Duties of State Ombudsman - Conn. Gen. Stat. § 17b-403

The State Ombudsman must:

• Investigate and resolve complaints by long-term care residents or persons applying for residency regarding actions that affect resident health and welfare.
• Offer services to protect resident health and welfare.
• Educate residents about obtaining services from providers and public agencies.
• Ensure that residents have “regular and timely access to” Ombudsman services and “receive timely responses” to their complaints.
• Represent residents and applications in government proceedings.
• Monitor developments in policy at the federal, state, and local level that may affect long-term care residents, recommend changes in, and publicly comment on such policy.
• Advocate for (1) law and policy changes at the federal, state, and local levels that will affect resident health and welfare; (2) organizations and agencies that have authority over issues affecting long-term care residents to take appropriate actions; and (3) the General Assembly and Connecticut state agencies to enact recommendations.
• Train office representatives, promote citizen organization participation in the Ombudsman program, and support the creation of “resident and family councils to protect the well-being and rights of residents.”
• Coordinate office services with federal developmental disability and mental illness protect and advocacy systems.
• Coordinate office services with the legal services provided under the Federal Older Americans Act of 1965,
• Provide Ombudsman services to individuals under the age of 60 that live in long-term care facilities if the majority of the residents in the facility are older than 60 and providing service will not reduce services to persons older than 60.
• Act as required by federal law.