Source: http://www.wvlegislature.gov/WVCODE/Code.cfm?chap=16&art=5L
Timestamp: 2019-04-25 20:17:04+00:00

Document:
§16-5L-4. Creation of the state long-term care ombudsman program.
§16-5L-5. State long-term care ombudsman; qualifications; duties.
§16-5L-6. Establishment of regional long-term care ombudsman programs.
§16-5L-7. Regional long-term care ombudsmen; qualifications; duties; training; certification.
§16-5L-8. Long-term care ombudsman volunteers; qualifications; duties.
§16-5L-9. Long-term care ombudsman volunteer training and certification.
§16-5L-11. Access to long-term care facilities.
§16-5L-14. Cooperation among government departments or agencies.
§16-5L-17. Availability of legal counsel.
§16-5L-18. Willful interference; retaliation; penalties.
§16-5L-19. Facility posting of long-term care ombudsman program information.
§16-5L-20. Funding for long-term care ombudsman programs.
This article may be known and cited as the "West Virginia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program Act."
The Legislature recognizes that the state commission on aging, as set forth in article fourteen, chapter twenty-nine of this code, pursuant to a grant from the federal government, has established a West Virginia long-term care ombudsman program. The Legislature declares that it is the public policy of this state to encourage community contact and involvement with residents of long-term care facilities. The Legislature finds that in order to comply with the federal Older Americans Act of 1965, as amended, and to effectively assist residents of long-term care facilities in the assertion of their civil and human rights, the structure, powers and duties of the West Virginia long-term care ombudsman program shall be herein defined under this article.
(i) "Guardian" means a person lawfully invested with the power and charged with the duty of taking care of another person and managing the property and rights of another person who for some peculiarity of status or defect of age, understanding or self control is considered incapable of administering his or her own affairs, to include committees or other references under the code.
There is hereby created within the state commission on aging, as set forth in article fourteen, chapter twenty-nine of this code, the West Virginia long-term care ombudsman program, pursuant to the Older Americans Act of 1965, as amended.
(a) The state commission on aging shall employ a state long-term care ombudsman to effect the purposes of this article. The state long-term care ombudsman shall have at least a master's degree in gerontology, social work, health or a related field and shall have demonstrated experience in one of the following areas: (1) The field of aging; (2) health care; (3) community programs; (4) long-term care issues; (5) working with health care providers; (6) working with an involvement in volunteer programs; and (7) administrative and managerial experience. In lieu of the above educational and experience qualifications, the state long-term care ombudsman shall have a four-year degree in gerontology, social work, health or a related field, plus five years of full-time equivalent experience in gerontology, social work, health or a related field. The state long-term care ombudsman shall participate in ongoing training programs related to his or her duties or responsibilities. The state long-term care ombudsman shall not have been employed within the past two years prior to the date of his or her employment under this section by a long-term care facility, or by any association of long-term care facilities, or by any organization or corporation that directly or indirectly regulates, owns, or operates a long-term care facility.
(b) Neither the state long-term care ombudsman nor any member of his or her immediate family shall have, or have had within the two years preceding his or her employment under this section, any pecuniary interest in the provision of long-term care. For the purposes of this section, the term "immediate family" shall mean the spouse, children, natural mother, natural father, natural brothers or natural sisters of the state long-term care ombudsman.
(7) Other duties as mandated by the Older Americans Act of 1965, as amended.
(a) The state commission on aging shall designate and maintain regional long-term care ombudsman programs encompassing all planning and development areas of the state under the direction of the state long-term care ombudsman. Any regional long-term care ombudsman program so designated and maintained shall be a representative of the state long-term care ombudsman program.
(b) In order to be so designated, a regional long-term care ombudsman program shall meet the following requirements: (1) It shall have no pecuniary, licensing, or organizational interest with long-term care facilities or an association thereof; and (2) it shall (i) maintain a private, nonprofit status as defined under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or (ii) function as a local or regional government agency.
