Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Carolina has made a conciliation agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor to resolve allegations that the payer discriminated against 117 Black, Hispanic, Asian and multiracial applicants for a student training program, according to a July 21 news release.
BCBS has agreed to pay the applicants more than $226,000 in back wages, interest and benefits. The company will also make five job offers to the applicants while ensuring the hiring process is free from discrimination.
The allegations stem from a routine federal compliance investigation, which found that the payer had failed to comply with an executive order prohibiting racial discrimination by federal contractors from Sept. 1, 2015, to Aug. 31, 2016, the Department of Labor stated.
Becker's reached out to BCBS of South Carolina for comment and will update this story if more information becomes available.