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Office of Chief Counsel

Overview

The Office of Chief Counsel consists of six sections which provide extensive legal, investigative and hearing services to the Department.

The Office of Public Guardian unit is responsible for the care of incapacitated individuals who have become wards through an application process as mandated by statute.  Applications may be presented to this office by any concerned citizen but most applications are submitted by medical professionals, long term care providers, other DHS units and family members.  If the Office approves the application, the Office will petition a court for guardianship of the ward and, if appointed, may serve the guardian of the person, the estate, or both.

The Office of Appeals and Hearings conducts administrative hearings and makes the final agency decisions for the Department regarding appealed actions. A request for an administrative hearing may concern Medicaid, Maltreatment, SNAP, or a number of other agency programs.

The County Legal Operations Section provides statewide legal representation to the Department of Human Services in the areas of child welfare and adult protective services.

The Office of Employee Relations/Office of Equal Opportunity processes employee grievances, mediations, administrative review hearings, and State Employee Grievance Appeal Panel (SEGAP) hearings. This office provides technical assistance to employees regarding work related concerns.  This office also ensures compliance with federal and state civil rights/anti-discrimination laws, regulations, methods of administration, executive orders, etc., and investigates client complaints of discrimination and rude/discourteous treatment.

The General Counsel Section provides legal assistance and representation on administrative matters, litigation pertaining to delivery of services, program administration, personnel, civil rights and overpayment collections, as applicable, to all the various divisions of the Department.

The Privacy Section ensures the Agency's compliance with HIPAA and privacy laws. It is also responsible for handling subpoenas, record requests, authorizations for information, and compliance with court orders.

 

Contact Information

Office	Address	Phone	Email
Office of Chief Counsel	P.O. Box 1437 - Slot S260 Little Rock, AR 72203-1437	501-396-6168 Fax: 501-682-8009	Email
Appeals and Hearings	P.O. Box 1437 - Slot N401 Little Rock, AR 72203-1437	501-682-8622 Fax: 501-682-6605	Email
County Legal Operations	P.O. Box 1437 - Slot S260 Little Rock, AR 72203-1437	501-320-6294 Fax: 501-682-8639	Email
Employee Relation & Equal Opportunity	P.O. Box 1437 - Slot N250 Little Rock, AR 72203-1437	501-682-6003 Fax: 501-682-8926	Email
Privacy Section	P.O. Box 1437 - Slot S260 Little Rock, AR 72203-1437	501-396-6165 Fax: 501-683-4829	Email
General Counsel Section	P.O. Box 1437 - Slot S260 Little Rock, AR 72203-1437	501-320-6378 Fax: 501-682-8009	Email
Office of Public Guardian	P.O. Box 1437 - Slot W105 Little Rock, AR 72203-1437	888-397-2430 Fax: 501-682-1483	Email

Staff

Name	Title	Phone	Email
David Sterling	Chief Counsel	501-320-6355, Fax: 501-682-8009
Jim Brader	Chief Deputy Counsel	501-682-1363, Fax: 501-682-8009
Rich Rosen	Managing Attorney, General Counsel Section	501-320-6334, Fax: 501-682-1390
Jerald Sharum	Managing Attorney, County Legal Operations	501-396-6174, Fax: 501-682-8009
Lech Matuszewski	Managing Administrative Law Judge, Appeals and Hearings	501-320-6220, Fax: 501-682-6605
Bernard Pighee	Office of Employee Relations	501-682-6003, Fax: 501-682-8926
Kitten Dixon	Office Manager, Office of Chief Counsel	501-320-6378, Fax: 501-682-8009
Martina Smith	DHS Privacy Officer	501-396-6165, Fax: 501-682-8009
Carolyn Singleton	Public Guardian for Adults	888-397-2430, Fax: 501-682-1483