If you have a complaint about your developmental disability services or a disagreement with your provider agency, you can file a “grievance” with the agency. A grievance is a formal complaint.

The types of things you may want to file a grievance about include:

• poor quality of care or services
• a provider or employee is being rude to you, or
• the agency is not respecting your rights

How to File a Grievance

The grievance can be filed in writing or by telling someone at the developmental services provider agency that you want to file a grievance. Tell them what your complaint is.

You must file your grievance within 60 days of the event you are complaining about. If you need help to file your grievance, someone from the developmental service provider agency must help you.

The rules for filing grievances are found in Section 8.3 of the Vermont Developmental Disabilities Act Regulations.

What Happens Next?

1. The developmental services provider agency must send you a letter saying that it got your grievance. It must mail the letter to you within five days of when you made the grievance.
2. The agency must make a decision about your grievance within 90 days and send you a notice of its decision.  
3. If you disagree with the decision, you may ask for another person in the agency to review the decision. You must request the review of the decision within 10 days of the decision.
4. There is no further appeal after the agency makes a decision on your grievance.