There are three Ombudsman’s offices in the state of Minnesota—Managed Care, Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, and Long-Term Care. Their roles are very similar—advocacy for the protection of the health, safety, and rights of vulnerable people in Minnesota.
Follow the three links below:
Ombudsman for Public Managed Health Care Programs
The Office of Ombudsman for Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities (OMHDD)
Federal and state law allows ombudsmen to meet privately and without restriction with participants (with the participant’s consent;) enter facilities and residence without notice to meet with a participant; review participant’s records with consent (or consent of the participant’s legal guardian) and if participant is unable to consent and has no legal guardian, access to review records is allowed. A person who denies access to the ombudsman or ombudsman designee may be found guilty of a misdemeanor. Anyone can call the Office to request advocacy services; however, if someone is calling on behalf of the participant, the ombudsman talks directly with the participant to ask if advocacy help is wanted. If the participant is unable to give consent, the ombudsman can still advocate on behalf of the participant. The Ombudsman’s Offices offer individual consumer advocacy and systemic (problem impacting most or all participants of the provider) advocacy.
