On April 25, 2023, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) issued an updated self-identification form for applicants and current employees to voluntarily self-identify as an individual with a disability.  Federal contractors and subcontractors subject to Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act must invite applicants for employment to self-identify at the pre-offer and post-offer stages, as well as invite current employees to update their self-identification every five years.  Contractors and subcontractors must use the information provided in this form in their Section 503 affirmative action program for individuals with disabilities.

The revised form implements updates based on the preferred language for disabilities and includes additional examples of disabilities, among other changes.  The changes are relatively non-substantive in nature and do not materially alter the contractor’s obligation to invite applicants and employees to self-identify.

Employers are required to begin using the revised form by July 25, 2023.  Employers must continue using the prior version of the form until they implement the revised form. The revised form is set to expire on April 30, 2026. Employers can get the new form in English here. The OFCCP is expected to provide the form in additional languages in the coming months.

The self-identification requirement for individuals with disabilities is just one of the unique requirements that OFCCP imposes on federal contractors and subcontractors in the recruitment and onboarding processes.  The updated self-identification form presents a good opportunity for employers that have newly become federal contractors or subcontractors, or that have not reviewed their processes for a number of years, to bring their recruiting and onboarding processes into greater compliance (including requirements for third-party recruiters acting on the contractor’s behalf), as failure to collect the sometimes granular information required by OFCCP can have negative consequences in the event of a compliance evaluation.