Frequently Asked Questions

Can the Arizona Ombudsman Citizens’ Aide Office help with complaints about…

The Federal Government

The law gives our office no power over the federal government. This includes federal offices based in Arizona. We can provide no assistance with the below agencies:

• The Social Security Administration
• Medicare
• HUD and Section 8 Housing
• The Veterans’ Administration (VA) – You can try contacting Arizona Dept. of Veterans’ Services

We recommend you try to contact your national representatives. You can look up your congresswomen and congresswomen at http://www.house.gov/representatives/. You can look up who your senators are at http://www.senate.gov/states/AZ/intro.htm.

City, County, Police or Sheriff Offices

The law only gives us the power to assist with public record and open meeting law complaints about city, county, police and sheriff offices. We have no power to assist with any other city, county, police of sheriff office complaints.

Attorneys, Lawyers, Judges or Other Court Officials

The law gives us no power over the judicial branch. This includes attorneys, judges, and other court officials.

Colleges and Universities

The law gives us no power over colleges and universities. Depending on the institution you are dealing with, they hay have their own ombudsman program or oversight board. See below for commonly requested programs.

• Arizona State University Ombudsman Program
• Northern Arizona University Faculty Ombudsman Program
  
• University Of Arizona Ombudsman Program
• Maricopa Community College District Ombuds Program
• Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District
• Board of Regents – oversees ASU, NAU and UofA
• Arizona State Board for Private Post-secondary Education

Homeowner Associations

The law gives us no power over Homeowner Associations. Please see our housing frequently asked questions for more information.

Private Parties

The law gives us no power to assist citizens with problems they are having with other citizens.

Non-Profits

The law gives us no power to assist citizens with problems they are having with non-profits.

Companies and Corporations

The law gives us no power to assist citizens with problems they are having with companies or corporations.

Many companies are licensed or somehow overseen by the government. If you are not sure if your problem falls under the oversight of a governmental agency, or you are just not sure which agency to contact, you can contact our office and we will try to point you in the right direction.

If a state agency has oversight over the entity, you have contacted the agency, and you feel the agency is not acting appropriately, contact our office and we will try to assist you.

Long Term Care Facilities

The law gives us no power over long term care facilities. Please see our heathcare frequently asked questions for more information.