[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6292456,"mediaKeyId","2526331-9da6ebe5efa7bfe589166fea459366c6","parentId",2526331,"title","Protection and Advocacy asks for staff, retirement funds and to continue assistive-technology pilot during HB1014 hearing","audioSeconds",8518,"startMs",650000,"endMs",9168000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2526331-9da6ebe5efa7bfe589166fea459366c6&start=650&end=9168","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2526331-9da6ebe5efa7bfe589166fea459366c6/thumbnail_650000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6292456/North-Dakota/Protection-and-Advocacy-asks-for-staff-retirement-funds-and-to-continue-assistive-technology-pilot-during-HB1014-hearing","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6292456-2dc1936b7b7413203013f180b71a2c8d/orig.mp4?Expires=1776237596&Signature=oZVaa8dcbqanwmHnLF8tRywd1y95hrOa8PAWX-fHR0rC9pZsIR6S5odgrVPmoykeNBfIyc3YVRmDSg3EYp7PcisIrRgM2dCfrLCrRYUAxMke0XbsblGO86jr89YMGKZaAbVGiulb56oEiPTQv4aLKRNq~DpIvolYYM5h-NwGx5sigulGggsWJLqKlObyqPhz~sd08kHSc3D1H05Er3kfYH7ILRv-EShZQEv2DmAv5a-20nKT-UqO38FWos3MAeMHEMST5eYk2IMBhbUSSeGjrqlnWpCzwRkrUGMeo5mrtw40~cfWp0Zl8tROhf80QmHSdgG6CZlUYAYkwg3sEAc2fw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","North Dakota State Legislature","date","2025-03-07T00:00:00Z","article","The Human Resources Division of the Senate Appropriations Committee held a public hearing on House Bill 1014 to review the budget request for the North Dakota Protection and Advocacy Project (P&A), and heard testimony asking the Legislature to fund a permanent workforce-technology coordinator, cover an expected retirement payout and consider a communications specialist.

Veronica Cazitz, executive director of the North Dakota Protection and Advocacy Project, told the committee P&A is an independent state agency established in 1977 that provides free advocacy and protective services to eligible individuals with disabilities across North Dakota. \"P and A provides free services to eligible individuals with disabilities across North Dakota,\" Cazitz said, describing investigation, monitoring and legal representation work the agency performs.

The agency presented data showing protective-services investigations made up roughly 63 percent of its caseload in the last two federal fiscal years, and that P&A handled 2,390 cases and 1,771 clients in the most recent biennium compared with 2,264 cases and 1,668 clients in the prior biennium. Cazitz told the committee that 99 percent of cases were resolved completely or partially in the client's favor last federal fiscal year and that P&A completed 6,126 information-and-referral requests over the last two federal fiscal years.

Why it matters: committee members pressed for detail because the agency's budget is roughly 56 percent federal and 44 percent state funds and many federal grants are fixed formula awards that have not kept pace with inflation. P&A said it needs one continuing staff position to sustain a pilot that placed individuals in community settings using assistive technology and expects near-term retirements and vacancy costs to create one-time funding needs.

Key budget numbers and staffing
- Current base appropriation shown by the agency: about $4.3 million in federal funds and $3.4 million in state general funds (total roughly $7.79 million) and 28.5 full-time equivalents (FTEs).
- Agency request: about $8.4 million and 30.5 FTEs; Governor Armstrong proposed about $8.6 million and 29.5 FTEs; the House version included about $8.5 million and 29.5 FTEs and explicitly funded the workforce-technology coordinator and a retirement payout.
- Vacancies and turnover: 11 vacancies during the current biennium; turnover was about 32% in July 2023'June 2024 and about 11% in the most recent 12 months; average time to fill a position is roughly three months.

Federal grants and limits
Cazitz outlined P&A's federal grant portfolio and current award amounts: Protection and Advocacy for Developmental Disabilities (about $415,000/year); Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness (about $474,000/year); Protection and Advocacy for Individual Rights (about $196,000/year); traumatic brain injury and assistive-technology grants (each about $50,000); voting access (about $141,000); Social Security beneficiary programs (roughly $24,000 and $73,000). She told the committee many of these are minimum-allotment formula grants that have seen little growth, noting 10-year growth rates in the low double digits and saying federal increases have not kept pace with Bureau of Labor Statistics inflation estimates.

Workforce and technology pilot: coordinator request and results
Jordan Wetzel, the temporary project coordinator for P&A's Workforce and Technology Project, described a pilot using assistive technology to reduce reliance on high-cost institutional care and on staff hours. Wetzel said the pilot includes four participants and that, in one example, a participant leaving the Life Skills Transition Center (LSTC) whose institutional annual cost the witness described as about $560,647 moved to a community apartment with about $12.50 of assistive-technology items. Wetzel told the committee that change produced a reported annual savings of roughly $402,967 for the state.

\"These tools range from simple, low cost items like smart light bulbs or automatic door openers, to more specialized devices such as medication management systems, smart security devices, and remote monitoring solutions,\" Wetzel said, summarizing technologies used in the pilot. Wetzel and Cazitz said the pilot was initially funded with federal COVID-era dollars and partner contributions and that the House included funding to continue one permanent coordinator position. The agency estimated the permanent position would cost about $200,000 over two years (salary and benefits), and said it proposed a 50/50 state/federal split for that position in budget discussions.

