Rule 173-14-13 | Continuing education requirements, approval of hours, certifying fulfillment.
(A) Each ombudsman shall complete the following annual continuing education requirements:
(1) Ombudsman associate: eighteen hours.
(2) Ombudsman specialists: eighteen hours with a minimum of nine of those hours earned through attendance at SLTCO-sponsored education.
(3) Ombudsman program directors: eighteen hours with a minimum of nine of those hours earned through attendance at SLTCO-sponsored education and with at least one session on the training outlined in paragraph (D) of rule 173-14-07 of the Administrative Code. Topics of sessions may include, but are not limited to, supervision of staff, quality assurance practices, strategic planning, and interviewing, hiring, and retention of potential staff.
The required hours of continuing education shall be prorated for any ombudsman who has been certified for fewer than twelve months.
(B) Continuing education sessions shall meet the following requirements:
(1) The individual(s) presenting the session has documented expertise in the content area.
(2) The session transmits knowledge relevant to the duties of a long-term care ombudsman.
(3) The session has not been held for the purpose of individual or group supervision.
(C)
(1) The SLTCO shall notify each ombudsman of the credits that may be earned through attendance at an SLTCO-sponsored session before the date on which the session is scheduled and may assign credit for successfully completing the session.
(2) An ombudsman or a program designee shall enter all requests for credit toward their continuing education requirements into the ombudsman administrative system or by email to the SLTCO or the SLTCO's designee before, or as soon as practicable after, actual attendance at the session.
All requests for continuing education credit shall contain the following:
(a) The name of the session and the name of the entity that organized or sponsored the session.
(b) A brief summary of the session's content.
(c) The name of the presenters at the session and a statement addressing their expertise in the content of the session.
(d) The length of the session, including the length of any time the ombudsman spent presenting.
(e) An explanation of how the session relates to the duties of the ombudsman.
(f) Proof of completion, if requested by the SLTCO.
(3) The SLTCO shall approve continuing education credits in terms of face-to-face contact hours or one-tenth parts of an hour earned. The SLTCO shall notify each ombudsman of the approval or disapproval of their requests as soon as practicable.
(4) An ombudsman may meet this rule's continuing education requirements with credits that were also counted toward the continuing education requirements of other professional organizations or boards.
(D)
(1) The regional programs shall track the hours of continuing education accumulated by their volunteers and the SLTCO shall track the hours of continuing education accumulated by the paid and volunteer staff of the state office. All continuing education shall be reported through the ombudsman administrative system according to instructions provided by the state office.
(2) By December first of each year, a state review shall be completed to ensure the continuing education requirements for each ombudsman have been fulfilled. According to instructions provided by the state office, regional programs shall enter records of volunteer continuing education into the ombudsman administrative system by December fifteenth of each year and retain records on continuing education as long as the ombudsman remains affiliated with the office. After records are entered into the ombudsman administrative system, physical records may be destroyed.
(E) If continuing education requirements cannot be fulfilled before each year's deadline, a ombudsman may demonstrate extenuating circumstances or give an explanation to the ombudsman program director or to the SLTCO.
(1) In the case of a regional program volunteer, if the explanation or extenuating circumstances are not acceptable to the ombudsman program director, the program director shall notify the SLTCO.
(2) In the case of a paid ombudsman, if the explanation or extenuating circumstances are not acceptable to the SLTCO, the SLTCO shall notify the ombudsman and program director or sponsoring agency director, as appropriate.
(3) The SLTCO may consider the performance of the ombudsman and allow the ombudsman to obtain the missing hours of continuing education by March thirty-first of the subsequent year. Any hours carried over from a previous year do not count toward the continuing education requirements of the subsequent year.
(F) An ombudsman who does not meet the annual continuing education requirement, or within the extension period if approved by the SLTCO based on a demonstration of extenuating circumstances, shall be decertified according to rule 173-14-12 of the Administrative Code. The notice and hearing process for a paid ombudsman is subject to rule 173-14-27 of the Administrative Code.
Last updated November 12, 2025 at 7:54 AM
Supplemental Information
Amplifies: 173.16, 173.21; 42 U.S.C. 3058g; 45 C.F.R. 1324.11
Five Year Review Date: 11/8/2030
Prior Effective Dates: 7/11/1991, 12/27/2001, 12/28/2006, 1/2/2012, 5/1/2018, 1/28/2022, 8/1/2024