Resources

State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resources

Navigating Effective Systems Advocacy for States and the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Webinar

ADvancing States hosted the webinar "Navigating Effective Systems Advocacy for States and the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman," moderated by Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aging Edwin Walker.

The Older Americans Act systems advocacy requirement for the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman creates challenges and opportunities for both the Ombudsman and State Aging offices. View the recording below to hear remarks delivered by Mr. Walker on the history of the requirement and how interested parties can navigate effectively to fulfill their roles, to be followed by a moderated discussion between states and State Long-Term Care Ombudsman representatives. This webinar was held on December 5, 2023. 

Click here to view the webinar. Click here to download the slides.

Consumer Voice and NORC Online Training Center

The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care and the National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center (NORC) sponsor a joint online training center which provides course content for Ombudsman staff and volunteers as well as advocates, family members, and other consumers. The platform is accessible via computer or mobile device and features two sections of courses, one run by Consumer Voice, and one run by NORC. The Consumer Voice section offers courses on federal regulations, policies, and advocacy strategies, while the NORC courses focus on Ombudsman program practices and advocacy.

Registration is free, and users receive a certificate after completing a course. The platform is live and will continue to update as additional courses are added.

Click here to access this online learning platform.

Responding to the Unexpected: Best Practices During Disasters for Ombudsman Programs

ADvancing States is a proud partner of the National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center (NORC). In our capacity as a sub-grantee to NORC, we were pleased to invite SLTCOs to a webinar on May 13th, 2021, regarding Responding to the Unexpected: Best Practices during Disasters for Ombudsman Programs. Regrettably, the past few years have been scarred by various disasters including wildfires, severe winter storms, and of course the COVID-19 pandemic. This webinar was specifically for SLTCOs—to inform your thinking and planning around disaster mitigation and management. Attendees of this webinar heard from leaders from two different states and their recent experiences responding to disasters.

Click here to view the webinar recording and slides. 

Medicaid 201: Managed long-term services and supports (MLTSS) for State and Local Ombudsman 

The National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (ADvancing States) hosted a webinar on Medicaid managed long-term services and supports (MLTSS) and the new Federal requirements for states to offer ombudsman services to managed care enrollees. This webinar was the second in a series on managed care; the first webinar, Medicaid 101 for State and Local Ombudsman, was held in January 2017. Building on the groundwork laid in January, this webinar provided an overview of Medicaid managed long-term services and support (MLTSS) programs across the country; explained the new Federal requirements for MLTSS programs to offer managed care ombudsman services to enrollees; discussed opportunities and challenges of operating a managed care ombudsman program within a State LCTO office; and highlighted the work of the Iowa SLTCO in managing both a State Long-term Care Ombudsman Program and a managed care ombudsman program. The webinar featured ADvancing States’s Deputy Executive Director, Camille Dobson, Iowa’s State Long-term Care Ombudsman, Deanna Clingan-Fisher, and Kelli Todd, Iowa’s Managed Care Ombudsman Program Coordinator. 

Click here to view a copy of ADvancing States' presentation.

Click here to view a copy of Iowa's SLTCOP presentation. 

Click here to access the recording. 

Click here to view the transcript. 

Medicaid 101 for State and Local Ombudsman Webinar

ADvancing States hosted a webinar on Medicaid managed care for State and Local Long-Term Care Ombudsman. In Medicaid, managed care is a form of health care delivery and financing that aims to better manage cost, coordinate care, and improve quality. Managed care involves contracts between state Medicaid agencies and private managed care organizations, or MCOs, that are responsible for the delivery and coordination of services to beneficiaries. MCOs receive a capitated per-member per-month (PMPM) payment to cover the costs of these health care services. Over the past decade, state agencies have implemented managed care in increasing numbers, with total U.S. enrollment in Medicaid managed care reaching 55 million in 2014. A significant amount of the recent managed care growth has focused on including long-term services and supports (LTSS). The rapid expansion of Managed LTSS has implications regarding the health care and social services provided to older adults and people with disabilities living in institutional settings and other LTSS facilities such as assisted living. This webinar covered basic information about the current status and future directions of state Medicaid Managed LTSS programs; key policy and operational considerations for professionals working with older adults enrolled in these programs; and future directions for these programs. The webinar was presented by Damon Terzaghi, ADvancing States’s Senior Director for Medicaid Policy and Planning.

Click here to view the slides. 

Click here to view the recording.

Click here to view the transcript. 

Recent ADvancing States Publications

The National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center, or NORC

  • The NORC website offers a multitude of resources for State and Local Ombudsman as well as anyone else interested in the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program. NORC’s website is: http://ltcombudsman.org/

  • To locate your state’s LTC Ombudsman, visit: http://theconsumervoice.org/get_help

  • To view definitions of commonly used Ombudsman acronyms, click here. 

Federal and National Resources

Legislation and Regulations