The Vermont Statutes Online
The Statutes below include the actions of the 2024 session of the General Assembly.
NOTE: The Vermont Statutes Online is an unofficial copy of the Vermont Statutes Annotated that is provided as a convenience.
Title 18 : Health
Chapter 174 : Mental Health System of Care
(Cite as: 18 V.S.A. § 7259)-
§ 7259. Mental Health Care Ombudsman
(a) The Department of Mental Health shall establish the Office of the Mental Health Care Ombudsman within the agency designated by the Governor as the protection and advocacy system for the State pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 10801 et seq. The agency may execute the duties of the Office of the Mental Health Care Ombudsman, including authority to assist individuals with mental health conditions and to advocate for policy issues on their behalf; provided, however, that nothing in this section shall be construed to impose any additional duties on the agency in excess of the requirements under federal law.
(b) The agency may provide a report annually to the General Assembly regarding the implementation of this section.
(c) In the event the protection and advocacy system ceases to provide federal funding to the agency for the purposes described in this section, the General Assembly may allocate sufficient funds to maintain the Office of the Mental Health Care Ombudsman.
(d) The Department of Mental Health shall provide any reportable adverse events reported pursuant to section 7257 of this title and a copy of the certificate of need for all emergency involuntary procedures performed on a person in the custody or temporary custody of the Commissioner to the Office of the Mental Health Care Ombudsman on a monthly basis. (Added 2011, No. 171 (Adj. Sess.), § 11f; amended 2013, No. 192 (Adj. Sess.), § 4; 2023, No. 137 (Adj. Sess.), § 7a, eff. July 1, 2024.)
