WHAT IS THE LONG-TERM CARE 

OMBUDSMAN PROGRAM?

Long-term care ombudsmen are advocates for 

residents of nursing homes, board and care 

homes, assisted living facilities, and similar 

adult care facilities. They work to resolve 

problems of individual residents and to bring 

about changes at the local, state, and national 

levels to improve care. While many residents 

receive good care in long-term care facilities, 

others are neglected, and other unfortunate 

incidents of psychological, physical, and 

other kinds of abuse do occur. Thus, 

thousands of trained staff and volunteer 

ombudsmen regularly visit long-term care 

facilities, monitor conditions and care and 

provide a voice for those unable to speak for 

themselves.

The Swedish word “ombudsman” means “a 

public official appointed to investigate 

citizens’ complaints against local or national 

government agencies that may be infringing 

on the rights of individuals.” This concept has 

been applied in many U.S. settings to include 

complaints against non-governmental 

organizations and advocacy for individuals 

and groups of individuals, as with the LongTerm Care Ombudsman Program.

HISTORY

Begun in 1972 as a demonstration program, 

today the Long-Term Care Ombudsman 

Program is established in all States under the 

Older Americans Act which is administered

by the Administration on Aging (AoA).

Local ombudsmen work with and on behalf of 

residents in hundreds of communities

throughout the country.

RESULTS

In federal fiscal year 2012, over 11,000 

volunteers, 8,712 of whom were certified to 

investigate complaints, and 1,180 staff served 

in Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs in 

573 localities nationwide. Ombudsmen 

investigated and worked to resolve 193,650 

complaints made by 126,398 individuals. In 

addition, ombudsmen provided information 

on rights, care and related services 405,589 

times. 

RESIDENTS’ RIGHTS

Ombudsmen help residents and their families 

and friends understand and exercise rights 

guaranteed by law, both at the Federal level 

for nursing homes and for States that provide 

rights and protections in board and care, 

assisted living and similar homes. Residents 

have the right to:

• Be treated with respect and dignity

• Be free from chemical and physical 

restraints

• Manage their own finances

• Voice grievances without fear of 

retaliation 

• Associate and communicate privately 

with any person of their choice

• Send and receive personal mail

• Have personal and medical records kept 

Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program
confidential

• Apply for State and Federal assistance 

without discrimination

• Be fully informed prior to admission of 

their rights, services available, and all 

charges 

• Be given advance notice of transfer or 

discharge

OMBUDSMAN RESPONSIBILITIES

Ombudsman responsibilities outlined in Title 

VII of the Older Americans Act include:

• Identify, investigate, and resolve 

complaints made by or on behalf of 

residents

• Provide information to residents about 

long-term care services

• Represent the interests of residents 

before governmental agencies

• Seek administrative, legal, and other 

remedies to protect residents

• Analyze, comment on, and recommend 

changes in laws and regulations 

pertaining to the health, safety, welfare, 

and rights of residents

• Educate and inform consumers and the 

general public regarding issues and 

concerns related to long-term care and 

facilitate public comment on laws, 

regulations, policies, and actions

• Promote the development of citizen 

organizations to participate in the 

program

• Provide technical support for the 

development of resident and family 

councils to protect the well-being and

rights of residents

• Advocate for changes to improve

residents’ quality of life and care

RESOURCES

The National Long-Term Care Ombudsman 

Resource Center supported with AoA funding 

and operated by the National Consumer Voice 

for Quality Long-Term Care, provides 

technical assistance and intensive training to 

assist ombudsmen in their demanding work.

To contact a long-term care ombudsman, visit 

the resource center’s Web site at

http://www.ltcombudsman.org.

You can also call Eldercare Locator at 1-800-

677-1116 (http://www.eldercare.gov) and ask 

for the local ombudsman program or the Area 

Agency on Aging nearest the nursing home or 

similar adult care facility where the resident 

lives. The area agency will either be the 

sponsor of the ombudsman program or know 

where the program is located.

The Medicare Guide to Choosing a Nursing 

Home booklet is available free from the 

Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services 

(CMS). Call 1-800-Medicare (1-800-633-

4227) and ask for publication #02174, or view 

it on the Web at: 

http://www.medicare.gov/NHCompare.

For more information about ACL

U.S. Department of Health and Human 

Services, Administration for Community 

Living, Washington DC 20201

Phone: (202) 619 – 0724

Fax: (202) 357 – 3555

Email: ACLinfo@acl.hhs.gov

Web: http://www.acl.gov