Long Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center
The LTC Ombudsman Program serves as an advocate and resource for older adults who reside in long-term care facilities such as nursing homes, assisted living and board & care homes. Ombudsmen help residents and their families understand and exercise their rights to quality of care and quality of life. The program advocates for residents at both the individual and systems levels by receiving, investigating and resolving complaints made by or on behalf of residents, promoting the development of resident and family councils, and informing governmental agencies, providers and the general public about issues and concerns impacting residents of long-term care facilities.
Under the Older Americans Act, each state is required to establish an Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman. Each state organizes and operates the program in the way that best serves the needs of its residents. Most of the state ombudsman programs (38) are administratively housed within the State Unit on Aging and provide advocacy services through a network of local or regional staff and volunteers (15 programs are housed in other state agencies or are contracted outside of state government). See a map of where Ombudsman programs reside in each state.
In 2010, a corps of 8,813 volunteer ombudsmen and 1,167 paid ombudsmen, located in 571 local agencies (343 of which were area agencies on aging) investigated more than 211,937 complaint issues for residents of long-term care facilities and routinely visited residents to monitor care.
For more information about the Ombudsman program, read:
State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program: A Primer for State Aging Directors and Executive Staff
NASUAD provides information, technical assistance, and develops resources for State LTC Ombudsman Programs through its involvement with the National Ombudsman Resource Center, funded by AoA. Specifically, NASUAD orients new State Unit on Aging directors to the ombudsman program and long term care facility issues; convenes National Dialogue Forums on current issues of importance, such as nursing home transition initiatives, diversity, guardianship, and legislative advocacy; and presents at state and national conferences for LTCOPs and the aging network.
For additional information on the National Ombudsman Resource Center visit:
National Ombudsman Resource Center
Nursing Facility Transition
Learn more about diversion and transition initiatives
State Call: Medicaid Managed Long-Term Services and Supports Ombudsmen
WHEN: Wednesday, February 27, 2013, 4:00-5:00 p.m. EST
SPEAKERS: Mike Hall, NASUAD Medicaid Policy Director
Becky Kurtz, Director, Office of Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs, ACL
James Toews, Senior Policy Advisor, ACL
The long-term care landscape is changing. Some states have had Medicaid Managed Long-Term Care (MMLTC) for many years; but now many more are shifting from traditional fee-for service HCBS waivers to capitated payments, MCOs and MLTSS . . . and even more are in the discussion/planning phase.
What is the role of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman in this landscape? Is the LTC Ombudsman at the table as a consumer advocate during planning, implementation or later?
Click here to listen to an audio recording of this call.
Click here to view the PowerPoint presentation.
To find more materials, click here.
