Changes Needed in the Relocation Act To Achieve More Uniform Treatment of Persons Displaced by Federal Programs

The Relocation Act is intended to provide for uniform and equitable treatment of persons displaced from their homes, businesses, or farms by federal and federally assisted programs.

Some displaced persons are receiving little or no relocation assistance because the coverage provided by the act is limited. When federal financial assistance is provided to organizations other than state agencies, few relocation benefits are provided because of the belief that the act does not apply under these conditions. Businesses may suffer because the benefits are not provided to pay for increased costs at a replacement site. The Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 decreased coverage under the Relocation Act because of agency and court interpretations that the benefits are not required to be paid to displaced persons when there is no acquisition of property. Although the act calls for coordination among agencies, each issues its own regulations with the result that benefits have differed under comparable conditions. The Relocation Assistance Implementation Committee has been unable to bring about the uniformity prescribed by the act because it lacks authority to rule on differences in agencies' positions.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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