Grievances and Complaints – General Information

Grievances and Complaints – General Information A. Grievances or complaints submitted to DMH about DMH-certified providers involve a formal way for people receiving services, their families, and/or other external sources to document a concern or grievance about a DMH-certified provider. The grievance or complaint may pertain to the scope of the provider’s DMH certification which they wish to report to DMH for evaluation. B. In the context of DMH provider certification, the terms, “grievance” and “complaint,” refer to the following: 1. Grievance: A written, electronically submitted, or verbal statement made by a person receiving services (and/or parent(s)/legal representative(s)) alleging a violation of rights, policy, or a provider certification rule. As outlined below, a grievance may be filed at the provider level or with DMH. 2. Complaint: A written or electronically submitted allegation of misconduct or rules violation filed with DMH by any party in the manner for complaints filing, as prescribed for by DMH. 3. Within the context of DMH provider certification, the primary difference between a grievance and a complaint is that a grievance is filed by the person (or parent(s)/legal representative(s)) while the person is receiving services and may either be filed with the provider and/or with DMH. However, a complaint may be filed with DMH on a certified provider by any party and must be filed in a manner, as prescribed for by DMH.