March 22, 2007 |
2007-R-0289 | |
STATUTORY OMBUDSMEN AND ADVOCATES | ||
| ||
By: Mary M. Janicki, Director | ||
You asked for a list of the “ombudsmen” and “advocates” created in Connecticut statutes. You asked whether any of them have ever been evaluated.
OMBUDSMEN AND ADVOCATES
Table 1: Ombudsman Positions
OMBUDSMAN POSITIONS |
CGS § |
Department of Mental Retardation ombudsman |
17a-210a |
State nursing home ombudsman* |
17b-338 |
Long-term care ombudsman including regional ombudsmen |
17b-400 – 417 |
Ombudsman services for Department of Correction inmates |
18-81r |
Department of Environmental Protection business ombudsman** |
22a-2c and 22a-188a |
Managed care ombudsman*** |
38a-1041 |
Ombudsman for property rights in Office of Policy and Management |
48-50 – 57 |
*Obsolete, replaced by long-term care ombudsman
**Two positions distinguished in statute (one for small businesses) currently filled by one person
***Obsolete, replaced by healthcare advocate
Table 2: Advocate Positions
ADVOCATE POSITIONS |
CGS § |
Taxpayer advocate |
12-39n |
Consumer counsel* |
16-2a |
Family advocates |
17a-22d |
Residents' advocates (long-term care) |
17b-401 |
Business advocate |
32-725 (PA 06-83) |
Healthcare advocate |
38a-1041 – 1050 |
Victim advocate |
46a-13b – 13g |
Child advocate |
46a-13k –13q |
Advocates for victims (court-appointed) |
54-221 |
*While not named “advocate,” functions as such.
Non-statutory Positions
We found other agency ombudsman positions that are not statutorily created in the departments of Children and Families and Social Services.
EVALUATIONS
The Legislative Program Review and Investigations Committee (LPRIC) conducted a review of the Office of Consumer Counsel in 1996 (Consumer Representation in Public Utility Matters).
A 1998 LPRIC study addressed the court-based advocates (http: //www. cga. ct. gov/pri/archives/1998ovexec. htm).
The Auditors of Public Accounts conducted financial audits published in a combined report in 2004 on the Office of the Victim Advocate and the Office of the Child Advocate (http: //www. state. ct. us/apa/pdf2004/Elections%2011404-03. pdf). These are the only relevant auditors' reports we find on their website that lists both financial and performance audits going back to 1996. We searched for reports on these entities on the Office of Policy and Management's website and found none.
MJ: dw