Rule 173-14-01 | Definitions.
As used in this chapter:
"Action plan" means a plan that that an ombudsman develops in conjunction with the client as part of the complaint-handling process. The plan includes strategies and actions for the ombudsman to take and target dates for the ombudsman to meet.
"Advocacy" means planning, preparing, and conducting community education programs, training events, and legislative and other public relations contacts; influencing the formation, implementation, and outcome of public policy affecting clients; representing clients, both individually and collectively, to effect a positive change.
"Advocacy visit" means an ombudsman visit to a site where clients receive long-term care services and supports and provides outreach to clients and sponsors; makes observations of the location, client, sponsors, or staff; performs intake of complaints; and makes requests of provider staff on behalf of, and with the consent of, a client.
"Affiliated" means being or having a parent, child, sibling, spouse, or household member who is a board member of, a consultant to, or has another relationship by which they may profit from a provider.
"AGE" means the Ohio department of aging.
"Area agency on aging" (AAA) has the same meaning as in rule 173-2-01 of the Administrative Code.
"Business day" means any day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday defined in section 1.14 of the Revised Code.
"Client" means a resident of a long-term care facility or the recipient of community-based long-term care services. When appropriate, the term includes a prospective, previous, or deceased resident or recipient.
"Community-based long-term care services" has the same meaning as in section 173.14 of the Revised Code.
"Complaint" means an expression of dissatisfaction or concern brought to, or identified by, the ombudsman program, which requires an ombudsman program investigation and resolution on behalf of one or more long-term care clients.
"Complaint case records" means confidential records that the office of the SLTCO keeps for complaints that the program handled.
"Complaint handling" means all the processes available to handle a complaint, including intake, screening, opening a case, assigning, investigating, attempting resolution, referring, performing follow-up activities, closing a case, and documenting and records retention.
"Complex complaint" means a complaint involving a greater depth of investigation, including research and multiple contacts with provider staff or clients, and the development of an action plan as a part of opening a case.
"Core ombudsman services" means complaint handling; monitoring the implementation of relevant laws, rules, and policies; establishing a presence in long-term care facilities with clients and long-term care providers; educating residents, their family and facility staff about residents' rights, good care practices, and similar long-term services and supports resources; ensuring residents have regular and timely access to ombudsman services; providing technical support for the development of resident and family councils; advocating for changes to improve residents' quality of life and care; providing information to the public regarding long-term care facilities and services, residents' rights, and legislative and policy issues; representing resident interests before governmental agencies; and seeking legal, administrative, and other remedies to protect residents.
"Direct supervision" means in-person instruction and observation followed by discussion of an ombudsman's activity within five business days after the ombudsman performed the activity.
"Follow-up activities" means the site visits, phone calls, letters, or interviews that an ombudsman completes after investigating and attempting to resolve a complaint.
"General information" means researching and providing information on matters such as entitlement and public benefits programs, access to long-term care services, providing information to prospective clients on the selection of long-term care services using verified and objective information, and referrals to other sources of assistance in those situations where a case is not being opened for complaint handling.
"Hour" means a period of sixty minutes.
"Immediate family" has the same meaning as in 45 C.F.R. 1324.1.
"Legal representative" means a court-appointed guardian, conservator, attorney-in-fact, or executor or administrator of the estate of a deceased client who can give consent or authorization in the matter.
"Long-term care facility" has the same meaning as in section 173.14 of the Revised Code.
"Long-term care services" means services of a long-term care facility or community-based long-term care provider.
"ODIS" means "ombudsman documentation and information system for Ohio." or the system that replaces ODIS.
"Office" means the SLTCO, the SLTCO's staff and volunteers, and the staff and volunteers of designated regional long-term care ombudsman programs.
"Older Americans Act" means 42 U.S.C. Chapter 35.
"Ombudsman" and "ombudsman staff" mean one of the types of an ombudsman listed in rule 173-14-03 of the Administrative Code.
"Ombudsman candidate" means a person who is in the certification training process but has not yet passed the certification exam.
"Ombudsman services" means core ombudsman services and optional ombudsman services.
"Optional ombudsman services" means any SLTCO-approved ombudsman service that is not a core ombudsman service.
"Personal care services" has the same meaning as in section 3721.01 of the Revised Code.
"Provider" means a long-term care facility or community-based long-term care provider and any corporation, partnership, or person operating the long-term care facility or community-based long-term care provider.
"Recipient" has the same meaning as in section 173.14 of the Revised Code.
"Regional program," "regional long-term care ombudsman program," and "program" mean an entity, either public or private and nonprofit, that the SLTCO designates as a regional long-term care ombudsman program.
"Resident" has the same meaning as in section 173.14 of the Revised Code
"Resolved" or "partially resolved" means the status of a complaint after the state office or regional program addresses it to the satisfaction of the client or complainant or addresses it as feasible.
"SLTCO" means the state long-term care ombudsman and, depending on the immediate context, includes state-office staff and volunteers with SLTCO-delegated responsibilities.
"Sponsor" means a person who has an interest in or responsibility for the welfare of the client. "Sponsor" also includes the meaning of "resident representative" as defined in 45 C.F.R. 1324.1.
"Sponsoring agency" means the agency or organization that houses the state office or regional program.
"State office" means the SLTCO and those staff members and volunteers of the SLTCO's office at AGE.
"Verified" means the status of a complaint after the work (i.e., interviews, record review, observations, etc.) of the state office or regional program determines that the circumstances described in the complaints are mostly or generally accurate.
Last updated November 12, 2025 at 7:52 AM
Supplemental Information
Amplifies: 173.14; 42 U.S.C. 3058f; 45 C.F.R. 1324.1
Five Year Review Date: 11/8/2030
Prior Effective Dates: 7/11/1991, 12/27/2001, 12/28/2006, 9/29/2011, 9/10/2012, 12/19/2013, 5/1/2018, 8/1/2024, 2/1/2025