(a) Each regional long-term care ombudsman program shall employ one or more regional long-term care ombudsmen to effect the purposes of this article. The regional long-term care ombudsman shall have either: (1) At least a bachelor's degree in gerontology, social work, health, or a related field and demonstrated experience in one of the following areas: (A) The field of aging; (B) health care or social service programs; (C) community programs; or (D) long-term care issues; or (2) at least a bachelor's degree in any field and at least three years of experience in gerontology, social work, health or a related field. Experience in gerontology, social work, health or a related field may be substituted for up to two years (sixty hours) of college on a year-for-year basis. The supervising ombudsman must have at least a bachelor's degree in gerontology, social work, health or a related field and demonstrated experience in one of the following areas: (A) The field of aging; (B) health care or social service programs; (C) community programs; and (D) long-term care issues. Persons employed in a designated regional long-term care ombudsman program on the date of enactment of this article may be given a waiver from these requirements provided that within one year from the date of enactment of this article they enter into a program leading to a degree in gerontology, social work, health or a related field or complete fifty hours of continuing education units in gerontology, social work, health or a related field every two calendar year periods. The regional long-term care ombudsman shall participate in ongoing training programs related to his or her duties or responsibilities. The regional long-term care ombudsman may not have been employed within the past two years prior to the date of his or her employment under this section by any association of long-term care facilities. If a regional long-term care ombudsman has been employed within the past two years prior to the date of his or her employment under this section by a long-term care facility, or by any organization or corporation that directly or indirectly regulates, owns or operates a long-term care facility, that ombudsman may not act with the authority of a regional long-term care ombudsman in the facility of prior employment or in any other facility regulated, owned or operated by the same ownership as the facility of prior employment.
(b) Neither the regional long-term care ombudsman nor any member of his or her immediate family may have, or have had within the two years preceding his or her employment under this section, any pecuniary interest in the provision of long-term care. For the purposes of this section, the term "immediate family" shall mean the spouse, children, natural mother, natural father, natural brothers or natural sisters of the regional long-term care ombudsman.
(6) Other duties as mandated by the Older Americans Act of 1965, as amended.
(d) The state long-term care ombudsman shall develop and implement procedures for training and certification of regional long-term care ombudsmen. Regional long-term care ombudsmen who satisfactorily complete the training requirements shall be certified by the state commission on aging and shall be given identification cards which shall be presented to employees of a long-term care facility upon request. No regional long-term care ombudsman may investigate any complaint filed with the West Virginia long-term care ombudsman program unless the person has been certified by the state commission on aging. Consistent with the provisions of this article and any rules promulgated pursuant to section twenty-one, certified regional long-term ombudsmen shall be representatives of the state long-term care ombudsman program.
(a) The regional long-term care ombudsman programs shall each create and maintain a volunteer program to effect the purposes of this article, pursuant to rules promulgated by the state long-term care ombudsman and the state commission on aging.
(b) A long-term care ombudsman volunteer shall have demonstrated interest in the field of aging and long-term care issues and be able to communicate effectively orally and in writing.
(c) No long-term care ombudsman volunteer nor any member of his or her immediate family shall have, or have had within the two years preceding his or her employment under this section, any pecuniary interest in the provision of long-term care. Nor shall any long-term care ombudsman volunteer perform his or her duties in any specific facility in which an immediate family member of the long-term care ombudsman volunteer is or has been a resident or applicant of that specific facility. For the purposes of this section, the term "immediate family" shall mean the spouse, children, natural mother, natural father, natural brothers or natural sisters of the long-term care ombudsman volunteer.
(7) Performing other duties as assigned by the regional long-term care ombudsman which are not contrary to this article, to any applicable federal law, or to rules promulgated by the state long-term care ombudsman and the state commission on aging.
(e) Notwithstanding the duties described above, no ombudsman volunteer may undertake or be assigned duties involving complaint investigation activities, as defined in section ten of this article, except for information gathering to ascertain the nature and facts of a complaint for the ombudsman's review. No ombudsman volunteer, during the course of his or her volunteer service, may initiate or pursue legal proceedings, actions or remedies on behalf of a resident or long-term care ombudsman program relating to a long-term care facility, its employees, or its residents.
