Overview

All people in Massachusetts are protected against unlawful discrimination by federal and state laws. If you believe you have been discriminated against, you may file a complaint with the MCAD by following the instructions below. Once you file a complaint, you will meet with an MCAD Intake Officer to determine if the agency can investigate your case. If the MCAD can accept the complaint, the Commission will launch an investigation in order to make a determination whether there is probable cause that unlawful discrimination occurred.

Filing Deadline

In all but a few cases, the MCAD has a 300-day statutory filing deadline. This means that you only have 300 days from the last discriminatory act to file a claim with the MCAD. Cases involving applying to schools only have a six month statutory filing deadline.

Should I File a Complaint?

If you are unsure if you experienced unlawful discrimination, come in and meet with a staff person who will discuss this with you and help you decide whether or not to file. If you ultimately decide to file a complaint, one of our intake worker will explain to you what kind of evidence you will need to prove that discrimination occurred.
Persons with a disability who are unable to file a complaint in person may contact any of our offices to make alternative filing arrangement.


posted by Jeff Bennett