Advocacy for Long-Term Care Residents Act.

2025-2026 Session Introduced by Eric Ager and 25 co-sponsors

HB 343 funds four full-time long-term care ombudsmen with recurring state funds to boost resident advocacy, speed issue resolution, and align NC with national standards.

Passed 1st Reading

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HB 343 — Advocacy for Long-Term Care Residents Act (North Carolina)

Status and key dates
- Bill title: Advocacy for Long-Term Care Residents Act (HB 343)
- Sponsors (primary): Representatives Cunningham and Cotham
- Introduced / Prefiled: Dec 16, 2024 (prefiled); first read Feb 28, 2025
- Effective date: July 1, 2025

Purpose and intent
- Strengthen protections and advocacy for residents of long‑term care facilities (nursing homes, adult care homes, family care homes) by increasing the capacity of the State Long‑Term Care Ombudsman program and moving the program toward applicable national standards.

Main provisions
- Appropriates recurring General Fund dollars to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Division of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS), to expand ombudsman staffing:
- $380,000 recurring for fiscal year 2025–2026
- $397,000 recurring for fiscal year 2026–2027
- Funds are to be used to create four (4) full‑time ombudsman positions within the Office of the State Long‑Term Care Ombudsman in DAAS.
- The positions are intended to increase the program’s capacity to advocate for residents’ rights, assist residents and families, help resolve disputes without formal complaints, and align the State program more closely with national standards for long‑term care ombudsman programs.

Who is affected
- Primary recipients/beneficiaries:
- Residents of long‑term care facilities and their families (improved access to advocacy and complaint resolution)
- Long‑term care providers (increased engagement with ombudsmen may reduce escalation of disputes)
- State agencies:
- DHHS — Division of Aging and Adult Services (responsible for implementing the appropriation and hiring staff)
- Office of the State Long‑Term Care Ombudsman (direct operational impact)
- Fiscal impact: recurring General Fund cost as noted above for staffing and related operating expenses.

Implementation and procedural notes
- The appropriation is recurring; staffing additions are permanent ongoing positions subject to state hiring rules and budgeting.
- The act is slated to take effect July 1, 2025, which aligns with the timing of the FY appropriations.
- The bill’s stated aim is incremental: adding positions to move the State program toward national standards rather than a comprehensive overhaul.

Potential impacts (expected)
- Short term: increased ombudsman presence, faster responses to resident concerns, and greater capacity to mediate issues without formal enforcement actions.
- Medium/long term: improved resident protections, potential reductions in formal investigations and litigation, and alignment with national program benchmarks (e.g., staffing ratios, outreach capacity).

Limitations / scope
- The bill funds four full‑time positions only; it does not itself change statutory authority for the ombudsman program or impose new regulatory requirements on facilities beyond existing law.