II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4743 

To improve the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 23, 2024 

Mr. KAINE (for himself and Mr. CASEY) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 

Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To improve the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Strengthening Advo5 cacy for Long-Term Care Residents Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. IMPROVING TRAINING OF VOLUNTEERS UNDER 

7 THE STATE LONG-TERM CARE OMBUDSMAN 

8 PROGRAM. 

9 Section 712 of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 

10 U.S.C. 3058g) is amended— 

11 (1) in subsection (h)(5)— 


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•S 4743 IS

1 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

2 (A)— 

3 (i) by striking ‘‘the representatives’’ 

4 and inserting ‘‘each type of representa5 tive’’; and 

6 (ii) by inserting ‘‘types of’’ before 

7 ‘‘unpaid volunteers’’; 

8 (B) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘for 

9 each such type of representative’’ before the 

10 semicolon at the end; 

11 (C) in subparagraph (B)(iii), by striking 

12 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

13 (D) in subparagraph (C), by adding ‘‘and’’ 

14 at the end; and 

15 (E) by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(D) with respect to representatives of the 

17 Office who are unpaid volunteers, take into con18 sideration the degree to which each such type of 

19 unpaid volunteer performs activities requiring 

20 specialized training, with a goal of reducing un21 necessary training requirements for prospective 

22 unpaid volunteers;’’; and 

23 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

24 ‘‘(k) TRAINING REQUIREMENTS FOR UNPAID VOL25 UNTEERS.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In providing the model 

2 standards described in subsection (h)(5), the Direc3 tor of the Office of Long-Term Care Ombudsman 

4 Programs shall review and, as necessary, update 

5 such model standards on a regular basis to tailor 

6 such model standards to the individualized training 

7 needs of each type of representative of the Office, in8 cluding each type of unpaid volunteer. 

9 ‘‘(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In carrying out para10 graph (1), the Director of the Office of Long-Term 

11 Care Ombudsman Programs shall take into consider12 ation the degree to which each type of representative 

13 of the Office performs activities that require special14 ized training, with a goal of reducing unnecessary 

15 training requirements for unpaid volunteers.’’. 

16 SEC. 3. DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF LONG-TERM CARE 

17 OMBUDSMAN PROGRAMS. 

18 Section 201(d)(2)(A) of the Older Americans Act of 

19 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3011(d)(2)(A)) is amended in the second 

20 sentence by inserting ‘‘serve on a full-time basis and’’ 

21 after ‘‘shall’’. 

22 SEC. 4. STUDY ON STATE LONG-TERM CARE OMBUDSMAN 

23 PROGRAMS. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Assistant Secretary for Aging 

25 shall seek to enter into a contract with the National AcadVerDate Sep 11 2014 19:40 Aug 20, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4743.IS S4743

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1 emies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (referred to 

2 in this section as the ‘‘National Academies’’) to conduct 

3 a study on the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman pro4 grams carried out under the Older Americans Act of 1965 

5 (42 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.), including an assessment of the 

6 effectiveness of such programs and any related challenges, 

7 and recommendations. The study shall include an assess8 ment of the current (as of the date on which the contract 

9 is entered into) recommended staff-to-bed ratio for such 

10 programs, as appropriate. 

11 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

12 on which a contract is entered into under subsection (a), 

13 the National Academies shall publicly issue a report on 

14 the findings of such study. 

Æ 


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