Montgomery County committee hears Office of Human Rights’ new SOP, one‑year case‑closure goal

The Montgomery County Health and Human Services Committee on Tuesday received a progress update from the Office of Human Rights on reforms prompted by an Office of Inspector General review. Director Stowe told the committee the office has completed a standard operating procedure for investigations and set internal timeframes for each step of the process.

The SOP, Stowe said, was developed with staff participation and is intended to give investigators “a roadmap” for handling cases from intake to disposition. “I have tasked our particular team that within 1 year, we should close the case,” Stowe said, describing the one‑year target as “very aggressive” but necessary to restore public confidence. He added that the SOP contains specific, shorter timeframes for intermediate steps so work does not “just sit there waiting.”

Why it matters: Committee members said the changes address persistent problems identified in the OIG’s report — uneven case files, slow movement of referrals and inconsistent communication with complainants — and could improve transparency for residents who expect timely resolution. Councilmember Sales asked for macro‑level performance data; Stowe and staff said about six months of post‑SOP data should indicate whether the reforms are effective.

Key details: Stowe described several operational changes the office has implemented. Investigators will have weekly one‑on‑one supervision to review caseloads and progress, and staff now use a new tracking log to monitor the age and status of each matter. The office plans to migrate off the Time Matters platform to the EEOC‑compatible ARCH case‑management system to reduce recurring technical issues. Stowe and compliance manager Loretta Garcia said ARCH is more robust for uploading documents but does not provide the automated deadline‑triggers Time Matters offered; the office will rely on manual inventory tracking to flag overdue steps.

Staffing and caseloads: Stowe said the office is recruiting two investigators to bring its complement back to 11 employees (seven investigators plus compliance and administrative roles). Loretta Garcia described standard caseload expectations: level‑1 investigators typically carry about 30 matters, level‑2 handles more complex cases (multiple legal bases), and level‑3 handles the most complex investigations. The office acknowledged recruitment challenges at county salary levels and said applicants with strong writing and interpersonal skills are prioritized.

Intake, outreach and language capacity: The SOP sets a five‑day standard for initial contact after intake is recorded. Stowe acknowledged the office does not yet have a formal multistep outreach protocol for preliminary inquiries that never become signed complaints; once a complaint is signed, the office follows stricter outreach and response timelines. The office currently has one Spanish‑speaking investigator and said language capacity affects workload complexity.

Coordination with federal partners and appeals: Staff said some referrals from the EEOC arrive with minimal intake documentation, which can force the county office to re‑collect information and sometimes reinvestigate. The office committed to better communication with referral partners about minimum intake needs. Committee members requested fiscal‑year breakdowns of dispositions and appeals dating to FY2020; compliance staff estimated roughly 10% of determinations proceed to appeal post‑determination and agreed to provide the requested records.

Next steps and oversight: Committee members asked the office to provide macro‑level reporting (monthly or quarterly counts of received intakes, referrals, assigned complaints, closures and appeals) that preserves confidentiality. Stowe and staff said they already provide quarterly reports internally to the executive and will share those materials with the committee for review ahead of upcoming budget deliberations.

The committee adjourned after the chair thanked staff for the update and assigned follow‑up homework on hiring postings and reporting templates.