News Article

Final Long-Term Care Ombudsman Regulations Published in Federal Register

February 10, 2015

Today the Administration on Aging at the Administration for Community Living (ACL) announced the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program final rule has been published in the federal register, and will be published officially and distributed widely this week! With input from state and local ombudsmen and stakeholders from across the country, ACL has been working on the development of these regulations since 2011 in an effort to clarify ambiguities and resolve long-standing issues within LTC ombudsman programs.

Click here to view the published rule.

As states evaluate their compliance with the rule, ACL recognizes that some will need to make changes to address conflicts of interest and other issues. To assist, ACL announced it will be available to states, long-term care ombudsman programs, and all other stakeholders for training, technical assistance, and support. Also, ACL has set up a dedicated email account, LTCOmbudsman.Rule@acl.hhs.gov, to field requests for assistance from states. In addition, the final rule will not be effective until July 1, 2016, in order to give states time to make changes.

The National Ombudsman Resource Center is working with ACL to coordinate a webinar to review the provisions and provide an opportunity for questions. More information will be forthcoming as a date is set.

Be on the lookout for more information from NORC as we work to analyze the new rule for how it can more effectively help you to advocate for long-term care residents, and assist states with coming into compliance.

Questions? Contact the National Ombudsman Resource Center at ombudcenter@theconsumervoice.org.