Specialized Information for:

Nursing HomesAssisted Living/Board & Care Home and Community Based Services

About NORC

The National Ombudsman Resource Center (NORC) website is filled with information, resources, and news from Ombudsman programs to support and inform programs across the country. Watch this short video as an introduction to the NORC website.

The National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center provides support, technical assistance and training to the 53 State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs and their statewide networks. The Center's objectives are to enhance the skills, knowledge, and management capacity of the State programs to enable them to handle residents' complaints and represent resident interests in both individual and systems advocacy. Funded by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), the Center is operated by Consumer Voice, The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care, in cooperation with the ADvancing States.

All tasks undertaken by the Center are designed and developed with input from Ombudsman programs, the National Association of State Long-Term Care Ombudsmen (NASOP), the National Association of Local Long Term Care Ombudsmen (NALLTCO), and other relevant organizations to ensure that the needs of ombudsman programs across the country are being addressed. These tasks are developed with the understanding that in supporting Long-Term Care Ombudsman programs, the Center is ultimately contributing to the improvement of the quality of life and care of frail, vulnerable residents in long-term care facilities. The Center engages in the following activities and services:

  • Provides consultation, information, and referral for Ombudsman programs and for the residents, families and others who use ombudsman services;
  • ​Provides training opportunities and training resources for Ombudsman programs;
  • Promotes public awareness of the role of the Ombudsman programs in long-term care;
  • Works to improve Ombudsman program effectiveness in meeting the needs of residents, including those served by managed care organizations and those in alternative settings, such as Medicaid waiver programs;
  • Identifies research needs and promotes research on issues which affect the ombudsman programs or their constituents;
  • Supports the ombudsman volunteer component through work with AARP and other national or state-wide efforts to recruit volunteers for the program;
  • Works cooperatively with all organizations and agencies which have as their mission the protection of the frail elderly who reside in long-term care settings and
  • Promotes understanding and cooperation between ombudsman programs and citizen advocacy groups.

NORC Brochure

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NORC History

The Ombudsman Program was created in 1972 as a Public Health Service demonstration project to meet the needs of residents facing problems in nursing homes. The demonstration, which consisted of ombudsman programs in seven states, was transferred to AoA/ACL in 1974. After three years of operation and a successful assessment of the projects, Dr. Arthur Flemming, Commissioner on Aging, offered each state agency on aging an opportunity to apply for limited federal funds to develop a state-wide program through the advocacy of newly named Ombudsman Developmental Specialists. In 1978, Congress amended the Older Americans Act to include a requirement that each state develop a Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program. New statutory requirements for the program were added and existing requirements were strengthened in subsequent amendments to the Act.

In 1988, AoA/ACL requested proposals to develop a National Center for State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resources. ADvancing States received the initial grant, with a sub-grant to the Consumer Voice (formerly National Citizens' Coalition for Nursing Home Reform). The 1992 Older Americans Act amendments added a new provision (Section 202 [a][21][A-B]) requiring the Administration on Aging to establish a permanent National Ombudsman Resource Center. In 1993, AoA/ACL awarded a three-year grant for the Center to the Consumer Voice, with ADvancing States as a sub-grantee. In 1997, the Consumer Voice received a new five-year grant to operate the Center, with ADvancing States as a sub-grantee.

During recent years, the National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center has been increasingly responsive to the ever more sophisticated needs of Ombudsman programs. Each week, Center staff respond to several requests for technical assistance from Ombudsman programs and/or consumers needing referral to an Ombudsman program. Center staff provide information and guidance on a variety of issues, some of which are quite complex, related to resident quality of care and life, state and federal laws and regulations, and program management.

The Center also provides training opportunities for the Ombudsman program network, including free webinars, on-demand training courses, orientation for new state Ombudsmen, and hosting an annual State Ombudsman Conference.

Additional Information


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