LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE TO

SENATE, No. 1085

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: JULY 31, 1996

      Senate Bill No. 1085 of 1996 establishes an Office of the Ombudsman for the Disabled in, but not of, the Department of Health (DOH). The office would monitor State agencies which provide services to individuals with disabilities and provide the following:

∙    Outreach services;

∙    Referrals to appropriate social services and health care agencies;

∙    Assistance, as requested, in arranging health, social and rehabilitative services;

∙    Representation in appealing State agency decisions; and

∙    Maintaining a toll-free telephone number.

      Agency Comments:

      DOH and the Office of Management and Budget have not provided any current fiscal information on the legislation.

      Office of Legislative Services Comments:

      The FY 1997 Appropriations Act includes nearly $625,000 (gross) for the Office of the Ombudsman for the Institutionalized Elderly. Accordingly, it is not unreasonable to estimate the cost of the Office of the Ombudsman for the Disabled would be in the $600,000 (gross) range when fully operational.

      If, however, the State were to eliminate or reduce monies it now provides to private, non-profit agencies for services that the new office is to provide, then there may be no overall increase in State expenditures. It should be noted that under federal law, the New Jersey Developmental Disabilities Council is the primary advocacy organization for persons with developmental disabilities.    This legislative fiscal estimate has been produced by the Office of Legislative Services due to the failure of the Executive Branch to respond to our request for a fiscal note.

This fiscal estimate has been prepared pursuant to P.L.1980, c.67.