Other optional requests and operational details
P&A also requested one-time retirement-payout funding to cover an expected large accrued-leave payout for a soon-to-retire staffer (the agency estimated typical payouts of $20,000'$30,000 per person and said a recent payout was about $25,000). The agency additionally requested a communications specialist to boost public awareness of P&A services; Cazitz said awareness is uneven and some potential clients do not learn about P&A until a problem has escalated.

Committee process and next steps
Committee members asked detailed questions about grant drawdowns, indirect rates (the agency cited a 15% de minimis federal indirect rate), how federal reimbursements are tracked, and the realism of higher federal grant assumptions in the House sheet. Cazitz and Wetzel emphasized that many federal awards are fixed and that increasing state funds is the more reliable way to stabilize the agency budget.

The committee took testimony and did not vote on HB1014; members said they will wait until the budget forecast and other legislative steps before taking further action.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Appropriations - Human Resources Division Friday, Mar 7, 2025 8:25 AM - 11:08 AM","oneSentenceSummary","The Human Resources Division of the Senate Appropriations Committee held a public hearing on House Bill 1014 to review the budget request for the North Dakota Protection and Advocacy Project (P&A), and heard testimony asking the Legislature to fund a permanent workforce-technology coordinator, cover an expected retirement payout and consider a communications specialist.","taxTitle","Appropriations - Human Resources Division, Senate, Legislative, North Dakota","taxId",28901,"location","North Dakota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6292450,"Rolla parent alleges delay, limited transparency by Protection & Advocacy after day-program abuse; committee declines to adjudicate",1214,8034000,9248000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2526331-9da6ebe5efa7bfe589166fea459366c6&start=8034&end=9248","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2526331-9da6ebe5efa7bfe589166fea459366c6/thumbnail_8034000.jpg","/articles/6292450/North-Dakota/Rolla-parent-alleges-delay-limited-transparency-by-Protection-Advocacy-after-day-program-abuse-committee-declines-to-adjudicate","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6292450-dd4873a7fc4cacada1d7b2646e66535a/orig.mp4?Expires=1776237596&Signature=I6vhhFWBwl40p5fu9SVPDM3ecChvu~OgesCffJmCOoWE4KHEEF6BUlnY5~WS0XDdYoTnm-ND34Ufh6jjLV7Q662L3NzbW5YAnHzkvhWsPaVXOpjaHcqJFUWvltWLFUgC-aQQBcVavefDyxoJYAkmn~rkMr3zzlxJnxFd4zaA1rmpIdTxi5cMdcHFi~4KIYKLjMQWwiw-ve~rSK7fvWeWNFWGjauckoImIFpJHB1MYOUS6YOVjLupbJbgeHLn3zsk2nP14V2iQVBQvIjDylQVJ9hu4vRvdjU59c2v-stiPDRGyPwm2dNI9ZBFLzJ9x8NAb7i3o9QpVhnFwzZibfkezA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A Rolla father told the Senate Appropriations Committee's Human Resources Division he believes the North Dakota Protection and Advocacy Project (P&A) did not adequately protect his adult daughter after an alleged abuse at a day habilitation program.

Scott (identified in testimony as a Rolla resident) said the incident occurred on Nov. 27 at a Calix day program and that his wife's report and a caregiver's witness statement were submitted to P&A and Calix on Dec. 2. He told the committee he received little contact from P&A for weeks and that the agency did not interview the Easterseals caregiver who reported the incident.

\"When 3 weeks had passed, my wife was finally able to reach our PNA representative and ask how things were proceeding. Unfortunately, this person had not had the time with all the other cases she was handling to even open our daughter's file,\" Scott said during his testimony.

Scott said P&A's written conclusion on Jan. 14 found video evidence showed two employees committed an act of abuse and that Calix subsequently let one employee go and reprimanded the other. Scott said Calix's CEO refused to release the video to the family and cited Calix policy; Scott said P&A's executive director told him Calix \"could be forced to hand over the video, but the issue has been dealt with,\" and wrote that seeing the footage would only be relevant if the parents intended a civil suit. The witness called that response insufficient.

\"I recommend that at very least, PNA funding be suspended, pending an investigation,\" Scott told the committee.

Committee response and next steps
Chairman Deaver told Scott the hearing would not adjudicate the family's complaint, and offered to help arrange follow-up. \"We are not going to adjudicate your situation... I'd be happy to serve as an intercessory between you and PNA to address your concerns,\" Deaver said. The committee's chair and staff also suggested Scott could submit a confidentiality waiver to permit additional information-sharing and encouraged use of local prosecutorial or protective-services channels where appropriate.

What the transcript shows and what it does not
- Timeline in testimony: alleged incident Nov. 27; family and caregiver reported to P&A and Calix Dec. 2; P&A concluded Jan. 14 that the two employees had committed an act of abuse; Calix took personnel action after the agency's finding.
- Scott said P&A did not interview the caregiver who filed the initial report; P&A did not present a direct, on-record response in the hearing transcript about that specific claim beyond the agency's earlier overview testimony on investigative processes.

The committee did not act on Scott's request during the hearing. Members said they would take Scott's testimony under advisement and offered procedural options for follow-up but did not direct an investigation or suspension during the session.","A Rolla man testified the state'funded Protection and Advocacy Project delayed or limited its response after his daughter'an adult with moderate autism'was allegedly abused at a day program on Nov. 27; he asked that P&A funding be suspended pending review; the committee did not adjudicate and offered to help facilitate follow-up.","actionData","errors"]

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Protection and Advocacy asks for staff, retirement funds and to continue assistive-technology pilot during HB1014 hearing

Rolla parent alleges delay, limited transparency by Protection & Advocacy after day-program abuse; committee declines to adjudicate