Q&A
Refund process for incorrect or expired commissary items
1:14:15
ยท
113 sec
Deputy Commissioner Nell McCarty explains the refund process for incorrect or expired commissary items in response to questions from Council Member Julie Won.
- Inmates receive a receipt when commissary items are delivered and can immediately report discrepancies in the presence of Keefe and DOC personnel.
- If an item is out of stock or incorrect, it should be automatically refunded or noted on the receipt.
- For expired items discovered after initial acceptance, inmates can request refunds through the grievance process.
- Won expresses concern that the onus is on the inmates to go through a grievance process for refunds on expired items.
Julie Won
1:14:15
How does the refund process work?
1:14:17
Does the individual have to request a refund, or are you auto refunding, noticing that the item was never delivered?
Nell McCarty
1:14:25
There are a few ways.
1:14:25
So first, when a product is actually, when they receive their commissary, so when it actually is brought to them, they get a receipt of all the items, and they go through all of the items within, in the presence of the Keefe personnel, but also in the presence of DOC personnel, where they can indicate if the item that they requested that's on a receipt is actually within the packaging that they received.
1:14:49
So in order for them to accept the packaging, they actually need to sign the receipt.
1:14:53
And during that process, if there is an indication let's say something, was supposed to be there and it's not.
1:15:00
Or if there was an indication that something was out of stock, it would be automatically pulled out of the receipt.
1:15:06
So it shouldn't even be indicated on the receipt, or it should be indicated that it was refunded automatically.
1:15:11
But, again, if somebody notices that, you know, they requested something and it doesn't look right or, that it was the wrong item, that then they can reference that when they sign the receipt to get a refund through that practice.
1:15:23
Now, let's say somebody says, okay, this looks like all of my items are present and available.
1:15:27
I sign the receipt.
1:15:29
I take my items, and then I look.
1:15:31
And so in the cases of the 56 expired from calendar year 2024, that this item is expired, that is when we would, go through the grievance process of them actually being able to grieve to receive the refund.
1:15:44
For the product.
1:15:45
Grievance process?
1:15:47
That would be they could do it multiple ways.
1:15:49
They can submit a grievance, within the facility, but they can also call 311.
1:15:53
So they would
Julie Won
1:15:53
be able They have to do the work to get the money back that they were wrong because they were sent an expired item.
Nell McCarty
1:16:01
It should be automatic that those expired items are not provided to them.
1:16:04
But in the case that it is found, there is an expired item.
1:16:07
They do have an avenue to get a refund.