WELCOME
Disability Rights Connecticut is a statewide non-profit organization with a mission to advocate for the human, civil, and legal rights of people with disabilities in Connecticut.
Disability Rights Connecticut (DRCT) replaced the Office of Protection & Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities, which was abolished by Connecticut Law as of June 30, 2017 and is now Connecticut’s “Protection and Advocacy System” and Client Assistance Program. A Board of Directors, consisting primarily of people with disabilities and family members of people with disabilities, governs the work of DRCT.
At Disability Rights Connecticut, we provide legal advocacy and rights protection to a wide range of people with disabilities. This includes assisting individuals with problems such as abuse, neglect, discrimination, access to assistive technology, community integration, voting, and rights protection issues. DRCT also addresses issues through policy advocacy, education, monitoring, and investigation.
JOB OPENINGS
Full descriptions are on our job openings page under our “Get Involved” tab.
Advocate
Disability Rights Connecticut is seeking an Advocate to join its growing organization that is dedicated to identifying and eliminating the barriers that people with disabilities face in exercising their civil, legal and human rights. The Advocate’s responsibilities will be concentrated in providing high quality advocacy for people with a variety of disabilities as DRCT works toward an improved quality of life for individuals with disabilities, their families and our community as a whole.
Click here for a PDF copy of the Advocate Position.
Staff Attorney
Disability Rights Connecticut (DRCT) seeks an experienced, enthusiastic, self-motivated attorney to join DRCT in protecting and promoting the civil rights of people with disabilities. Attorneys with more than four years civil and/or criminal litigation experience are encouraged to apply.
Click here for PDF copy of the Attorney Position.
Lead Investigator
The lead investigator position will provide leadership, direction, and day-to-day management of the Investigations Unit including the Social Security Representative Payee program. The Unit investigates allegations of abuse and neglect of individuals with disabilities. The Investigator conducts abuse and neglect investigations and coordinates DRCT’s response. The investigator works under the direct supervision of DRCT’s Legal Director. This is a full-time position.
Click here for a PDF Copy of the Lead Investigator Position.
We Want Your Input
DRCT Focus Areas for 2020/2021
Please take a few minutes and share your knowledge and experience by completing the attached survey. This is your opportunity to tell Disability Rights Connecticut (DRCT) how to use its resources to better serve the disability community in Connecticut. DRCT will use your responses, in conjunction with others, to assist in determining our focus areas for 2020 and 2021.
If you would like assistance in completing this survey or would rather speak to a staff member directly to provide your input, please contact us. To see our current focus areas, or to obtain a copy of the survey go to https://www.disrightsct.org/focus-areas.
Disability Rights Connecticut Launches New Program.
Disability Rights Connecticut (DRCT) launched a new program that monitors the activities of Social Security Representative Payees appointed by the Social Security Administration to manage the funds of Social Security Beneficiaries.
What is a Representative Payee? – If the Social Security Administration decides that a beneficiary cannot manage his or her benefits, they appoint a Representative Payee. The main responsibilities of a Representative Payee are to use the beneficiary’s Social Security monies to pay for current and future needs and to save benefits not needed to meet current needs. A Representative Payee can be a family member, friend or other “interested individual.” An organization can also be a Representative Payee.
What Is DRCT Doing As Part Of Its Representative Payee Monitoring Program? – DRCT will be responsible for conducting monitoring reviews of individual and organizational Representative Payees. DRCT staff will interview representative payees and review the finances to ensure the representative payees are following Social Security requirements. Each review will also include interviewing the beneficiaries to confirm that the Representative Payee is meeting their needs. The findings of each review will be reported to the Social Security Administration.
Does A DRCT Review Mean There Is A Problem With Representative Payee? - Not necessarily. The Social Security Administration (SSA) designed the program as a method of randomly checking on Representative Payees to ensure they are meeting the needs of the Beneficiary. DRCT staff, however, can make recommendations to SSA for monitoring reviews if they learn of a situation where a Representative Payee may not be needing Beneficiary needs.
What If I Know Of A Situation Where A Beneficiary’s Needs Are Not Being Met?
If you know of a situation where a Representative Payee may not be meeting the Beneficiary’s needs, you can contact DRCT to discuss it with one of the Social Security monitoring staff. They can be reached by calling (860) 297.4300 (local) or (800) 842.7303 (toll-free, in CT). Social Security Administration has to approve all reviews and therefore, DRCT cannot guarantee that it will review every situation.
Will DRCT Provide Any Other Services Under This Program? - In addition to the reviews, DRCT may be asked to recommend corrective action. Staff will also make referrals for outside services, assist the Representative Payee improve management of beneficiary funds, and provide education to Beneficiaries and representative payees.
Further Questions? - If you have questions about the Social Security Monitoring Program, please contact DRCT at (860) 297.4300 (local) or (800) 842.7303 (toll-free, in CT).
