Relating to the office of the state long-term care ombudsman, and making an appropriation

This bill relates to the office of state long-term care ombudsman. The bill establishes protocol for operation of the office of long-term care ombudsman (OLTCO). The OLTCO consists of the state long-term care ombudsman, any local long-term care ombudsmen, and any certified volunteer long-term care ombudsmen. The bill requires the office to, on at least a quarterly basis, hold either in-person or in-person-via-video meetings with all staff; assign cases to local long-term care ombudsmen based on a geographic territory to enable more effective and efficient use of resources; establish a policy and process to ensure that each local long-term care ombudsman makes unscheduled noncomplaint-related visits to a minimum of percent of the long-term care facilities, assisted living programs, and elder group homes in the assigned geographic territory, annually; implement a policy that ensures that the response to resident and tenant inquiries is in the manner preferred by the resident or tenant and that all visits are completed in a timely manner; ensure the existence and maintenance of a vibrant certified volunteer long-term care ombudsman program; and provide necessary vehicles and coverage of related expenses to local long-term care ombudsmen to fulfill their duties. The bill also prohibits the OLTCO from pursuing or issuing a request for proposals or other process to modify the organizational structure of the office or to outsource duties or staffing of the office without prior visible and effective notice to and input from the public, and without prior conversation and consultation with specified persons. The bill makes an appropriation from the general fund of the state to the OLTCO for FY 2021-2022, in addition to any other funds appropriated from the general fund of the state to, and in addition to any other full-time equivalent positions authorized for, the OLTCO for the same purpose, for the purpose of increasing the number of local long-term care ombudsmen. The funding appropriated and the full-time equivalent positions authorized are in addition to any other funds appropriated from the general fund of the state and any other full-time equivalent positions authorized for local long-term care ombudsmen during the same fiscal year. A sufficient portion of the funding appropriated shall be used to provide a vehicle and other support for each of the additional local long-term care ombudsmen to assist in fulfilling their duties pursuant to Code chapter 231.