Frequently Asked Questions

Not exactly.

The CAB existed from 1978 to 2010 as part of the Pineland and Community Consent Decrees.  The CAB monitored the Department’s compliance with the Consent Decrees and reviewed rights violation reports involving Consent Decree Class Members (those who received services from Pineland on or before July 3, 1975).

The Maine Developmental Services Oversight and Advisory Board (MDSOAB) is the successor to the CAB.  It focuses on Department-supported services for all eligible adults with IDD/ASD, not only for former Class Members.  The MDSOAB does not address individual rights violations; rather, the MDSOAB addresses the effects of the Department’s system of supports on the lives of individuals who use its services.

The Consumer Advisory Board (or CAB) existed from 1978 to 2010 as part of the Pineland and Community Consent Decrees. The CAB monitored the Department’s compliance with the Consent Decrees and reviewed rights violation reports involving Consent Decree Class Members (those who received services from Pineland on or before July 3, 1975).

The Maine Developmental Services Oversight and Advisory Board  (MDSOAB) is the successor to the CAB. We focus on Department-supported services for all eligible adults with intellectual disabilities and autism, not only for former Class Members. We do not address individual rights violations; rather, we address the effects of the Department’s system on the lives of individuals who use their services.

The MDSOAB provides independent oversight of State-funded programs and services for adults with IDD/ASD.  By “independent,” the MDSOAB means that the MDSOAB is not connected directly to the DHHS or any other Department or with any research, advocacy, provider, or other service agency.

The MDSOAB focuses on systemic concerns affecting the rights of persons eligible for Developmental Services (IDD/ASD) on issues of

• health and safety,
• inclusion,
• identification and timely meeting of unmet needs, and
• effective and efficient delivery of quality services and supports.

By “systemic,” we mean policies and practices of the  State or provider agencies that affect groups of individuals in the same or similar ways.

The MDSOAB also provides recommendations to the Commissioner of DHHS, the Governor, the DAFS and the Legislature about policies, priorities, unmet needs, budgets and legislation affecting persons with intellectual disabilities or autism.

The Board has several ways to collect information and oversee the work of DHHS Developmental Services:

• The Board receives data and reports from the Department on various topics.  The Board analyzes this information and identifies areas that need further exploration or that are potential problems.
• Individual Board members may attend different gatherings and committee meetings throughout the State and bring information back to the Board.  Board members also may serve on MDSOAB committees as needed.
• The Board uses Information gathered from:
  • Public forums held throughout the state
  • Self-advocates
  • Advocacy organizations
  • Other state organizations that receive data from DHHS
  • Published research, or the Board’s own research about ways other states support people with disabilities
• The Board collects information from the MDSOAB website that you send – please let us know if you have experiences or concerns that can help us with our work!

Not directly.

While the Board is interested in individual experiences, the MDSOAB cannot address them.  Instead, the Board can help you contact Disability Rights Maine (DRM), Adult Protective Services (APS), the DHHS Division of Licensing or other organizations that have the power to investigate individual situations.

If you believe that your rights, or those of someone you know who is supported by DHHS services, have been violated, contact Disability Rights Maine.

The MDSOAB does examine various reports to look for regional or statewide patterns that might mean the support system is not working well.  The MDSOAB also analyzes proposed budgets, legislation, or policies to determine if there are big gaps in service availability or quality.

The MDSOAB also invites subject matter experts to provide information to the MDSOAB and its committees.

The MDSOAB shares information from forums, various reports, and testimony with the DHHS and with its Commissioner, members of the Joint Committee on Health and Human Services (which has oversight of DHHS), the Office of the Governor, and with the public.  The MDSOAB also uses this information to guide its work.

The MDSOAB is concerned with assuring that the Developmental Services system  provides high quality, effective, efficient, and respectful services.

Other organizations do provide some oversight, but the MDSOAB is the ONLY organization authorized by statute to provide oversight of Developmental Services in Maine.

By “independent,” the MDSOAB means that the MDSOAB is not contracted by DHHS to monitor its work.  The MDSOAB Board Members are volunteers who use the Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS) services, family members, allies, professionals, scholars, and service providers to assist the MDSOAB in its role of providing oversight.

The MDSOAB also joins forces with other organizations outside and within the Department to improve Maine’s services for adults with intellectual disabilities and autism.

There are other important functions of the Board:

1. The MSAOAB participates as the only members of the Regional Review Teams (RRTs) who are NOT State employees.  There is currently at least one RRT for each of the six regions of the state.  Regional Review Teams review and approve (or reject) and monitor EVERY safety plan and behavior management plan implemented in the State.  The other two members of each review team are an OADS representative and a non-voting DRM advocate.
2. The MDSOAB supports the Volunteer Correspondent Program, which connects adults who have no active family or guardian in their lives, or who have public guardians, with community volunteers.  These volunteers spend time with individuals, keep informed of events in their lives, participate in their planning meetings, and advocate on their behalf.  {The Correspondent Program is under revision and this website will soon be updated.}
3. The MDSOAB works with other organizations to help provide advice to the Department and, when needed, advocacy for changes in the way things are done.

The Volunteer Correspondent Program was created to support those Maine adults with IDD/ASD who have no other family or friends to advocate for their needs.

Volunteer Correspondents are individuals who maintain contact with a person with an IDD/ASD living in a Maine community and are recognized through an official application process.

There are 15 active MDSOAB members, and each serves a three-year term.

The Board reviews applications of potential new Board members, identifies the Boards’ representation needs and, based on those needs, fills vacant positions.  By “representation,” the MDSOAB means geographic representation AND representation from individuals with disabilities, their allies, family members, the Developmental Disabilities Council (DDC), the Disability Rights Maine (DRM), providers, scholars, and service professionals.  The Board submits nominees to the Office of the Governor for final approval.

No MDSOAB Board member can be employed by DHHS, although the MDSOAB regularly collaborates with DHHS personnel.

Board Members actively participate in monthly Board meetings by reporting on the status of Developmental Services from their perspective (for example, as a self-advocate, a provider, a researcher).

Board Members also actively participate in MDSOAB committees to which they are appointed.  MDSOAB committees keep Board Members informed on a variety of topics that, as individuals, each Board Member might not have the time or ability to explore in detail.  Committees provide the fuel that keeps the MDSOAB work moving forward.