We want to make working with Washington State Government easier

The state of Washington wants to learn more about your interactions with its government services to better support your needs. Please take this 15-minute survey https://watech1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_723xYcpmStRfemi?Agency=WDVA&Channel=website for a chance to win a $200 gift card (your choice of 1,000+ options)!

VTSC Grievance Procedure

While the VTSC operates in a preventative nature, it is acknowledged that there will occasionally be issues in which action on part of the VTSC staff is required. This procedural description serves as a guideline.
 

VTSC is fully committed to providing quality continuing education in an ethically sound manner. Our goal is to strictly adhere to American Psychological Association's Ethical Principles of Psychologists as well as applicable legal and ethical standards, including non-discriminatory standards. The monitoring and assessment of compliance with these standards will be the responsibility of the Project Director in consultation with the members of the planning committee, Washington Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) Director of Behavioral Health, and WDVA Ethics and Compliance Officer.

While the VTSC operates in a preventative nature, it is acknowledged that there will occasionally be issues in which action on part of the VTSC staff is required. This procedural description serves as a guideline for handling such grievances. When a participant, either orally or in written format, reports a grievance, the following actions will be taken.

1. If the grievance concerns a speaker, the content presented by the speaker, or the style of presentation, the individual filing the grievance will be asked to put his/her comments in written format. The VTSC Director will review and discuss these comments, as well as post-workshop evaluation comments (when applicable), with the speaker. In all cases confidentiality of workshop participants will be upheld to the best of the VTSC's ability.

2. If the grievance concerns a workshop offering, the content, level of presentation, or the facilities in which the workshop was offered, the VTSC Director will mediate and will be the final arbitrator. If the participant requests action, the VTSC Director will a. provide a credit for a subsequent workshop, or b. provide a partial or full refund of the workshop fee if applicable. Actions 2a and 2b will require a written note, documenting the grievance, for record keeping purposes; a signature is not required.

3. If the grievance concerns VTSC CE program, in a specific regard, the VTSC Director will attempt to arbitrate. Please contact John Phillips, MA, 2106 2nd Ave., Suite 100, Seattle, WA 98121, John.Phillips@dva.wa.gov, 206-477-8282 to submit a complaint.

4. If the grievance concerns other CE program participants the VTSC Director will mediate and will be the final arbitrator. If the participant requests action, the VTSC Director will a. provide a credit for a subsequent workshop, or b. provide a partial or full refund of the workshop fee if applicable. Actions 2a and 2b will require a written note, documenting the grievance, for record keeping purposes; a signature is not required.

5. Time limits on filing a complaint: Participants must file a complaint within one business quarter after the action that gave rise to the complaint.

If the complaint cannot be solved at this level, the VTSC Director will defer to the WDVA Behavioral Health who will review the complaint with the agency Ethics and Compliance Officer.