Terms and Conditions

The terminology used to describe groups of people, including racial and ethnic communities and people with disabilities, has changed over time. The Department of Children, Youth, and Families works to follow the Associated Press Style Guide in most instances and is committed to continued engagement with individuals with lived experience to update terminology. Although outmoded and offensive terms might be found within links and documents on the website, DCYF does not endorse these terms and is working to update content.

Information that is transmitted by email over the internet is not secure and can be intercepted and read by other Internet users. The Department of Children, Youth, and Families recommends that you do not use email to send us private or confidential data about yourself or others unless it has been encoded or encrypted.

In addition, the department will not use email to transmit responses that contain private or confidential data on an individual unless it can ensure the security and integrity of the information, or it has the individual's consent to transmit such unsecured data.

Materials on the Department of Children, Youth, and Families website are designed to provide useful information to the public, but are not intended to be definitive, official documents of department policy. If there are differences between the website version of a document and the hard copy version in the department’s files, the hard copy version should be considered the correct one. Official documents of the department are maintained at the agency’s Central Office. Information about contacting DCYF is available online.

The department provides links to websites of other public and some private organizations as a service for users. This is not an endorsement the accuracy, completeness, adequacy, accessibility or usefulness of those sites.

The department’s website is not intended to be a comprehensive collection of all related sites on the internet. The sites referenced on the department’s website are only a few of the many possible internet sites related to the department’s programs and services.

All of the information and documents on the DCYF website are in the public domain. A website seeking to link to a DCYF document should not host the document on its site but should link directly to the document. DCYF documents, including forms and brochures, change frequently. Any website that links to the DCYF website should not imply that the state of Minnesota is endorsing any product or service.

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families website is maintained by department staff. This website is designed to offer Minnesota citizens and businesses easy and efficient access to state government resources. The department appreciates that many visitors to the department's website are concerned about digital accessibility to government. DCYF makes every effort to have its website meet the State of Minnesota technology accessibility standards.

The information in this website is available in other formats to people with disabilities by contacting the DCYF Office of Communications or by using your preferred relay service. For other information on disability rights and protections, contact the agency’s ADA coordinator.

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families website is intended as a resource and guide for the public. It is not a source of definitive legal advice about specific legal problems.

Newsletters from DCYF are available as an email service to those who subscribe. The news items included are not considered official notices unless noted otherwise but are provided as a courtesy for subscribers. Signing up for newsletters does not affect any business relationship you might have with DCYF.

In compliance with state data privacy law Minnesota Statutes Section 13.356 (Personal Contact and Online Account Information), DCYF provides notice that the following data provided to DCYF is private:

A subscriber's telephone number; email address; and Internet username, password, Internet protocol address, and any other similar data related to an individual subscriber's online account or access procedures.

Furthermore, data provided under paragraph (a) may only be used for the specific purpose for which the individual provided the data.

Additionally, DCYF shall not market or sell the list of businesses that subscribe or their email addresses.

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), religious creed, disability, age, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the agency (state or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form (PDF), from any USDA office, by calling (833) 620-1071, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to:

• mail:
  Food and Nutrition Service, USDA
  1320 Braddock Place, Room 334
  Alexandria, VA 22314; or
• fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
• email: FNSCIVILRIGHTSCOMPLAINTS@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Para todos los demás programas de asistencia de nutrición del FNS, agencias estatales o locales y sus subreceptores, deben publicar la siguiente Declaración de No Discriminación:

De acuerdo con la ley federal de derechos civiles y las normas y políticas de derechos civiles del Departamento de Agricultura de los Estados Unidos (USDA), esta entidad está prohibida de discriminar por motivos de raza, color, origen nacional, sexo (incluyendo identidad de género y orientación sexual), discapacidad, edad, o represalia o retorsión por actividades previas de derechos civiles.

La información sobre el programa puede estar disponible en otros idiomas que no sean el inglés. Las personas con discapacidades que requieren medios alternos de comunicación para obtener la información del programa (por ejemplo, Braille, letra grande, cinta de audio, lenguaje de señas americano (ASL), etc.) deben comunicarse con la agencia local o estatal responsable de administrar el programa o con el Centro TARGET del USDA al (202) 720-2600 (voz y TTY) o comuníquese con el USDA a través del Servicio Federal de Retransmisión al (800) 877-8339.

Para presentar una queja por discriminación en el programa, el reclamante debe llenar un formulario AD-3027, formulario de queja por discriminación en el programa del USDA, el cual puede obtenerse en línea en: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027s.pdf, de cualquier oficina de USDA, llamando al (866) 632-9992, o escribiendo una carta dirigida a USDA. La carta debe contener el nombre del demandante, la dirección, el número de teléfono y una descripción escrita de la acción discriminatoria alegada con suficiente detalle para informar al Subsecretario de Derechos Civiles (ASCR) sobre la naturaleza y fecha de una presunta violación de derechos civiles. El formulario AD-3027 completado o la carta debe presentarse a USDA por:

• (1) correo:
  U.S. Department of Agriculture
  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
  1400 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
• (2) fax:
  (833) 256-1665 o (202) 690-7442; o
• (3) correo electrónico:
  program.intake@usda.gov

Esta institución es un proveedor que brinda igualdad de oportunidades.