State office that helps citizens sees increase in calls to assistance line

TRENTON -- New Jersey Public Advocate Ronald K. Chen announced today that the Office of Citizens Relations, the state office that helps citizens to resolve problems with government agencies, saw a significant increase in calls to its helpline in 2008.

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Created in early 2007, the Office of Citizen Relations (OCR) is the gateway to the Department of the Public Advocate. During calendar year 2008, the Office   received more than 3,000 requests for assistance – a 50 percent increase from the previous year -- from citizens with complaints about their dealings with state and municipal government agencies, said Chen.

Citizens can reach the OCR Helpline by calling 609-826-5070 or can email their requests to PublicAdvocate@advocate.state.nj.us.

 “It is important for citizens to know that when they think they have nowhere to turn, they can turn to the Public Advocate,” said Chen of the Office of Citizen Relations. “We help people who have questions, concerns, and complaints regarding state and local government to get answers to their questions and try to get the issue resolved. With tough economic times upon us, we are seeing an even greater demand for this type of service.”

OCR handles a broad spectrum of cases, from tax problems to obtaining housing and transportation. Some complaints are handled by a simple telephone call to the appropriate agency, while other complaints are serious enough to warrant a full investigation.

Unlike many help lines or constituent call centers which operate mainly as a referral service, the Office of Citizen Relations is backed by the full statutory authority of the Public Advocate, who has the ability to  conduct investigations, subpoena witnesses and information, hold government hearings and generally hold public agencies accountable for the work they do.

In resolving disputes, OCR brings the matter to the appropriate agency’s attention and addresses systemic issues identified by constituents as part of the conflict resolution process.

“We would not be able to resolve the problems and complaints that come our way without the trust and cooperation of these agencies, all of which are trying their best to be responsive to citizens,” Chen noted.

To date, OCR has fielded more than 5,000 complaints regarding New Jersey state and local government agencies, as well as private entities. In 2008, the Public Advocate fielded 3,124 complaints and requests for assistance. In the previous year, the Public Advocate processed 2,295 complaints

The Office of Citizen Relations is part of the overall Department of the Public Advocate, which works to protect the interests of the public, with a special focus on the elderly, people with mental illness or developmental disabilities, consumers, property owners and children.

During the last three years, the Public Advocate fought for the rights of property owners subject to eminent domain proceedings under the state’s redevelopment laws;  uncovered problems with the governmental response to childhood lead poisoning; helped bring the state in compliance with the federal “motor voter” law; has been a leading voice on behalf of tenants being illegally evicted from foreclosed properties; and has conducted a high-profile investigation of a national assisted living company that was involuntarily discharging low-income, elderly residents.

For more information about the Department, please visit http://www.njpublicadvocate.gov.

OCR Success Stories: 

• Bergenfield, NJ -- For 14 years, every time there was the threat of a storm, Camille and Joe DeAngelo feared that their house would flood. The flooding was caused by inadequate municipal storm drains and pipes, which were half their recommended size. For years, the DeAngelo’s tried everything to force the town to correct the problem. The DeAngelo’s finally contacted the Office of Citizen Relations, who investigated the matter. “Miraculously, within one week, we returned home only to hear a message on our answering machine from the borough administrator. She relayed that they would like to talk to us to take a proactive approach to correct this issue immediately,” the De Angelos’s said. Since March 2008, new drainage pipes were installed.
  
• New Brunswick, NJ -- A single mother of two and cancer survivor was about to be homeless when she called OCR. The woman was already approved for a subsidized apartment in New Brunswick but communication between A.D. and her city caseworker was breaking down. An advocate representative was able to make sure that A.D. provided welfare officials with all of the documents they needed to process her paperwork and so she would have a place to live.

• Cherry Hill, NJ – In early 2008, JK, a recent widow, asked us to help her get her homeowner rebate check. J.K.’s husband passed away that year and because the rebate was in her late husband’s name, she still had not received the check. An advocate representative investigated the issue by contacting the Division of Taxation and reviewing all relevant documentation.  In March 2008, J.K. finally received her check.

• Denville, NJ -- R.D. was told he owed $145,000 to the New Jersey Department of Labor (DOL) in unemployment taxes. R.D. and his accountant, K.H., had argued unsuccessfully for years that DOL needed to undertake a more accurate accounting of his DOL tax exposure. It wasn’t until our Office became involved, and was able to reach individuals in the DOL legal department, that R.D. got some relief.   DOL did an accurate accounting of how much he owed -- $28,000 -- and R.D. made payment arrangements to clear up the matter.

• Laurel Springs, NJ -- Special Education teacher L.O., who has is disabled,  needed someone to drive her to work but her application for Access Link was denied because she did not provide “specific information” about the barriers she faced on her way to the regular bus stop from home. An advocate representative was able to facilitate an exchange of information between L.O. and NJ Access Link that expedited L.O.’s approval.

• Hudson County, NJ -- Because of the closure of the Hudson County Office of Vital Statistics in 2004, senior citizens were being required to travel to Trenton in order to obtain certified copies of their birth certificates. Citizen Relations was able to establish an agreement with the State Bureau of Vital Statistics under which senior citizens would not be required to travel to Trenton, but instead could expedite their application for the certified birth certificate over the phone.

• Somerset, NJ -- The New Jersey Division of Taxation was not properly crediting the scheduled tax payments RC and his wife had been making via credit card. Citizen Relations followed up with the Division of Taxation. They learned that their payment was credited to the wrong tax year -- 2006 instead of 2005.  The Division of Taxation corrected the matter.

• Newark, NJ – A 78 year old woman who is a stroke victim was being evicted from her home in James Baxter Building where she has lived for the last 27 years in public housing. She was paying by money order but the Housing Authority had lost the records of her payment and was going to throw her out. OCR was able to resolve and keep the woman in her home because the Housing Authority eventually tracked down the mistake it had made and corrected it.
  

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