It is the policy of JHV to recognize the importance and desirability of settling any grievance of a client against the agency promptly and fairly. This policy recognizes a client’s right to file or present grievance at any time a client feels his or her rights have been violated that the policies or procedures of the agency have been ignored or unfairly interpreted with regard to the client.

The purpose of the policies and procedures described below are to provide for the prompt review, impartial consideration, and disposition of grievance by clients of JHV.

Any time a staff member is informed by a client that the client desires or intends to submit a complaint; the staff member shall notify the client of the agency’s grievance policy and outline the procedures to present a complaint. A copy of the grievance procedure should also be provided if desired by the client.

If the client alleges discrimination on the part of the agency, a discrimination complaint may also be filed with any external civil rights agencies, to include any of the following:

City of Olympia Human Relations Commission
Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare
Washington State Fair Wage Commission

The Executive Director is responsible for ensuring compliance with the grievance procedures and serving as the complaint coordinator.

Procedures:

1. A client who wishes to file a grievance must present his/her grievance in writing to the supervisor of the staff or program with whom the client has a grievance within five (5) working days.
2. The supervisor will, within 5 working days of the notification of the grievance, arrange to discuss the grievance with the client and the staff member. The supervisor shall attempt to arrive at a mutually satisfactory resolution. If the grievance is settled at this point, no further action is taken.
3. If the client has not heard from the supervisor within 5 working days after submitting the grievance or if the grievance is not settled the client may, within 5 working days, present the grievance to the Executive Director.The Executive Director will, within 5 working days of the receipt of the grievance, arrange to discuss the grievance with the client and the staff member to attempt to arrive at a mutually satisfactory resolution.
4. The Executive Director’s decision shall be conveyed in writing to the client and the supervisor, either at the meeting or within 2 working days following the conclusion of the meeting. The Executive Director’s decision shall be final. A copy of the decision will be retained in the client’s file.