"I wanted to share a bit about the incredible support we have received from Paul Aronsohn, Christine Bakter, and the office of New Jersey's Ombudsman for Individuals with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities and Their Families. In 2020, I was at my wit's end, desperately searching for additional services for my 26-year-old son, who has 22Q11 deletion syndrome. Fortunately, I discovered Paul's office, which became the crucial connection I needed to navigate the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) and NJ Unemployment. Before discovering this life-changing resource, finding and obtaining the proper services for my son was incredibly challenging. This office escalated my son's unemployment benefits during the Covid pandemic. His claim had been sitting for months. When my son experienced psychosis and memory loss, we had utilized his entire DDD budget for extra services and had run out of resources. I called the Office of the Ombudsman for guidance. They recognized the dire situation we were in and guided us through requesting a DDD re-evaluation because his condition had changed so drastically. This led to a higher budget for my son's care. The care, empathy, and action they took, saved our family dynamic and restored us back to normalcy. The contacts and resources they share are key to managing this complicated system. Their dedication to advocacy and their wealth of resources have made a profound difference in our lives. Our son now has the resources and financial support needed to live and thrive independently in the community. I wanted to express my heartfelt gratitude for all the support and guidance provided by Paul and his team. Their unwavering commitment to helping families like mine navigate the complexities of care and support has been nothing short of life-changing."
Official Site of The State of New Jersey