New Orleans Senior AdvisorWhere do I report a complaint about a Louisiana nursing home or assisted living provider?
Licensing complaints go to the Louisiana Department of Health's Health Standards Section at 1-888-810-1819, or on LDH's written complaint form; HSS investigates complaints about ARCPs, nursing homes, home health agencies, hospices and other licensed providers, and its complaint investigations are unannounced.
A complaint can be about care, staffing, cleanliness, food, medications, a discharge or anything else the licensing rules cover. Give dates, names and what you saw. When an investigation cites deficiencies, the provider can be required to submit a plan of correction, and for an ARCP the resulting statement of deficiencies must be posted on site. You do not need to be a resident or relative to complain.
How do I report elder abuse in New Orleans?
Call Elderly Protective Services, run by the Governor's Office of Elderly Affairs, at 1-833-577-6532 for anyone 60 or older living in the community; for adults 18 to 59 with disabilities, call Adult Protective Services at 1-800-898-4910, which takes reports 24 hours a day; and call 911 if someone is in immediate danger.
Abuse, neglect, self-neglect, financial exploitation and extortion are all reportable. Louisiana law (R.S. 14:403.2) requires anyone who knows of abuse, neglect, exploitation or extortion of an adult with disabilities to report it, grants immunity for good-faith reports, and allows reports without a name. Abuse inside a licensed facility should also be reported to LDH's Health Standards Section.
What does the long-term care ombudsman do?
The long-term care ombudsman investigates and resolves complaints made by or for residents of nursing homes, assisted living and personal care homes, helps families choose a facility, and works for the resident, not the provider; the New Orleans region's program, sponsored by the Capital Area Agency on Aging, is at (800) 833-9883.
The region covers Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John and St. Tammany parishes. Ombudsmen visit facilities regularly and can be approached during a visit. Their help is free and confidential, and they will not act without the resident's permission. The State Long-Term Care Ombudsman at the Governor's Office of Elderly Affairs is at (866) 632-0922.
Which line should I call?
Call the ombudsman when you want an advocate to help solve a problem for a resident, LDH's Health Standards Section when you believe a licensing rule was broken and want an investigation, and Elderly or Adult Protective Services when someone is being abused, neglected or exploited.
The three are not exclusive. A missed medication pattern might start with a talk with the director and the ombudsman, become an HSS complaint if nothing changes, and become a protective services report if it is harming the resident. Write down what happened and when, keep copies of anything you send, and note the name of anyone you speak with.
What happens after a complaint is filed with LDH?
LDH investigates under R.S. 40:2009.13 and its licensing rules, usually with an unannounced visit; if deficiencies are cited, the provider can be required to submit an acceptable plan of correction, and serious or repeated violations can lead to sanctions up to license revocation (LAC 48:I.6817, 6821).
Providers have appeal rights, including administrative reconsideration and appeal to the Division of Administrative Law, so enforcement can take time. Correcting a deficiency does not by itself erase a license action. For nursing homes, federal survey findings and penalties later appear on CMS Care Compare.
At a glance
| Each line handles | Each line does not handle | |
|---|---|---|
| LDH Health Standards (1-888-810-1819) | Licensing rule violations at licensed providers | Abuse by family at home |
| Elderly Protective Services (1-833-577-6532) | Abuse, neglect, exploitation of people 60+ in the community | Billing disputes |
| Ombudsman ((800) 833-9883) | Advocacy for facility residents | Investigations with sanctions |
| 911 | Immediate danger | Ongoing care disputes |
Sources include LAC 48:I.Chapter 68 (adult residential care providers), the Louisiana Department of Health's Health Standards Section and Office of Aging and Adult Services pages, the Governor's Office of Elderly Affairs, CareScout and VA rate tables as cited above; see our editorial standards.
