Chief Patron: Hamilton
Establish a Pilot Ombudsman Program

Item 491 #1h

Language
Page 441, line 39, strike "$3,193,089" and insert "$3,328,015".
Page 441, line 39, strike "$3,193,089" and insert "$3,329,179".

Explanation
(This amendment requests general funds for the Virginia Office of Protection and Advocacy (VOPA) to establish a pilot Ombudsman program. The Code of Virginia (§ 51.5-39.7) mandates that VOPA establish an Ombudsman section within the Office. This has been an unfunded mandate since the creation of the Office in 2002. Because of a lack of funding, Virginians with disabilities have not had access to an ombudsman service tailored specifically to address their concerns about disability-related services. This pilot Ombudsman Services will allow VOPA to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of providing these non-adjudicatory services. With the funding requested in this amendment, VOPA will pilot a discrete, targeted Ombudsman service for children with disabilities ages 0-3 years. VOPA will hire one staff person to function as the Ombudsman, one half-time support staff person for administrative duties, and charge three percent of the VOPA Executive Director’s salary to this project.)