(a) The state long-term care ombudsman shall develop procedures for training and certification of long-term care ombudsman volunteers. The regional long-term care ombudsman shall implement certification training for all ombudsman volunteers in accordance with the procedures developed by the state long-term care ombudsman. No ombudsman volunteer shall perform any of the duties enumerated in section eight of this article prior to the completion of the training program, except as a supervised portion of that training program.
(b) Ombudsman volunteers who have satisfactorily completed the training and certification requirements shall be given identification cards valid for one year which shall be presented to employees of a long-term care facility upon request. Every year thereafter, the long-term care ombudsman volunteer shall complete at least seven hours of additional training before a new identification card is issued. Consistent with the provisions of this article and any rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to section twenty-one, certified long-term ombudsman volunteers shall be representatives of the state long-term care ombudsman program.
(a) Upon receipt of a complaint filed on behalf of a resident, or on his or her own initiative, a state or regional long-term care ombudsman shall investigate any act, practice, policy or procedure of any long-term care facility or government agency which affects the health, safety, welfare or rights of any resident.
(b) Investigative activities of the state or regional long-term care ombudsman shall include, but shall not be limited to: Information gathering, mediation, negotiation, informing parties of the status of the investigation, notification to any aggrieved party of alternative processes, reporting of suspected violations to a licensing or certifying agency, and the reporting of suspected criminal violations to the appropriate authorities.
(5) A real or apparent conflict of interest exists and no other ombudsman is available to investigate the complaint in an impartial manner.
If a determination is made by a regional long-term care ombudsman not to investigate any complaint, then the complaint shall be referred to the state long-term care ombudsman who shall make a final decision as to whether the matter warrants further investigation.
(2) Ensure that state and regional ombudsmen have sufficient access to legal counsel to bring actions on behalf of residents in civil court: Provided: That nothing in this subsection shall be construed to prevent a resident of a long-term care facility from filing directly, on his or her own behalf, a suit for relief of any sort in any state or federal court.
(e) The state commission on aging and other appropriate state governmental agencies shall establish and implement cooperative agreements for receiving, processing, responding to and resolving complaints involving state governmental agencies under the provisions of this section.
(a) A state or regional long-term care ombudsman shall, with proper identification, have access to any long-term care facility for the purposes of investigations of a complaint filed pursuant to section ten of this article. The state or regional long-term care ombudsman may enter a facility at a time appropriate to the complaint. The visit may be announced in advance or be made unannounced as appropriate to the complaint under investigation. Upon entry of the facility, the state or regional long-term care ombudsman shall promptly and personally advise one of the following persons of his or her presence: (1) The administrator or acting administrator; (2) the residence director; or (3) another available supervisory agent of the facility. If entry is refused by the person in charge of said facility, the long-term care ombudsman may apply to the magistrate court of the county in which the facility is located for a warrant authorizing entry, and the court shall issue an appropriate warrant if it finds good cause therefor.
(4) Supervise, direct or assist a long-term care ombudsman volunteer in the performance of his or her assigned duties.
Access to long-term care facilities under this section shall be deemed to include the right to private communication with residents.
(c) A state or regional long-term care ombudsman who has access to a facility under this section shall not enter the living area of a resident without identifying himself or herself to the resident. After identifying himself or herself, an ombudsman shall be permitted to enter the living area of a resident unless that resident communicates on that particular occasion the resident's desire to prevent the ombudsman from entering. A resident shall have the right to terminate, at any time, any visit by a representative of the ombudsman program who has access under this section or any other applicable section of this article.
(d) Access to a facility pursuant to subsection (a) or (b) of this section includes the right to tour the facility unescorted: Provided, That individual residents may terminate at any time any communication by an ombudsman having access under this section and that nothing in this section shall be construed as to grant a long-term care volunteer ombudsman the right of entry to the drug rooms and treatment rooms of a long-term care facility.
