CFR part 85

A. Background of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities. Federal agencies and recipients of Federal financial assistance must ensure that qualified individual with disabilities are not, solely by reason of their disabilities, excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination under the programs and activities conducted by federal agencies or recipients of federal financial assistance.

Individuals with disabilities may:

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    be blind or visually impaired;

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    have cognitive or learning impairments;

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    be deaf or hard of hearing;

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    have mobility or physical concerns;

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    have psychological or emotional impairments; or

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    have any other disabling conditions that require accommodation.

Qualified individuals with disabilities are persons with disabilities who meet the normal and essential eligibility requirements of the program or activity.

Members of the public who have disabilities may request accommodations to ensure they have effective communication and meaningful access to SSA’s programs or services.

A decision to provide an accommodation for an individual (when requested) based on a disability does not constitute:

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    An allowance for Social Security benefits,

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    An allowance for Supplemental Security Income payments, or

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    An acknowledgement of disability for administering Social Security programs.

B. Accommodation requests- standard and non-standard

Individuals with disabilities are presumed to be capable of doing business with the Social Security Administration (SSA) without an accommodation unless they make a request. SSA cannot presume that people need accommodation based solely on their diagnosis. When a member of the public has a disability that prevents or limits the individual's ability to participate in an agency program or activity and informs SSA of the need for an accommodation that will enable participation in a program for which the individual is otherwise qualified, SSA will make every effort to meet that need.

Individuals needing such accommodation must make a request for an accommodation. The individual should explain how or why the requested accommodation would enable him or her to participate in the program or activity, unless the need for the accommodation is obvious. If so, we should verify with the individual that the individual believes the accommodation would be effective. SSA may require medical documentation to verify the disability and need for accommodation. Nothing in the Rehabilitation Act or its implementing regulations requires an individual with a disability to accept an accommodation, aid, service, opportunity, or benefit that the individual chooses not to accept.

Individuals may request one or more accommodations. To request an accommodation, an individual may:

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    call SSA's National 800 Number;

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    visit a local field office (FO), including a Social Security Number Card Center, or hearing office (HO);

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    contact, either by telephone or in writing, the local FO or HO where they propose to receive the accommodation; or

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    request notices in an alternate format through ssa.gov using the current internet Special Notice Options (SNO) process for individuals who are blind or visually impaired.

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    email SSA using the public reasonable accommodations inbox at Section.504.Public.Inquiry@ssa.gov.

NOTE: Individuals do not have to prove a disability when requesting an accommodation. We accept accommodations requests based on the individuals alleged disability.

1. Standard accommodations

Upon request, FOs and HOs routinely provide standard accommodations to individuals with disabilities who need them to conduct business with us. Standard accommodations do not require special handling or approval by a member of management. SSA provides standard accommodations in all SSA offices. Standard accommodations include:

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    Certified and Qualified Sign Language Interpreter;

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    Handwritten notes; and

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    Lip reading or speech reading.

Be mindful that some requests may require advance notice. When this occurs, staff should inform the requester of the likely delay in providing the requested accommodation. Do not deny an individual a standard accommodation for this reason, although the requester may choose to select a more readily available alternative.

a. Locally available accommodations

Local offices may be able to provide accommodations that other offices cannot. Examples of locally available accommodations include:

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    A Social Security employee who is a Qualified Sign Language Interpreter;

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    A Social Security employee who knows American Sign Language;

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    Assisted listening device, or hearing loop;

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    Bariatric chair;

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    CapTel service;

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    Certified and Qualified Video Remote Sign Language Interpreter;

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    Real-time court reporting; and

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    Ubi Duo face-to-face communicator.

As with standard accommodations, some locally available accommodations will also need advance notice.

b. Special notice options for blind or visually impaired individuals

Special Notice Options (SNO) for individuals who are blind or visually impaired are considered standard accommodations. SNO options include:

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    Standard print notices sent by first-class mail;

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    Standard print notices sent by certified mail;

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    Standard print notices sent by first-class mail with a follow-up telephone call;

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    Standard print notices and Braille notices sent by first-class mail;

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    Standard print notices and data compact discs that contain a Microsoft Word file sent by first-class mail;

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    Standard print notices and audio compact discs that contain a voice recording of the notice sent by first-class mail; and

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    Standard print notices and large print (18-point font) notices sent by first-class mail.

Individuals may select only one SNO option. Requests for more than one SNO option, or for an individual with an impairment type other than blind or visually impaired, are considered non-standard accommodation requests, and should be referred to Reasonable Accommodation (RA) in Human Resources for Section 504 Compliance.

Individuals who are blind or visually impaired may also request notices in an alternate format online through ssa.gov using the current internet SNO process.

NOTE: For additional information about the SNO process, refer to NL 01001.000 and HA 01305.088, Special Notice Options for the Blind or Visually Impaired.

