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http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/glob ... ?s=7547911
Hearings officer rules in favor of disabled mother
Associated Press - December 27, 2007 1:54 PM ET
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - A hearings officer says employees of the state child protective services violated the rights of a disabled Livingston woman.
And they retaliated against her, when she complained about an investigation into whether she could properly care for her child.
Terry Spear is a hearings officer with the state Department of Labor and Industries. Spear found that employees with the Child and Family Services Division violated state anti-discrimination laws, when they began an investigation without good cause into whether Geri Glass could properly care for her newborn son.
The 29-year-old Glass was injured in a 1996 car crash and uses a wheelchair. But she has partial use of her arms and hands. Glass says she's relieved by the ruling, and hopes the state agency "gets a little respect for people."
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Disabilities of parents
Moderators: family_man, LindaJM
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http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles ... -glass.txt
State settles with disabled mother
By The Gazette Staff
The state has agreed to pay a disabled Livingston woman $330,000 after a hearings officer found that Child and Family Services workers discriminated against her.
Geri Glass will get $50,000 and her 3-year-old son, Gage, will get $100,000 to invest in an annuity, the state Department of Public Health and Human Services announced Friday.
The annuity should be worth $380,000 when it comes due in 21 years. The remaining portion of the settlement will be paid to Glass’ attorneys.
“We’ve come a long way, Gage and I, to be home free,” Glass said in a prepared statement. Glass filed a discrimination complaint with the Montana Human Rights Bureau in April 2005, claiming that Child and Family Services had no reason to investigate her ability to care for her son.
Glass was rendered a tetraplegic - she can’t walk but has some use of her arms and hands - after a 1996 car wreck.
A hearings officer with the state Department of Labor and Industry ruled in Glass’ favor in December.
In addition to the monetary settlement, the state agreed to review its non-discrimination policies and procedures and provide at least three hours of discrimination training to Child and Family Services employees.
“Certainly, this was a very unique case,” public information officer Jon Ebelt said. “There was no intent on anyone’s behalf at Child and Family Services to go in and discriminate.”
“It’s a difficult job,” Ebelt said. “They face tremendous challenges on a daily basis and do the best they can.”
Child and Family Services investigators look into about 9,000 reports of child abuse in Montana a year.
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http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles ... -glass.txt
State settles with disabled mother
By The Gazette Staff
The state has agreed to pay a disabled Livingston woman $330,000 after a hearings officer found that Child and Family Services workers discriminated against her.
Geri Glass will get $50,000 and her 3-year-old son, Gage, will get $100,000 to invest in an annuity, the state Department of Public Health and Human Services announced Friday.
The annuity should be worth $380,000 when it comes due in 21 years. The remaining portion of the settlement will be paid to Glass’ attorneys.
“We’ve come a long way, Gage and I, to be home free,” Glass said in a prepared statement. Glass filed a discrimination complaint with the Montana Human Rights Bureau in April 2005, claiming that Child and Family Services had no reason to investigate her ability to care for her son.
Glass was rendered a tetraplegic - she can’t walk but has some use of her arms and hands - after a 1996 car wreck.
A hearings officer with the state Department of Labor and Industry ruled in Glass’ favor in December.
In addition to the monetary settlement, the state agreed to review its non-discrimination policies and procedures and provide at least three hours of discrimination training to Child and Family Services employees.
“Certainly, this was a very unique case,” public information officer Jon Ebelt said. “There was no intent on anyone’s behalf at Child and Family Services to go in and discriminate.”
“It’s a difficult job,” Ebelt said. “They face tremendous challenges on a daily basis and do the best they can.”
Child and Family Services investigators look into about 9,000 reports of child abuse in Montana a year.
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