(4) If the resident is unable to express written or oral consent and there is no guardian or attorney in fact or the notification of the guardian or attorney in fact is not achieved for the reasons set forth in subsection (3) of this section, or if the resident is deceased, inspection of records may be made by the ombudsman.
(b) The state or regional long-term care ombudsman is allowed access to all records of any long-term care facility that are reasonably necessary for the investigation of a complaint under section ten of this article, including, but not limited to, facility incident reports, dietary records, policies and procedures of the facility that the facility is required to maintain under federal or state law, admission agreements, staffing schedules, any document depicting the actual staffing pattern of the facility and resident council and grievance committee minutes.
(2) Apply to the circuit court of the appropriate county or the circuit court of the county of Kanawha for the issuance of a subpoena duces tecum to compel any person to produce at a specific time and place, before a person authorized to administer oaths, any documents, books, records, papers, objects or other evidence which the state or regional long-term care ombudsman reasonably believes may relate to a matter under investigation.
(b) No subpoena or subpoena duces tecum applied for by the state ombudsman or designee pursuant to subsection (a) of this section shall be issued until a circuit court judge in term or vacation thereof has personally reviewed the application and accompanying affidavits and approved, by a signed order entered by the judge, the issuance of the subpoena or subpoena duces tecum. Subpoenas or subpoenas duces tecum applied for pursuant to this section may be issued on an ex parte basis following review and approval of the application by the judge in term or vacation thereof.
(c) The Attorney General shall, upon request, provide legal counsel and services to the long-term care ombudsman program in all administrative proceedings and in all proceedings in any circuit court and the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. The prosecuting attorney of any county shall provide without compensation legal counsel and services in criminal actions to the long-term care ombudsman program in circuit court proceedings in that county.
(a) The state or regional long-term care ombudsman shall have access to publicly disclosable records of any state government department, agency, or office reasonably necessary to any investigation carried out pursuant to section ten of this article. The regional long-term care ombudsman shall be notified of and be allowed to observe any survey conducted by a government agency affecting the health, safety, welfare or rights of residents of a long-term facility.
(b) The state long-term care ombudsman shall develop referral procedures to refer any complaint to any appropriate state government department, agency or office. The department or agency shall acknowledge receipt and disposition within thirty calendar days on any complaint referred to it by a state or regional long-term care ombudsman.
(c) When abuse, neglect or exploitation of a resident of a long-term care facility is suspected, the state or regional long-term care ombudsman shall make a referral to the office of adult protective services of the Department of Health and Human Resources and to the office of health facility licensure and certification of the Department of Health and Human Resources. The state or regional long-term care ombudsman shall coordinate with the office of adult protective services and the office of health facility licensure and certification on any investigation of suspected abuse, neglect or exploitation undertaken by those offices under the provisions of this subsection.
(d) Any state government department, agency, or office which responds to a complaint referred to it by a state or regional long-term care ombudsman shall forward to the long-term care ombudsman copies of publicly disclosable inspection reports and plans of correction, and notices of any citations and sanctions levied against the long-term care facility identified in the complaint.
(e) The state or regional long-term care ombudsman shall seek to establish coordination with programs which provide legal services for the elderly, including, but not limited to, programs funded by the federal legal services corporation or under the Older Americans Act of 1965, as amended.
(4) Upon order of any appropriate county circuit court after the judge in term or vacation thereof has conducted a hearing following adequate notice to all parties and rendered a determination as the interests of justice may require.
(b) Notwithstanding any other section within this article, all information, records and reports received by or developed by a state or regional long-term care ombudsman which relate to a resident of a facility, including written material identifying a resident, are confidential and are not subject to the provisions of chapter twenty-nine-b of this code, and shall not be disclosed or released by the long-term care ombudsman, except under the circumstances enumerated in this section.
(c) Nothing in subsection (a) or (b) of this section shall be construed to prohibit the preparation and submission by any state or regional long-term ombudsman of statistical data and reports, as required to implement the provisions of this article or any applicable federal law, exclusive of any material that identifies any resident or complainant.
