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Grievance Process

Grievance Process

How to File a Grievance

Agency Policy on Grievances:

  1. Each contract agency and sub-contract agency shall adopt a written policy on grievance procedures for addressing complaints received from clients, family members of clients, agencies making referrals, or community groups and organizations. Such policy shall cover, at minimum, the following:
    1. The scope the procedure, including such matters as denial of service, quality of service, payment of fees, if any, access to records, abridgment of a client’s rights, or other complaint the client or others might have regarding the agency’s services;
    2. How clients or others may file a complaint;
    3. An outline of the agency’s review process, including steps involved and timetable for resolution of grievances and levels of staff and/or agency board involvement which the client or others may pursue to express a complaint;
    4. The manner by which the client or others shall be informed of the results of the agency’s review process; and
    5. An outline of external agency(ies) the client or others may wish to pursue should he/she/they still be dissatisfied with the resolution of the complaint(s) by the agency.
  2. Such agency policy shall be written in a clear and understandable style; shall be prominently displayed with the agency; and shall be provided to each person seeking or receiving services from the agency, except in the case of Hotline services where such policy shall be mailed to the client or others, if requested.

Preble County Mental Health & Recovery Board Involvement in Client Rights and Client Grievances:

  1. The Preble County Mental Health & Recovery Board shall review and have on file copies of contract agency policies and procedure on Client Right and Client Grievances, including amendments thereto.
  2. The Preble County Mental Health & Recovery Board shall not become involved in a clients rights or grievance issue unless the complainant and/or agency specifically requests that the Board become involved or, as stated below, the agency fails to take action to resolve a complaint.
  3. Further, the Board shall not become involved in such situations until all agency level remedies and procedures have been exhausted in an attempt to resolve the complaint(s).
  4. Thus, where such complaints are forthcoming to the Board, the complainant shall be informed of the agency’s policies and procedures on client rights and grievances (as currently on file with Board) and shall be referred back to the agency for further resolutions of the complaint.
  5. The Board may, if it feels it is advisable, follow up with the complainant and the agency to ascertain if progress is being made to resolve the complaint. If the agency does not take appropriate action for resolution of the complaint within twenty (20) working days after receiving the notification of the complaint, the Board reserves the right to conduct an investigation regarding the complaint.
  6. In all cases, the Board shall inform the agency in writing that a complaint has been registered. Preferably, this shall be accomplished in writing.

Agencies to Maintain Records of all Complaints Filed:

  1. Contract agencies and sub-contract agencies shall maintain a summary record of all grievances filed during a contract period.
  2. Such record shall be available for inspection by the Board or agent(s) for the Board.
  3. Process:
    1. One copy of the contract agency’s policy on client rights grievance procedures shall be filed with the agency’s application to the Board for a contract. Any changes in these policies or procedures during the contract period shall be reported to the board, along with one (1) copy of the changed documents. These shall be submitted to the Board within thirty (30) days of the change by the agency.
    2. The Preble County Mental Health & Recovery Board will provide upon request a copy of the procedure to anyone contacting the Board office at 937-456-6827.
The Preble County Mental Health & Recovery Board will be responsible for seeing that all grievances brought to the Board are resolved within twenty working days from the date the grievance is filed; The Board also provides that written notification and explanation of the resolution is to be provided to the client, or the griever of other than the client, with the client’s permission; The Board will also provide to the griever or other a list of options for the griever to further grieve with any or all of the following:
  • Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services
  • Ohio Legal Rights Service
  • U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
  • Appropriate Licensing & Regulatory Boards’
The Board makes part of this policy the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the above, and will provide this to the complainant. The Board will obtain the permission of the complainant at this point to release all relevant information to any of the above organizations that the client has initiated a complaint. The Preble County Mental Health & Recovery Board will review annually the number of grievances received, type of grievances, and resolution status of grievances filed to its contract agencies and to the Board directly and shall make these records available upon request to the Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Service.