Requires State Long-Term Care Ombudsman to employ three geriatric social workers to serve New Jersey's long-term care residents and makes appropriation.

A4536

ASSEMBLY, No. 4536

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MARCH 10, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman� CAROL A. MURPHY

District 7 (Burlington)

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires State Long-Term Care Ombudsman to employ
three geriatric social workers to serve New Jersey�s long-term care residents
and makes appropriation.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act

concerning geriatric social workers, amending
P.L.1977, c.239, and making an appropriation.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� Section 5 of P.L.1977,
c.239 (C.52:27G-5) is amended as follows:

���� 5.��� The ombudsman, as
administrator and chief executive officer of the office, shall:

���� a.���� Administer and organize
the work of the office and establish therein such administrative subdivisions
as necessary, proper, and expedient.� He or she may formulate and adopt rules
and regulations and prescribe duties for the efficient conduct of the business,
work, and general administration of the office.� He or she may delegate to
subordinate officers or employees in the office such power as may be desirable
to be exercised under his or her supervision and control;

���� b.��� Appoint and remove such
stenographic, clerical, and other secretarial assistants as may be required for
the proper conduct of the office, subject to the provisions of Title 11 (Civil
Service) of the Revised Statutes, and other applicable statutes, and within the
limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available therefor.� In
addition, and within such funding limits, the ombudsman may appoint, retain, or
employ, without regard to the provisions of the said Title 11 (Civil Service),
or any other statutes, such officers, investigators, experts, consultants, or
other professionally qualified personnel on a contract basis or otherwise as
necessary.

���� c.���� Appoint and employ,
notwithstanding the provisions of P.L.1944, c.20 (C.52:17A-1 et seq.), a
general counsel and such other attorneys or counsel as he or she may require,
for the purpose, among other things, of providing legal advice on such matters
as the ombudsman may from time to time require, of attending to and dealing
with all litigation, controversies, and legal matters in which the office may
be a party or in which its rights and interests may be involved, of
representing the office in all proceedings or actions of any kind which may be
brought for or against it in any court of this State.� With respect to all of
the foregoing, such counsel and attorneys shall be independent of any
supervision or control by the Attorney General or by the Department of Law and
Public Safety, or by any division or officer thereof;

���� d.��� Have authority to adopt
and promulgate pursuant to law such rules and regulations as necessary to carry
out the purposes of this act;

���� e.���� Maintain suitable
headquarters for the office and such other quarters as necessary to the proper
functioning of the office;

���� f.���� Solicit and accept
grants of funds from the federal government and from other public and any
private sources for any of the purposes of this act; provided, however, that
any such funds shall be expended only pursuant to an� appropriation made by
law;

���� g.��� Perform such other
functions as may be prescribed in this act or by any other law;
[
and
]

���� h.��� Establish, in
consultation with the Department of Health, an annual long-term care training
program in a manner to be determined by the ombudsman.� At a minimum, the
program shall address the following subjects:� the rights of residents of
long-term care facilities; fostering choice and independence among residents of
long-term care facilities; identifying and reporting abuse, neglect, or
exploitation of residents of long-term care facilities; long-term care facility
ownership; updates on State and federal guidelines, laws, and regulations that
pertain to long-term care facilities; and issues, trends, and policies that
impact the rights of long-term care residents.� The annual training program
shall be completed by the ombudsman's investigative and advocacy staff, the
ombudsman's volunteer advocates, and Department of Health long-term care
facility surveyors, inspectors, and complaint investigators.� Subject to the
availability of staff and funding, the training program shall be offered to
residents of long-term care facilities, those residents' family members,
advocacy organizations, government agencies, and long-term care facility
employees.� To develop and implement the training program, the ombudsman may
contract or consult with a non-profit organization that possesses expertise on
the rights of residents in long-term care settings
; and

����
i.���� Appoint and employ
three geriatric social workers, with one social worker each dedicated to
serving the long-term care residents located in the northern, central, and
southern parts of the State, for the purpose of
developing
plans and addressing concerns regarding the legal, financial, and service needs
of long-term care residents. At a minimum, a geriatric social worker shall be
present to advise a long-term care resident at the resident�s initial contract
signing meeting with a long-term care facility
.

(cf:� P.L.2021, c.294, s.1)

���� 2.��� There is appropriated
from the General Fund to
the Office
of the State
Long Term Care Ombudsman

such sums of money as are necessary to comply with the provisions of subsection
i. of section 5 of P.L.1977, c.239 (C.52:27G-5).

���� 3.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill requires the State
Long-Term Care Ombudsman to employ three geriatric social workers to serve New
Jersey�s long-term care residents.� The bill also appropriates the necessary
funds from the General Fund to the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman
to support these positions. The Ombudsman
is responsible for securing, preserving, and promoting the health,
safety, and welfare of New Jersey's long-term care residents, through
investigations of abuse, neglect, and exploitation; legislative and regulatory
advocacy; policy work; and education and outreach.

���� Specifically, under the bill,
the Ombudsman is to appoint and employ three geriatric social workers, with one
social worker each dedicated to serving the long-term care residents located in
the northern, central, and southern parts of the State, for the purpose of

developing plans and addressing concerns regarding the
legal, financial, and service needs of long-term care residents.
