The Commissioner of Aging and Disability Services shall require the State Ombudsman to:
(1) Prepare an annual report:
(A) Describing the activities carried out by the office in the year for which the report is prepared;
(B) Containing and analyzing the data collected under section 17a-418;
(C) Evaluating the problems experienced by and the complaints made by or on behalf of residents;
(D) Containing recommendations for (i) improving the quality of the care and life of the residents, and (ii) protecting the health, safety, welfare and rights of the residents;
(E) (i) Analyzing the success of the program including success in providing services to residents of long-term care facilities; and (ii) identifying barriers that prevent the optimal operation of the program; and
(F) Providing policy, regulatory and legislative recommendations to solve identified problems, to resolve the complaints, to improve the quality of the care and life of residents, to protect the health, safety, welfare and rights of residents and to remove the barriers that prevent the optimal operation of the program.
(2) Analyze, comment on and monitor the development and implementation of federal, state and local laws, regulations and other government policies and actions that pertain to long-term care facilities and services, and to the health, safety, welfare and rights of residents in the state, and recommend any changes in such laws, regulations and policies as the office determines to be appropriate.
(3) (A) Provide such information as the office determines to be necessary to public and private agencies, legislators and other persons, regarding (i) the problems and concerns of older individuals residing in long-term care facilities; and (ii) recommendations related to the problems and concerns; and (B) make available to the public and submit to the federal assistant secretary for aging, the Governor, the General Assembly, the Department of Public Health and other appropriate governmental entities, each report prepared under subdivision (1) of this section.
(P.A. 77-575, S. 18, 23; P.A. 78-331, S. 31, 58; P.A. 93-262, S. 1, 87; P.A. 99-176, S. 13, 24; P.A. 13-125, S. 13; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 17-2, S. 303; P.A. 18-6, S. 9; 18-169, S. 27; P.A. 19-157, S. 54.)
History: P.A. 78-331 required that report state nature of administrative acts investigated in addition to the number of acts investigated; Sec. 17-135m transferred to Sec. 17a-417 in 1991; P.A. 93-262 authorized substitution of commissioner and department of social services for commissioner and department on aging, effective July 1, 1993; Sec. 17a-417 transferred to Sec. 17b-412 in 1995; P.A. 99-176 replaced existing provisions with requirement that director require ombudsman to prepare an annual report containing enumerated information, to analyze, comment on and monitor relevant developments and implementation of laws, regulations and other government policies and actions, and to provide information the office determines necessary and submit the annual report to enumerated entities, effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 13-125 replaced reference to director with reference to Commissioner on Aging, effective July 1, 2013; Sec. 17b-412 transferred to Sec. 17a-417 in 2015; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 17-2 replaced reference to Commissioner on Aging with reference to Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, effective October 31, 2017; P.A. 18-6 substituted “Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services” for “Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management”, effective May 14, 2018; P.A. 18-169 made identical changes as P.A. 18-6, effective June 14, 2018; P.A. 19-157 replaced “Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services” with “Commissioner of Aging and Disability Services”.