17:29E-3 Duties of ombudsman.

49. The ombudsman shall:

a. Administer and organize the work of the office and hire such persons as shall be deemed necessary to effectuate his duties, subject to Title 11A (Civil Service) of the New Jersey Statutes, and within the limits of funds made available by the Department of Banking and Insurance;

b. Appoint and employ attorneys, in accordance with any applicable law, regulation or executive order, and any consultants, independent adjusters, claims specialists or others for the purpose of providing professional advice as the ombudsman may from time to time require, within the limits of the funds provided therefor;

c. Investigate consumer complaints regarding policies of insurance, including the payment of claims on policies of insurance;

d. Establish procedures to monitor the implementation of P.L.1985, c.179 (C.17:23A-1 et seq.), P.L.1947, c.379 (C.17:29B-1 et seq.), P.L.1982, c.95 (C.17:35C-1 et seq.) and chapter 30 of Title 17B of the New Jersey Statutes and investigate violations of section 8 of P.L.1992, c.144 (C.17:35C-11).

e. Respond to inquiries from consumers, including, but not limited to, those regarding policy provisions and the availability of coverage;

f. Publish and disseminate buyers' guides and, where provided by law, comparative rates; provided, however, that this shall not apply to any policy of health insurance issued pursuant to P.L.1992, c.161 (C.17B:27A-2 et seq.) or P.L.1992, c.162 (C.17B:27A-17 et seq.);

g. Review conduct of arbitrators appointed under the terms of the policy to arbitrate disputes, except policies issued pursuant to P.L.1972, c.70 (C.39:6A-1 et seq.);

h. Promulgate such rules and regulations as shall be necessary to effectuate the purposes of sections 48 through 61 of this amendatory and supplementary act; and

i. Perform such other functions as may be prescribed by this or by any other law or regulation.

L.1998,c.21,s.49.