WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced a bill Tuesday aimed at improving advocacy for residents in long-term care facilities. The Strengthening Advocacy for Long-Term Care Residents Act seeks to enhance the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program, established under the Older Americans Act, which supports residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.
Senator Casey, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, stressed the importance of the Ombudsman program. “Long-term care ombudsmen are vital to ensuring that residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities have advocates who can represent their interests and can push for better care and conditions,” he said. “Senator Kaine and I are introducing this bill to strengthen the Ombudsman Program and ensure that it has the resources, leadership, and personnel to continue its critical work safeguarding the Nation’s residents of long-term care facilities.”
The Ombudsman program designates staff and trained volunteers to advocate for long-term care residents, providing confidential information and assistance while monitoring conditions and care within these facilities. With an increasing number of older adults residing in long-term care settings, the program faces significant challenges in ensuring residents receive the care they deserve and have their rights protected.
In 2023, nearly 5,400 Ombudsman staff and volunteers made over 340,000 visits to long-term care facilities, assisting more than 500,000 residents and their families.
Senator Kaine highlighted the ongoing issues in these facilities. “Older Americans deserve to age with dignity, but sadly, we continue to see reports of abuses at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities,” he said. “I’m introducing this legislation to strengthen the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program and help ensure that older Virginians and people with disabilities living in long-term care facilities continue to have trained professionals able to advocate for them, address their complaints, and help ensure they have access to safe, quality care.”
The Strengthening Advocacy for Long-Term Care Residents Act proposes several key improvements to the Ombudsman program:
- Establishing Volunteer Duties and Training: The Administration for Community Living (ACL) will create categories of duties for volunteers and set appropriate training requirements based on these categories. This aims to make it easier to recruit and retain volunteers, ensuring they have the necessary training.
- Reaffirming Leadership: The bill reaffirms Congress’ intent that the program should be led by a full-time National Director. The position was lost in 2019 during a reorganization under the Trump Administration, which has since impeded coordination and distracted from the program’s mission.
- Conducting a Staffing Study: The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) will study and issue a report recommending the number of ombudsmen needed per long-term care facility bed. This will provide better insight into the program’s current needs. The last staffing ratio recommendation was made in 1995, suggesting one ombudsman per 2,000 beds—a standard that has not been updated despite current caseloads far exceeding it.
By addressing these areas, the bill aims to fortify the Ombudsman program, ensuring that it can effectively advocate for the rights and well-being of long-term care residents.
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