A Critical Examination of State Agency Investigations into ...

Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities1. The Inspector General recommends that OMRDD Central Office ensurecompliance with its policy directing surveyors to fully incorporate all regulatoryviolations into a Statements of Deficiencies.2. The Inspector General recommends that OMRDD Central Office ensurecompliance with its policy directing surveyors to examine all availableinformation, including pertinent documents and witness interviews.3. In instances when a survey related to a separate investigation by one ofOMRDD’s regional offices is conducted, the Inspector General recommends thatOMRDD Central Office coordinate such efforts and obtain the investigativefindings of the regional office.4. In light of Jonathan’s Law which provides families with greater access to certaininvestigatory records, the Inspector General encourages OMRDD to re-evaluatethe language used in its Statements of Deficiencies to determine whether thedocument should indicate when many instances occurred, even if only oneinstance of a violation is being cited.5. The Inspector General reminds OMRDD Central Office of its ethical and legalresponsibility to provide thoroughly accurate information to the Governor’sOffice. OMRDD should take measures to ensure compliance with the fulfillmentof such responsibility.6. The Inspector General recommends that OMRDD review the conduct of thoseresponsible for providing a response to Governor Pataki’s office that did notaccurately reflect OMRDD’s actions in this matter.19