State ombuds office says staffing shortfall endangers Dec. 1 health-services report

Devon Ward, the state correctional ombuds, told the Judiciary advisory committee that his office’s staffing delays have created a backlog that threatens the office’s ability to meet statutory deadlines and perform oversight duties.

"The biggest obstacle right now is the significant staffing delays," Ward said, adding that he remains the sole employee in the office and that the backlog had grown to 388 complaints, of which he had personally responded to 217.

The ombuds described steps already under way to improve case handling: a triage policy that aims to acknowledge and route complaints; procurement of a commercial case-management tracking system (CMTS); and job postings for two clerical positions. The software Ward identified runs about $20,000 for purchase with recurring license fees. He said OPM has cleared the purchase and he expects the system to be operational by October.

Why it matters: the office has a statutory obligation to file a health-services report by Dec. 1, and Ward said staffing shortfalls make meeting that deadline uncertain. He urged the advisory committee to press appointing authorities and relevant state agencies to accelerate hiring and classification work.

Committee members pressed Ward for details about the stakeholder process that shaped the triage policy and for faster acknowledgement of incoming complaints. Committee member Ben said, "the backlog of complaints is clearly a problem," and urged a clearer, faster acknowledgement to complainants so people do not feel they are "shouting into the void." Ward said the 45-day response mentioned in the triage policy reflects the current backlog reality and that the administrative hires should allow the office to reduce wait times substantially.

Ward described the staffing plan and current bottlenecks: the office has authorization to add five positions (administrative assistant, clerk typist, associate ombuds, an assistant ombuds focused on health services, and a special investigator). The administrative assistant and clerk typist postings closed recently; the associate ombuds position requires a new job classification through the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) and approvals from the Office of Policy and Management (OPM), a process Ward said can be slow and involves bargaining-unit consultation.

Ward noted the budget appropriation for the office this fiscal year is $790,799, which took effect July 1. He asked the committee to use its appointment channels and public pressure to help move the remaining hiring steps at OPM and DAS and to encourage prompt onboarding once candidates are selected.

Committee members and advocates offered steps the advisory body can take: meet with OPM and DAS, invite DOC central office representatives to explain hiring and deployment, and, where helpful, participate on hiring committees. Ward said he will receive a vetted candidate list from DAS and expects two rounds of interviews per open posting.

Clarifying details Ward provided to the committee included the current complaint count (388), the number he had personally handled (217), the CMTS purchase cost (~$20,000 plus per-license annual fees), authorization for five hires, and the office budget ($790,799). He said the CMTS vendor is based in North Carolina and that he will travel there for onboarding.

What’s next: the advisory committee agreed to draft and send letters to appointing authorities and to press state HR offices to prioritize the ombuds positions. Ward said he will update the committee as hiring progresses and welcomed volunteer participation on hiring committees.

Ending: The committee committed to using its channels and public pressure to accelerate the hiring process and said it expects to revisit staffing progress at its next public hearing in December.