Strengthening Advocacy for Long-Term Care Residents Act

According to experts and advocates, as the number of older adults in long-term care facilities grows, there is a greater need for ombudsman staff and volunteers in order to increase resident disputes. Recent legislation was introduced to improve the ombudsman program.

Kaine said: “This legislation aims to strengthen the ombudsman program and ensure that trained professionals are available to advocate for residents, address complaints, and help maintain safe, quality care.”

The ombudsman program was established under the Older Americans Act, which was pivotal in advocating for residents of both long-term care facilities and nursing homes. This program relies on trained volunteers and professional staff to provide “confidential support, address complaints, and monitor conditions in long-term care facilities.” Statistics show that in 2023, nearly 5,400 Ombudsman program staff and volunteers conducted over 340,000 visits to long-term care facilities nationally.

Strengthening Advocacy for Long-Term Care Residents Act, the recently proposed legislation includes a variety of key provisions that all aim to enhance the existing program. The bill requires the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) to study and craft a new staffing ratio of ombudsmen to long-term care facility beds. This plan has not been updated in nearly 30 years. Additionally, the bill directs the Administration for Community
Living (ACL) to establish categories of “duties and corresponding training requirements” for the ombudsman program volunteers. This will ensure adequate volunteer training and improve retention, which ultimately reflects back to the residents in these long-term care facilities.

Finally, this bill will reaffirm the need for a full-time National Director of the ombudsman program. This position was eliminated after the 2019 reorganization, and this absence has decreased the program’s effectiveness. This proposed legislation has received many endorsements from organizations, including the DC Ombudsman Program and the National Association of State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs (NASOP).