New Jersey A 4536: Requires State Long-Term Care Ombudsman to employ three geriatric social workers to serve New Jersey's long-term care residents and makes appropriation.

Bill Text

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,