The Minnesota long-term care ombudsman
Minnesota's Office of Ombudsman for Long-Term Care (OOLTC), part of the Minnesota Board on Aging, is an independent advocate who investigates and helps resolve complaints for residents of nursing homes, assisted living facilities (including memory care), and board-and-lodging settings. Unlike states that split ombudsman coverage into multiple regional offices, Minnesota runs OOLTC as a single statewide office -- the same phone number covers the entire Twin Cities metro and the rest of the state.
- Phone: 1-800-657-3591 (toll-free) or 651-431-2555
- Address: 540 Cedar Street, St. Paul, MN 55101
- Hours: 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., Monday-Friday
- Website: mn.gov/ooltc
Because ombudsman advocacy is resident-directed, the ombudsman generally needs the resident's consent (or, if the resident lacks capacity, their legal representative's) before acting on a complaint on their behalf.
Reporting abuse or neglect
Minnesota centralized adult-protection reporting in 2015 into one statewide intake line rather than routing calls county-by-county:
- Minnesota Adult Abuse Reporting Center (MAARC) -- 1-844-880-1574, toll-free, staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Use this number to report suspected physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, financial exploitation, or neglect of a vulnerable adult anywhere in Minnesota. MAARC routes the report to the correct county or Tribal agency for investigation. mn.gov/dhs -- MAARC
- MDH Office of Health Facility Complaints -- 651-201-4200 (Twin Cities metro) or 1-800-369-7994 (greater Minnesota) -- a separate line for complaints about a licensed facility's regulatory compliance, not the same as reporting suspected maltreatment of a specific person. Business hours only, not 24/7.
- Emergency: Call 911 if someone is in immediate danger.
Which one to call
The long-term care ombudsman and the state health regulator do different jobs, and using one does not preclude the other. The ombudsman advocates for a resident and can attend a care conference with you, but does not license, inspect or fine a facility. The state regulator investigates regulatory complaints and can take enforcement action, but is not an advocate for an individual resident's preferences the way an ombudsman is.
The consent rule
An ombudsman acts only with the consent of the resident or their legal representative. This surprises adult children. If a parent has capacity and does not want a complaint pursued, that decision stands, even where family disagrees with it.