Bill
HB 979
Strengthens resident advocacy by certifying and supervising volunteer nursing home ombudsman reps, requiring designation by state office and clear duties to present grievances.
Status & Procedural Notes
- Title: Update Volunteer System / Long‑Term Care Ombudsman Program
- Jurisdiction & status: North Carolina — Passed 1st Reading (referred to Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House)
- Filed: April 10, 2025; Passed 1st Reading: April 14, 2025 (text in the record is truncated; summary covers Part I — Volunteer Nursing Home Ombudsman Representatives)
Purpose / Intent
- Revise and modernize the statutory framework governing volunteer nursing‑home ombudsman representatives by formally integrating community advisory committees into the State Long‑Term Care Ombudsman structure, tightening designation/certification procedures, and clarifying accountability and terms of service. The aim is to strengthen resident advocacy, standardize volunteer roles, and improve oversight.
Key Provisions (Part I — Volunteer Nursing Home Ombudsman Representatives)
- Definitions: Adds/clarifies “volunteer nursing home ombudsman representative” — a volunteer designated by the Office of the State Long‑Term Care Ombudsman to promote the Nursing Home Residents’ Bill of Rights in all nursing homes (including hospital‑operated homes).
- Designation & Certification:
- Requires volunteers who serve on county community advisory committees to be designated and certified by the State Long‑Term Care Ombudsman Office per G.S. 143B‑181.18 and program policies.
- Designation by the Office is a precondition for appointment; removal of designation automatically rescinds any county appointment.
- Designated volunteer representatives are directly accountable to the State Long‑Term Care Ombudsman Program.
- County committees and nomination:
- Boards of county commissioners are encouraged to nominate volunteer ombudsman representatives and establish community advisory committees; membership size formulas for counties with varying numbers of nursing homes are retained/adjusted.
- A portion of committee membership remains sourced from nominations by nursing home administrators and hospital governing bodies, with specified timelines for response.
- Duties & Protections:
- Clarifies that nursing homes may not intentionally impede the duties of designated volunteer ombudsman representatives.
- Confirms volunteers’ role in presenting grievances and recommending changes on behalf of residents.
- Terms of Office:
- Initial committee member term: one year; subsequent reappointments: three years.
- Reappointment by counties may require consent from nursing home administrators in some nomination circumstances.
Who is affected
- Primary: volunteer ombudsman representatives, county boards of commissioners, nursing home community advisory committees, the Office of the State Long‑Term Care Ombudsman, and nursing homes (including hospital‑operated facilities).
- Secondary: nursing home residents (through strengthened advocacy) and county administration (by implementing designation/certification procedures).
Potential impacts
- Strengthens centralized training, certification, and oversight of volunteer ombudsmen, likely improving consistency and accountability in resident advocacy.
- Imposes administrative responsibilities on the State Long‑Term Care Ombudsman Office (designation/certification processes) and may change how counties recruit/appoint committee members.
- Clarifies protections for volunteer activities and reinforces that facilities may not obstruct designated representatives.
Notes & Limitations
- The circulated bill text is truncated; other parts (beyond Part I) may appear elsewhere in the bill and could add further provisions or implementation details. This summary focuses on the Volunteer Nursing Home Ombudsman Representatives provisions contained in the provided text.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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