The Vermont Statutes Online
The Statutes below include the actions of the 2025 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.
(Cite as: 18 V.S.A. § 7259)
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§ 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.)