KRS 49.010: Office of Claims and Appeals -- Administrative boards within office --

Executive director -- Powers and duties -- Crime Victims Compensation Board

-- Trauma-informed training -- Requirement.

(1) The Office of Claims and Appeals is created with in the Public Protection Cabinet

and shall constitute a statutory administrative office of the state government within

the meaning of KRS Chapter 12.

(2) The Office of Claims and Appeals shall consist of three (3) separate and distinct

administrative boards attached to the office within the meaning of KRS 12.020:

(a) The Board of Tax Appeals;

(b) The Board of Claims; and

(c) The Crime Victims Compensation Board.

(3) The executive director of the Office of Claims and Appeals shall be appointed by

the secretary of the Public Protection Cabinet with the approval of the Governor in

accordance with KRS 12.050. The secretary of the Public Protection Cabinet is the

appointing authority for the Office of Claims and Appeals, and the executive

director shall be direct ly responsible to the secretary of the Public Protection

Cabinet and shall perform the functions, powers, and duties provided by law and

prescribed by the secretary of the Public Protection Cabinet. The executive director

shall:

(a) Carry out the policy and program directives of the boards;

(b) Be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the office;

(c) Establish appropriate organizational structures and personnel policies;

(d) Prepare annual reports on the office's and boards' activities;

(e) Prepare budgets;

(f) Perform all other duties as directed by the secretary and the boards and

necessary for the operations of the office; and

(g) Keep written records documenting the completion of training by staff for and

members of the Crime Victims Compensation Board.

(4) The Office of Claims and Appeals shall be authorized to:

(a) Employ necessary staff, secure adequate office space, and execute other

administrative and logistical matters as may be necessary to ensure proper

functioning of the office;

(b) Promulgate, amend, and repeal suitable administrative regulations to carry out

the provisions and purposes of the office's statutory authority;

(c) Publicize widely the functions and purposes of the Office of Claims and

Appeals and its attached boards;

(d) Enter into agreements with any state agency, political subdivision of the state,

postsecondary education institution, or other person or entity to enlist

assistance to implement the duties and responsibilities of the office; and

(e) Ensure that staff for the Crime Victims Compensation Board receives trauma -

informed training to understand the challenges faced by victims of crime,

including factors that may result in the delayed filing of a claim. Staff shall

receive six (6) hours of training under this paragraph within thirty (30) days of

being hired, and three (3) hours of training each year thereafter. Training

pursuant to this paragraph may be developed in collaboration with

organizations and agencies that specialize in victim services and victim

advocacy.

(5) The principal office of the Office of Claims and Appeals shall be at Frankfort,

Kentucky, and shall be open during regular working hours for the conduct of its

business.