2. Non-standard accommodations for members of the public

In some instances, a qualified individual with a disability may indicate that a standard accommodation is insufficient to provide meaningful access. If the standard accommodations do not provide the qualified individual with meaningful access, the individual has the option to request a different non-standard accommodation. A non-standard accommodation is one that SSA does not routinely provide. Employees should consult with management on non-standard accommodation requests.

When a standard accommodation is inadequate, SSA should first offer alternative service options, such as eServices or contacting the National 800 Number. If the individual indicates that neither alternative service options nor standard accommodations, including locally available options, will be effective, the request must be referred to RA as a non-standard accommodation request.

3. Alternative service policy

Providing meaningful access under Section 504 does not take priority over the safety of SSA employees and visitors. SSA is responsible for ensuring the safety of its:

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    employees;

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    visitors;

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    facilities; and

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    operational effectiveness.

Individuals SSA restricts from in-person service must continue to use alternative services, such as the National 800 Number and SSA online services.


NOTE: For additional information about the alternative service policy, refer to AIMS GAM 12.08.

C. Accepting accommodation requests

When an individual with a disability indicates difficulty with effective communication because of a disability, the individual is generally in the best position to identify the accommodation needed to communicate effectively. SSA must give primary consideration to the individuals request unless another effective accommodation exists. Therefore, we created a process to allow individuals to request standard and non-standard accommodations.

1. iAccommodate

iAccommodate is an application used to record and refer non-standard accommodation requests to RA in Human Resources. iAccommodate is found on IMAIN, titled Person Information (Identity, Contact, Accommodation).

SSA employees will document only the accommodation provided by SSA. If individuals choose to provide their own accommodation, do not document that in iAccommodate. For example, if an individual who is deaf or hard of hearing brings a family member to assist with American Sign Language interpretation, there is not a need to document that as an accommodation the agency provided.

NOTE: Do not use the intranet application to record accommodations for individuals without Social Security Numbers and individuals who have a date of death on the Numident. This does not preclude the office from accommodating the individual and following current operating policy.

2. Instructions for accepting accommodation requests

Please use the following decision tree when receiving a request for an accommodation:

Step Question/Action If YES If NO
1 Is the requested standard accommodation a standard accommodation that is readily available in the office that day? Provide the accommodation and document in iAccommodate. Go to Step 2.
2 Can the office provide the standard accommodation in the near future (e.g., interpreter services)? Document in iAccommodate. Make an appointment for the individual to return when the accommodation is available. Make arrangements to ensure the accommodation is in place for the appointment. Go to Step 3.
3 Are any alternative standard accommodations or service delivery options acceptable to the individual? Provide the alternative accommodation and document in iAccommodate. Move to "Referring the non-standard request to RA”, below.
4 Did the individual request non-standard accommodation?

Report the requested non-standard accommodation to the designated management official and refer the request to RA for necessary action.

 

Move to “Referring the non-standard request to RA”, below.

 Move to "Referring the non-standard request to RA”, below.

NOTE: If a request for an accommodation is made by an attorney representative, FOs and HOs should document the request by retaining a copy of the reasonable accommodation request as well as any evidence indicating that the attorney representative declined any standard accommodation(s) offered or withdrew his or her request for accommodation.

3. Referring a non-standard request to RA

When referring a request to RA in Human Resources through iAccommodate, RA reviews the individual's circumstances and the accommodation that the individual requested to determine how the agency can accommodate the individual. RA will contact the individual requester for additional information when necessary and will work with the component's point-of-contact (POC) to gather additional information when necessary. Components should work through their component's POC if they need an accommodation request status update from RA, or when an individual would like to cancel a request that has been submitted to RA.

RA's goal is to make a determination within 2 weeks; however, complex requests may take up to 6 weeks. RA will notify the office of its determination. RA will also notify the individual who requested the accommodation of the outcome of the individual's request in writing. .

There are no appeal rights associated with accommodation requests. If RA denies an individual's request, the individual may:

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    submit a request for a different accommodation; or

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    submit a request for the same accommodation with new information as to why that accommodation is necessary.

    NOTE: Attorney representatives’ non-standard request may be submitted to RA at Section.504.Public.Inquiry@ssa.gov.

4. Filing a discrimination complaint

Individuals have the right at any time to file a complaint of discrimination against SSA based on disability. Individuals may file a complaint using Form SSA-437 (Discrimination Complaint Form) or by writing a letter that includes the information requested in the form. Individuals may email the completed Form SSA-437 or letter to civil.rights.program.complaint.intake@ssa.gov or mail to:

Social Security Administration
Attn: Civil Rights Complaints
6401 Security Boulevard
RMB 4600
Baltimore, MD 21235

D. References

To Link to this section - Use this URL:
http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0200211001
GN 00211.001 - Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973: Standard and Non-Standard Accommodations - 10/01/2026
Batch run: 10/01/2026
Rev:10/01/2026