Conn. Agencies Regs. § 17b-411-5

Current through August 9, 2024

Section 17b-411-5 - Regional Ombudsmen. Duties and Responsibilities

Regional Ombudsmen shall perform the following duties:

(1) Identify, investigate, resolve or attempt to resolve complaints made by or on behalf of residents that relate to actions, inactions or decisions that may adversely affect the health, safety, welfare or rights of residents. Regional Ombudsmen shall inform the complainant, the resident or the resident's legal representatives of the findings of an investigation or the reasons why a complaint cannot be investigated;

(2) provide services to protect the health, safety, welfare and rights of long-term care facility residents, including, but not limited to:

(A) Information and referral services;

(B) assistance to residents to locate and retain legal representation in those cases in which the problem appears, in the judgment of a Regional Ombudsman or State Ombudsman, to require legal action or when the resident explicitly requests assistance in retaining legal counsel or representation. Such legal counsel shall be at the resident's expense; and

(C) education and training for residents, their family members, staff of long-term care facilities and the public;

(3) ensure that residents have regular and timely access to representatives of the Ombudsman through frequent on-site visits by a representative of the office to the facility;

(4) respond to complaints and requests for assistance;

(5) support the development and maintenance of resident and family councils and assist in addressing council concerns;

(6) inform residents, their family members, citizen organizations, the public and long-term care facility staff about the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program;

(7) advocate on behalf of residents, at the direction of the State Ombudsman, in the following nonexclusive ways:

(A) Identify problems affecting residents at the facility, local, state or national levels and attempt to resolve those problems;

(B) identify problems in the long-term care system and advocate for changes to that system;

(C) represent the interests of residents before government agencies, legislative committees, individual legislators and other individuals, groups or entities where issues that affect residents are addressed;

(D) communicate with legislators, policy makers and the media about issues affecting residents and other consumers of long-term care;

(E) assist the State Ombudsman to analyze, comment on, provide public testimony about and monitor the development and implementation of proposed or existing federal, state and local laws, regulations, government policies and actions that affect residents; and

(F) provide information regarding the problems and concerns of residents and recommendations for resolving those problems and concerns to:

(i) Public agencies;

(ii) private entities; and

(iii) state and federal legislators;

(8) pursue administrative, legal and other remedies on behalf of individual residents;

(9) in accordance with federal and state laws and regulations, share information related to long-term care facilities with the State of Connecticut Department of Public Health;

(10) participate in surveys of long-term care facilities conducted by the State of Connecticut Department of Public Health and communicate with Department of Public Health surveyors regarding issues affecting a particular facility;

(11) document and report activities as required by the office;

(12) accept the direction, instruction, guidance and assistance of the State Ombudsman in all program activities;

(13) remain knowledgeable regarding current federal and state laws and regulations relating to issues affecting long-term care facility residents; and

(14) carry out other program-related activities that the State Ombudsman determines to be appropriate.

Conn. Agencies Regs. § 17b-411-5

Effective April 3, 2013