Opinion ID: 2977854
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: MDOC Policy

Text: The framework of the MDOC grievance policy, under both the 2000 and 2003 versions, requires the grievant to attempt to resolve the issue with the staff member before pursuing a grievance through the three-step process. Specifically, a grievant must attempt to resolve the issue within two business days of becoming aware of a grievable issue, unless prevented by circumstances beyond his control. Id. at ¶ R. If that complaint is not resolved, a Step I grievance may be filed using the specified form. Id. If the grievant is dissatisfied with the response, or does not receive a timely response at Step I or II, he may appeal to Step II and III, respectively. Id. Time limits are established for the Step I, II, and III grievances, as well as for the MDOC’s responses. No. 08-1281 6 “Prisoners . . . are required to file grievances in a responsible manner.” Id. at ¶ G. A Step I grievance is received by a Grievance Coordinator, who is to determine whether the grievance should be rejected. Id. at ¶ Y. A grievance must be rejected if, among other things, it contains profanity or threats of physical harm that are not essential to a description of the grieved behavior, and may be rejected for other reasons, including that it is untimely and there is no valid reason for delay; that the grievant did not attempt to resolve the issue before filing a grievance; or that the grievance is “vague, illegible, contains multiple unrelated issues, or raises issues that are duplicative of those raised in another grievance filed by the grievant.” Id. at ¶ G.