The Protection & Advocacy Project (P&A) works hard to provide quality services to individuals with disabilities. P&A staff strive to be professional, objective, and fair in their communications, advocacy, and legal activities.
If, however, you are not satisfied with P&A, you have the right to complain. You may file a grievance if you:
- have requested services from P&A; or
- are a client or former client of P&A; or
- are the parent of a child under the age of eighteen who has requested services from P&A or who is a client or former client of P&A; or
- are a court-appointed guardian for a person who has requested services from P&A or who is a client or former client of P&A.
Issues that you may grieve are:
- P&A’s decision to not provide advocacy or legal services.
- The amount, quality or kind of services being provided by P&A.
- P&A activities or policies that you believe are not legal.
- Actions or inactions of a P&A employee.
Please let P&A know if you need reasonable accommodations, due to a disability, to effectively participate in the grievance process. This may include asking P&A to provide you with materials in an alternative format or requesting that P&A find someone to help you write your complaint.
To start the process, submit your written complaint to P&A’s Executive Director within fifteen days of the decision or action with which you are dissatisfied. P&A will thoroughly investigate. You will receive a written response. If you continue to be dissatisfied, you may appeal the decision to the Committee on Protection & Advocacy (P&A’s governing board).
Specific grievance information, with timelines, can be found at: NDAC 65.5-01-05
Public Inquiry
The public inquiry(pdf) process is available to facilitate communication among P&A and members of the public when more informal means of communication are not appropriate. Any issue that is not eligible for treatment within the grievance procedure may be appropriate under the public inquiry process. This includes issues presented by people who are not eligible to utilize the grievance procedure, such as service providers.
Further information can be found at NDAC 65.5-01-06.