Benefits · Supportive Services

How to apply for Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program

Administration for Community Living (delivered locally by State and local Long-Term Care Ombudsman programs)

Who it's for

A Long-Term Care Ombudsman is a free, confidential advocate for anyone who lives in a nursing home, assisted living community, or board-and-care home — and for their family. If you or a loved one is a resident, the Ombudsman will listen to concerns about care quality, safety, dignity, resident rights, billing, or a discharge or eviction notice, and then work directly with the facility to resolve them. They can sit in on care-plan meetings, explain your rights as a resident, and escalate serious problems to state regulators. The service is independent of the facility, costs nothing, and the Ombudsman works only for the resident — never the home. This is the program to call before you tour a facility, when a placement is being arranged, or any time something feels wrong in a current placement.

The Long-Term Care Ombudsman serves residents of long-term care facilities — nursing homes, assisted living communities, and board-and-care homes — and their families. The scan does not ask whether you live in (or are entering) such a facility, so it cannot confirm this applies to you. If you or a loved one is a resident of, or considering, a long-term care facility, this free and confidential advocate is available; if you live independently at home, it does not apply yet but is worth knowing about for the future.

What you'll need

The name and address of the long-term care facility involved
Any notices you have received (care plan, billing statement, discharge or transfer notice)
A written or verbal summary of the concern you want resolved