If you are experiencing a problem with care provided in a Minnesota nursing home or assisted living facility, your first concern is probably how to get the problem resolved for the well-being of the resident. Beyond that, if the problem is serious, likely to affect many people and/or is not effectively dealt with by those responsible, you may want to lodge a formal complaint against those you feel are responsible for the problem. Here’s the approach recommended by our board.
Talk with Staff at the Facility First
Talk with the staff and the facility administrator directly. If the facility has a resident or family council, consider taking the matter to them to see if joint action may provide an answer.
Get Help from the Area Ombudsman
If a problem affecting an individual or group of residents cannot be resolved with staff, you may want on behalf of an affected individual or group of residents to contact the Office of Ombudsman for Long-Term Care. This is an advocacy agency with ten regional offices around the state that negotiate and/or mediate disputes between residents or their families and the management of nursing homes to bring about positive change for residents. If the nursing home resident resides in the metro area,
call 651-431-2555, or look up an ombudsman near you. The website is
www.mn.gov/ooltc.
Contact the Minnesota Adult Abuse Reporting Center (MAARC)
The Minnesota Adult Abuse Reporting Center provides a toll-free number
, (844) 880-1574, for the public to report suspected maltreatment of vulnerable adults. The Center is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Visit the MAARC website.
Contact the Office of Health Facility Complaints (OHFC)
This office is in the Minnesota Department of Health. It has the authority to investigate complaints about facilities and to take corrective action and/or assess monetary fines against facilities for violations of state or federal regulations pertaining to nursing homes and vulnerable adults who reside in nursing homes. In the
metro area call 651-201-4200. In greater Minnesota call 1-800-369-7994.
File a Complaint Relating to the Administrator with BELTSS
If a problem involves the administration of a facility or concerns the performance or actions of a BELTSS Licensee you may make a complaint to BELTSS. The board requests signed complaints to open an investigation or take action. Your identity as a complainant must, however, remain confidential by law and would be divulged to the administrator only with your consent. Refer to the 'How to make a Complaint' section of this site for more information.
Additional Places to Look for Help
- Office of Ombudsman for Long-Term Care
- Office of Health Facility Complaints
- For hospitals, nursing homes, boarding care homes, supervised living facilities, assisted living, and home health agencies
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
- Medicare - Compare Nursing Homes
- Minn. Dept. of Health - Nursing and Boarding Care Home Survey Inspection Findings
- Office of the Attorney General
