The purpose of these regulations is to set out ED's rules for implementing the Age Discrimination Act of 1975. The Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of age in programs or activities receiving Federal financial assistance. The Act permits federally assisted programs or activities, and recipients of Federal funds, to continue to use age distinctions and factors other than age that meet the requirements of the Act.

(a) These regulations apply to any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance from ED.

(b) These regulations do not apply to—

(1) An age distinction contained in that part of a Federal, State, or local statute or ordinance adopted by an elected, general purpose legislative body that—

(i) Provides any benefits or assistance to persons based on age;

(ii) Establishes criteria for participation in age-related terms; or

(iii) Describes intended beneficiaries or target groups in age-related terms; or

(2) Any employment practice of any employer, employment agency, labor organization, or any labor-management joint apprenticeship training program, except any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance for employment under the Job Training Partnership Act (29 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.).

The following definitions apply to these regulations: Act means the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended (Title III of Pub. L. 94-135).

Action means any act, activity, policy, rule, standard, or method of administration, or the use of any policy, rule, standard, or method of administration.

Age means how old a person is, or the number of years from the date of a person's birth.

Age distinction means any action using age or an age-related term.

Age-related term means a word or words that necessarily imply a particular age or range of ages (e.g., “children,” “adult,” “older persons,” but not “student” or “grade”).

Agency means a Federal department or agency that is empowered to extend financial assistance.

Applicant for Federal financial assistance means one who submits an application, request, or plan required to be approved by a Department official or by a recipient as a condition to becoming a recipient or subrecipient.

Department means the United States Department of Education.

ED means the United States Department of Education.

Federal financial assistance means any grant, entitlement, loan, cooperative agreement, contract (other than a procurement contract or a contract of insurance or guaranty), or any other arrangement by which ED provides or otherwise makes available assistance in the form of—

(a) Funds;

(b) Services of Federal personnel; or

(c) Real and personal property or any interest in or use of property, including—

(1) Transfers or leases of property for less than fair market value or for reduced consideration; and

(2) Proceeds from a subsequent transfer or lease of property if the Federal share of its fair market value is not returned to the Federal Government.

Program or activity means all of the operations of—

(a)(1) A department, agency, special purpose district, or other instrumentality of a State or local government; or

(2) The entity of a State or local government that distributes such assistance and each such department or agency (and each other State or local government entity) to which the assistance is extended, in the case of assistance to a State or local government;

(b)(1) A college, university, or other postsecondary institution, or a public system of higher education; or

(2) A local educational agency (as defined in 20 U.S.C. 8801), system of vocational education, or other school system;

(c)(1) An entire corporation, partnership, other private organization, or an entire sole proprietorship—

(i) If assistance is extended to such corporation, partnership, private organization, or sole proprietorship as a whole; or

(ii) Which is principally engaged in the business of providing education, health care, housing, social services, or parks and recreation; or

(2) The entire plant or other comparable, geographically separate facility to which Federal financial assistance is extended, in the case of any other corporation, partnership, private organization, or sole proprietorship; or

(d) Any other entity that is established by two or more of the entities described in paragraph (a), (b), or (c) of this section; any part of which is extended Federal financial assistance.

Recipient means any State or its political subdivision, any instrumentality of a State or its political subdivision, any public or private agency, institution, organization, or other entity, or any person to which Federal financial assistance from ED is extended, directly or through another recipient. “Recipient” includes any successor, assignee, or transferee of a recipient, but excludes the ultimate beneficiary of the assistance.

Secretary means the Secretary of Education, or his or her designee.

Subrecipient means any of the entities in the definition of “recipient” to which a recipient extends or passes on Federal financial assistance. A subrecipient is generally regarded as a recipient of Federal financial assistance and has all the duties of a recipient in these regulations.

United States means the fifty States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Wake Island, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the territories and possessions of the United States.