Rule 173-14-03 | Duties of the representatives of the office.
(A) An ombudsman candidate may perform the duties of an ombudsman associate or ombudsman specialist while under the supervision of a certified ombudsman specialist or program director.
(B) Ombudsman associate:
(1) An ombudsman associate may do any of the following:
(a) Conduct advocacy visits.
(b) Provide information to the public about the ombudsman program and client rights.
(c) Make requests of provider staff on behalf of, and with the consent of, a client.
(d) Assist with handling complaints while under the supervision of a certified ombudsman specialist, a certified ombudsman program director, or candidates for certified ombudsman specialist or certified ombudsman program director.
(2) The regional program shall ensure that associates' activities are recorded in ODIS. Associates may enter their own and other associates' reports into ODIS if approved to do so by the regional program director and granted access to ODIS by the state ombudsman.
(C) An ombudsman specialist may do any of the following:
(1) Perform the duties of an ombudsman associate.
(2) Handle complaints.
(3) Provide complaint supervision after successfully completing the first forty hours of professional development and after achieving a minimum score of seventy per cent on the ombudsman deployment exam.
(4) Review complaints to set complaint-handling priorities.
(5) Assign complaints.
(6) Manage volunteer resources, which may include recruiting, screening, training, supervision, evaluation, and recognition of volunteers.
(7) Record all reportable ombudsman activity in ODIS, including those activities performed by another ombudsman on their behalf.
(D) A certified ombudsman program director serving as a program manager shall perform the following duties and a certified ombudsman program director who is not serving as a program manager may perform the following duties as assigned:
(1) Perform the duties of an ombudsman specialist.
(2) Assume responsibility for the overall administration and management of the program's core and optional ombudsman services.
(3) Assume responsibility for overall supervision of staff.
(4) Participate in hiring staff.
(5) Establish and review policies and procedures required in rule 173-14-22 of the Administrative Code.
(6) Perform quality assurance of core and optional services.
(7) Develop, obtain SLTCO approval of, and implement the ombudsman plan and program budget according to rule 173-14-24 of the Administrative Code.
(8) Identify where additional resources are needed and develop strategies for raising funds to meet those needs.
Last updated November 12, 2025 at 7:52 AM
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