Bill Summary: A11050 - Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program

• Establishes the office of the state long-term care ombudsman as a distinct entity within the state office for the aging, headed by a full-time state ombudsman appointed by the director.

• Expands ombudsman duties to include investigating complaints, analyzing policy developments, ensuring resident access to services, developing certification training programs, coordinating with citizen organizations, and providing systems advocacy.

• Implements comprehensive conflict of interest standards for the state ombudsman, local ombudsman entities, and individual ombudsmen, including restrictions on involvement in facility licensing, ownership interests, employment by facilities, and compensation from facility operators.

• Grants ombudsmen access to resident medical and social records with informed consent from residents or resident representatives, and access to facility administrative records, licensing records, and resident name/room number lists.

• Prohibits long-term care facilities from interfering with ombudsman activities, retaliating against ombudsmen or residents for complaints, or preventing residents from communicating privately with ombudsmen; violations subject to state sanctions.