Sec. 231.119. OMBUDSMAN PROGRAM. (a) The Title IV-D agency shall establish an ombudsman program to process and track complaints against the Title IV-D agency. The director of the Title IV-D agency shall:

(1) designate an employee to serve as chief ombudsman to manage the ombudsman program; and

(2) designate an employee in each field office to act as the ombudsman for the office.

(b) The Title IV-D agency shall develop and implement a uniform process for receiving and resolving complaints against the Title IV-D agency throughout the state. The process shall include statewide procedures to inform the public and recipients of Title IV-D services of the right to file a complaint against the Title IV-D agency, including the mailing addresses and telephone numbers of appropriate Title IV-D agency personnel responsible for receiving complaints and providing related assistance.

(c) The ombudsman in each field office shall ensure that an employee in the field office responds to and attempts to resolve each complaint that is filed with the field office. If a complaint cannot be resolved at the field office level, the ombudsman in the field office shall refer the complaint to the chief ombudsman.

(d) The Title IV-D agency shall maintain a file on each written complaint filed with the Title IV-D agency. The file must include:

(1) the name of the person who filed the complaint;

(2) the date the complaint is received by the Title IV-D agency;

(3) the subject matter of the complaint;

(4) the name of each person contacted in relation to the complaint;

(5) a summary of the results of the review or investigation of the complaint; and

(6) an explanation of the reason the file was closed, if the agency closed the file without taking action other than to investigate the complaint.

(e) The Title IV-D agency, at least quarterly until final disposition of the complaint, shall notify the person filing the complaint and each person who is a subject of the complaint of the status of the investigation of the complaint unless the notice would jeopardize an undercover investigation.

(f) The Title IV-D agency shall provide to the person filing the complaint and to each person who is a subject of the complaint a copy of the Title IV-D agency's policies and procedures relating to complaint investigation and resolution.

Added by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 556, Sec. 54, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.