§1395i–3a Protecting residents of long-term care facilities

Summary

The Secretary of Health and Human Services must hire an organization to create and run a National Training Institute. The Institute will train federal and state surveyors to investigate reports of abuse, neglect, and theft of property in programs and long-term care facilities that get Medicare or Medicaid money. It must check how states use specialized surveyors, recommend ways to improve surveyor skills, give training, tools, and technical help, share best practices, and make sure complaint intake is available 24 hours per day, 7 days a week (including holidays). If the Secretary agrees, the Institute can also serve as a national 24/7 backup intake system. It must report each year on the number and sources of complaints, how many were sent to law enforcement, and the general results of investigations, and do a national study of the cost to State agencies of investigating complaints in skilled nursing and nursing facilities under sections 1819 and 1919 and recommend ways to make those investigations more efficient. There is $12,000,000 authorized for fiscal years 2011 through 2014 to carry this out. The Secretary must also give grants to State agencies that inspect skilled nursing or nursing facilities. These grants must help build complaint-investigation systems that quickly prioritize the most serious complaints, respond effectively and on time, and improve teamwork among state agencies, the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman, local law enforcement, advocacy and consumer groups, State aging units, Area Agencies on Aging, and other appropriate partners. There is $5,000,000 authorized for each of fiscal years 2011 through 2014 for these grants.