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    Help for Clients

    Assisting You

    helpConcerns or complaints can come from any source. They should involve the actions of an agency, facility, or program (view definitions) and can be client-specific or a system-wide concern. Even though the Office of Ombudsman for Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities (OMHDD) can accept concerns from anyone, the client is the person receiving services. Matters given priority are:

    • Matters affecting the health, safety, or welfare of clients
    • Laws or rules, their interpretation, and their effect on services to clients
    • Policies and practices that diminish client dignity or independence
    • A disregard or restriction of client rights or rights of wards or protected persons
    • Situations of abuse or neglect
    • The deaths and serious injuries of clients
    • The quality of services provided
    • The lack of services provided

    Actions We May Take

    The OMHDD tries to resolve concerns or complaints in a way that improves the quality of care clients receive. Possible actions by the OMHDD include:

    • Mediating or advocating on behalf of a client
    • Consulting with providers about policies, practices, and procedures
    • Gathering and analyzing information
    • Conducting investigations
    • Reviewing deaths and serious injuries
    • Examining records
    • Making site visits
    • Making recommendations, issuing reports, and monitoring results
    • Issuing public reports
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