Overview
At the beginning of our audit work, we reviewed Merrimack Valley Transit’s (MeVa’s) customer complaint process and the records for all 222 customer complaints submitted during the audit period to identify those that were Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) paratransit complaints. As part of this review, we found several issues with how MeVa records and monitors its customer complaints. While our audit objective focused only on ADA paratransit complaints, the issues we identified during our review of MeVa’s customer complaint process point to broader weaknesses. Specifically, our review of the 222 hardcopy Incident/Complaint forms showed the following issues:
- Of these 222 complaints, 72 (32%) were recorded using an outdated Incident/Complaint form that did not include fields to identify whether the complaint was an ADA paratransit complaint.
- Of these 222 complaints, 15 (7%) had blank fields for the ADA or non-ADA indicators.
- Of these 222 complaints, 121 (55%) did not include evidence of supervisory review.
- Of these 222 complaints, 42 (19%) did not include the date of MeVa’s response.
- Of these 222 complaints, 116 (52%) did not include a validity determination by the reviewer (i.e., Valid, Not Valid, or Undetermined).
Incomplete complaint documentation reduces MeVa’s ability to effectively track, monitor, and evaluate complaint outcome activities. This increases the risk that complaints may not be addressed in a timely or appropriate manner. This may result in delayed corrective action or diminished public trust.
According to MeVa’s “[Merrimack Valley Area Transportation Company (MVATC)]/[Special Transportation Services (STS)] Customer Complaint Procedures,”
All complaints are recorded using the MVATC/STS Incident/Complaint form. . . .
The person at the front desk or reservationist then prints the completed complaint form and places it in the MVATC or STS Complaint Log Book (3-ring binder). The complaint form is then emailed to the Assistant General Manager (AGM), or other manager designated by the AGM as responsible for obtaining and viewing video, and [carbon copied] to the General Manager. . . .
Upon receiving the complaint, and if a phone number has been provided, the Office Coordinator will contact the customer as soon as possible (but within 24 hours) to let him/her know that the complaint was received by the appropriate department manager, is in the process of being investigated, and that appropriate actions will be taken to correct the problem. The log number is given to the complainant. . . .
The Office Coordinator views the surveillance video of the incident and archives the video. The complaint is marked as Valid, Not Valid, or Undetermined and notes about the incident are added to the form. The complaint form is then saved to the shared drive. . . .
At the end of each month, the AGM prints out the fully-completed complaint forms and places them in the MVATC Complaint Log Book.
We determined that MeVa management has not implemented effective monitoring controls to ensure that complaint forms are completed and reviewed after they are filed. Additionally, older versions of the Incident/Complaint form remain in circulation, and employees may not have received adequate guidance or oversight regarding documentation standards.
We recommend that MeVa take the following actions to improve its complaint intake process:
- MeVa should update its complaint management policies and procedures to clearly define documentation requirements, segregation of duties, and reviewers’ responsibilities.
- MeVa should ensure that it only uses the most current version of the Incident/Complaint form.
- MeVa should implement a quality control process to verify that each Incident/Complaint form is complete, such as ensuring that each form includes the reviewer’s initials and the date of the outcome determination.
- MeVa should ensure that responsible employees complete monthly complaint logs.
- MeVa should provide training to its employees and contractors when procedures and documentation standards are updated.
- MeVa should establish periodic monitoring of its complaint intake process to ensure continued compliance with complaint documentation requirements.
| Date published: | May 5, 2026 |
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