(d) The executive director of the state commission on aging shall have access to the records and files of the long-term care ombudsman program to verify its effectiveness and quality where the identity of any complainant or resident is not disclosed.
(a) An ombudsman participating in an investigation carried out pursuant to section ten of this article and long-term care ombudsman volunteers who are performing their duties pursuant to section eight of this article shall be immune from any civil liability that otherwise might result by reason of his or her participation in the investigation as long as such participation is not violative of any applicable law, rule or regulation, done within the scope of their employment and done in good faith.
(b) If an act or omission by any long-term care ombudsman, or by any facility employee acting in good faith at the direction of a long-term care ombudsman pursuant to a specific resident complaint, causes a resident's rights to be violated, no long-term care facility, its owners, administrators, officers, director, agents, consultants, employees or any member of management shall be held civilly liable as a result of said act or omission.
(b) The long-term care ombudsman program has the ability to pursue administrative, legal and other appropriate remedies on behalf of residents of long-term care facilities.
(a) Any individual who willfully interferes with or impedes a state or regional long-term care ombudsman or ombudsman volunteer in the performance of his or her official duties shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $100 or imprisoned in the county jail for not more than ninety days, or both fined and imprisoned.
(b) Any individual who institutes or commits a discriminatory, disciplinary, retaliatory or reprisal action against any officer or employee of a long-term care facility or government department or agency, against any resident of a long-term care facility or against any guardian, attorney in fact or against any family member of any resident of a long-term care facility for having filed a complaint with or provided information in good faith to a state or regional long-term ombudsman or ombudsman volunteer to aid the long-term care ombudsman or ombudsman volunteer in carrying out the duties pursuant to this article is guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $100, or imprisoned in the county jail for not more than ninety days, or both fined and imprisoned.
(c) Any individual violating the provisions of subsection (a) or (b) of this section shall, for the second or any subsequent offense under either of these subsections, be guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $250, or imprisoned in the county jail for not more than ninety days, or both fined and imprisoned. Each day of a continuing violation after conviction shall be considered a separate offense.
(7) Any restriction against a state or regional long-term care ombudsman or ombudsman volunteer which impedes the carrying out of duties pursuant to this article.
(e) Nothing in this section shall be construed as to infringe upon the rights of an employer to supervise, discipline or terminate an employee for other reasons.
Every long-term care facility in this state shall provide each resident with a copy and shall post in a conspicuous location in at least ten-point type a notice of information on the long-term care ombudsman program. Such notice shall include: (1) The name, address and telephone number of the designated long-term care ombudsman program serving the region in which the facility is located; (2) a brief description of the services provided by the long-term care ombudsman program; and (3) a statement as to the penalties for willful interference and retaliation as provided in section eighteen of this article. The form and wording of the notice shall be approved by the state long-term care ombudsman program.
The state long-term care ombudsman program shall receive such funds as are appropriated pursuant to the Older Americans Act of 1965, as amended, for the operation of the state long-term care ombudsman program, and shall receive such funds as are appropriated by the Legislature for the operation of the program.
The regional long-term care ombudsman program shall receive such funds as are appropriated by the area agencies on aging pursuant to the Older Americans Act of 1965, as amended.
Any long-term care ombudsman program may solicit and receive funds, gifts and contributions to support the operation of the program. No program shall solicit or receive any funds, gifts or contributions where the solicitation or receipt would jeopardize the independence and objectivity of the program.
Pursuant to chapter twenty-nine-a of this code, the state long-term care ombudsman and the state commission on aging shall promulgate rules to effectuate the purposes and provisions of this article.
If any provision of this article, or the application thereof to any provision or circumstance, shall be held unconstitutional or otherwise invalid, such invalidity or unconstitutionality shall not affect the provisions or application of this article which can be given effect without the unconstitutional or invalid provisions of application, and to this end the provisions of this article are declared to be severable.

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