Section 9710.

9710. There is within the department an Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman. (Repealed and added by Stats. 1996, Ch. 1097, Sec. 13. Effective January 1, 1997.)

Section 9710.5.

9710.5. (a) The Legislature finds and declares as follows: (1) The Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman has an extremely important role in protecting and advocating for the rights and health and safety of long-term care facility residents, and in providing leadership, direction, and support to local long-term care ombudsman programs. (2) The position of State Ombudsman […]

Section 9711.

9711. (a) The office shall be under the direction of a chief executive officer who shall be known as the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman. The State Ombudsman shall be appointed by the director and shall report directly to the director. He or she shall devote his or her entire time to the duties of his or […]

Section 9712.

9712. (a) The office shall be headed by an individual, to be known as the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman, who shall meet the qualifications established by the federal Older Americans Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 3001 et seq.) and be selected from among individuals with expertise and experience in the fields of long-term care and advocacy. Within […]

Section 9712.5.

9712.5. The State Ombudsman shall, personally or through representatives of the office, do all of the following: (a) (1) Identify, investigate, and resolve complaints that are made by, or on behalf of, residents of long-term care facilities that relate to actions, inactions, or decisions of providers or representatives of providers of long-term care services, public agencies, or […]

Section 9713.

9713. (a) Upon request of the office, the Attorney General shall represent the office or the department and the state in litigation concerning affairs of the office, unless the Attorney General represents another state agency, in which case the agency or the office shall employ other counsel. (b) The State Ombudsman may employ technical experts and other […]

Section 9714.

9714. The office shall solicit and receive funds, gifts, and contributions to support the operations and programs of the office. The office shall not solicit or receive any funds, gifts, or contributions if the solicitation or receipt would jeopardize the independence and objectivity of the office. The office shall deposit funds received pursuant to this […]

Section 9714.5.

9714.5. (a) The office may form a foundation eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions to support the operations and programs of the office and the operations of the foundation. The foundation shall not solicit or receive any funds, gifts, or contributions if the solicitation or receipt would jeopardize the independence and objectivity of the office or foundation. […]

Section 9715.

9715. (a) No representative of the office shall be held liable for good faith performance of responsibilities under this chapter. (b) No discriminatory, disciplinary, or retaliatory action shall be taken against any employee of a facility or agency, any patient, resident, or client of a long-term care facility, or any volunteer, for any communication made, or information […]

Section 9716.

9716. (a) The office shall be responsible for activities that promote the development, coordination, and utilization of resources to meet the long-term care needs of older individuals, consistent with its mission. These responsibilities shall include establishing a statewide uniform reporting system to collect and analyze data relative to complaints and conditions in long-term care facilities for […]

Section 9716.11.

9716.11. (a) The Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman shall maintain an Internet Web presence. (b) The Internet Web site shall be easily found and prominent on the department’s homepage. The Legislature finds and declares that resources currently exist for this purpose. (c) The Internet Web site shall be consumer driven and shall include, but not be […]

Section 9717.

9717. (a) All advocacy programs and any programs similar in nature to the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program that receive funding or official designation from the state shall cooperate with the office, where appropriate. These programs include, but are not limited to, the Office of Human Rights within the State Department of State Hospitals, the Office of […]

Section 9718.

9718. Every long-term care facility, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 9701, shall post in a conspicuous location a notice of the name, address, and phone number of the office and the nearest approved organization, and a brief description of the services provided by the office and the approved organization. The form of the […]

Section 9718.5.

9718.5. (a) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), a skilled nursing facility or residential care facility shall not, under any circumstances, deny entry to a representative of the office acting in their official capacity. (2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), nothing in this section is intended to affect the ability of the State Public Health Officer or a local […]

Section 9719.

9719. (a) (1) The office shall sponsor a training of representatives of approved organizations at least twice each year. The office shall provide training to these representatives as appropriate. Prior to the certification of an ombudsman by the office, individuals shall meet both of the following requirements: (A) Have a criminal offender record clearance conducted by the State […]

Section 9719.5.

9719.5. (a) (1) The department shall allocate all federal and state funds for local ombudsman programs according to the following distribution, but shall not allocate less than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) per fiscal year. (2) After the base allocation, remaining funds shall be distributed in accordance with subdivision (b). (b) (1) Fifty percent of the funds shall be allocated […]