CIL CONCILIATION POLICY AND PROCEDURE

Consumers who believe they have been unfairly judged as ineligible for services, or are not satisfied with the services rendered, or have a conflict with a staff member and have not resolved the problem through informal methods have access to the formal internal conciliation process.

NOTIFICATION OF RIGHTS TO CONCILIATION

1. All consumers of the CIL must be informed of the existence of the conciliation process at the time of service delivery.

2. At the time of application, prior to the delivery of services, the consumer shall be presented a copy of the Notice of Rights To Conciliation (see Appendix B). When appropriate, the presentation shall be adapted to meet the needs of the consumer; for example read aloud, interpreted through sign language, presented in a large print version, etc.

3. The process and its access shall be explained and the consumer shall indicate understanding of the process, at which time the consumer will be asked to sign the form where indicated.

4. The original form shall be placed in the consumer’s file. A copy of the signed form shall be given to the consumer.

CONCILIATION PROCEDURES

5. Whenever possible, conflicts with consumers should be resolved prior to conciliation.

6. If the consumer desires resolution through conciliation, the following steps can be taken:

LEVEL I: Referral to Executive Director

A. Consumer or service provider shall refer the complaint to the Executive Director.

B. Within 3 days, the Executive Director will contact the consumer by mail with regard to the situation.

C. Within 7 days, the Executive Director shall send to the consumer 2 copies of the completed Report of Conciliation along with a postage paid envelope for return of one signed copy. This copy along with any rebuttal submitted by the consumer shall be placed in the consumer’s file.

LEVEL II: Presentation to a Conciliation Panel

D. If the complaint remains unresolved, the Executive Director shall ask the President of the Board of Directors to present it to the Executive Committee, which shall serve as the Conciliation Panel.

E. The Executive Committee shall convene within 30 days of the request. The consumer shall be notified in writing of the date and time of the meeting and shall be provided full accessibility services, including transportation, in order to attend and be a full participant. With prior notification, the consumer shall be permitted to bring one additional person (in addition to his or her personal care attendant) to assist in the presentation of the complaint.

F. After all parties have been heard, the Executive Director shall convene to consider the evidence and render a decision. Within 14 days of the executive session, the decision shall be communicated to the consumer, with copies to the Executive Director, via registered mail, from the President of the Board.

G. In the letter, the Board President shall summarize the complaint, the steps taken to resolve the complaint, and the final decision of the Executive Committee. The consumer will also be notified of his or her rights to the external grievance procedure of the state Office of Protection and Advocacy.