How to File a Complaint Against a Nursing Home in Oregon

Three Ways to File a Complaint in Oregon

Oregon gives families three channels to report problems at nursing homes, assisted living facilities, residential care facilities, and adult foster homes. Each serves a different purpose, and for serious concerns you should use more than one.

1. ODHS Safety, Oversight and Quality (SOQ) Division — This is the licensing and regulatory body. They investigate whether facilities violated state licensing rules. File here when the complaint involves staffing failures, medication errors, unsanitary conditions, or any violation of the facility's licensed operating standards.

2. Oregon Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program — Ombudsman advocates investigate complaints about resident care quality, billing disputes, and involuntary discharges. They work on behalf of the resident, not the facility. This is your channel for complaints about dignity, quality of life, and rights violations.

3. Adult Protective Services (APS) — File here when you suspect abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult. APS investigators can act quickly and have authority to coordinate with law enforcement.

Filing with ODHS Licensing (SOQ)

The most common route for care-quality complaints is the ODHS Safety, Oversight and Quality Division. You can file:

• By phone: Call the local APD field office for the county where the facility is located
• Online: Through the ODHS complaint intake process
• In writing: Submit a written complaint to the SOQ Division

When filing, document as specifically as possible: dates, times, names of staff involved, what you observed, and what your parent told you. Vague complaints ("the care is bad") are harder to investigate than specific ones ("on September 3rd, my mother's call light went unanswered for 45 minutes during which she fell attempting to use the bathroom unassisted").

ODHS assigns complaint investigations to licensing surveyors. If the investigation substantiates the complaint, the facility receives a citation. Repeat or severe violations can result in a conditional license, civil penalties, or license revocation. Complaint investigation results are public and appear on the facility's record at ltclicensing.oregon.gov.

Filing with the Long-Term Care Ombudsman

Oregon's Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program provides free, confidential advocacy for residents of nursing homes, assisted living, residential care, and adult foster homes. Contact the program at:

• Statewide number: 1-800-522-2602
• Salem office: The Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman

The ombudsman investigates complaints related to:

• Quality of care and personal attention
• Medication management problems
• Billing disputes and unexpected charges
• Involuntary discharge or room transfer
• Resident rights violations — restrictions on visitors, mail, phone access, personal belongings, or the right to make independent medical decisions

Ombudsman involvement is particularly important during involuntary discharge situations. For an assisted living or residential care facility, Oregon law requires 30 days' written notice before an involuntary relocation, and the notice must explain the resident's right to appeal. The ombudsman can represent your parent during the appeal process.

When to File with Adult Protective Services

APS handles situations involving:

• Physical abuse (hitting, pushing, restraining beyond what's clinically ordered)
• Sexual abuse
• Verbal or psychological abuse (threats, intimidation, humiliation)
• Neglect (failure to provide food, water, medication, hygiene, or medical care)
• Financial exploitation (unauthorized use of a resident's funds, coercion to change financial documents)

Oregon law imposes mandatory-reporting duties on people in certain care and health roles. Families can and should file APS reports directly when they observe or suspect any of these. Contact APS through the ODHS abuse reporting hotline.

How to Check a Facility's Complaint History

Before your parent moves into any Oregon care facility, review the facility's licensing record at ltclicensing.oregon.gov. The database shows the facility's license type, survey history, and substantiated complaint investigations going back five years.

Key terms in the reports: "substantiated" means investigators confirmed the violation occurred. "Unsubstantiated" means the investigation didn't find sufficient evidence. "Inconclusive" means evidence was mixed. A facility with multiple substantiated complaints in a short period is a significant red flag.

Also request the facility's Consumer Summary Statement — a standardized document required by SB 815 that discloses exactly what services the facility is licensed and staffed to provide, and the clinical conditions that would trigger a mandatory relocation.

For a structured framework for evaluating facilities and understanding your parent's rights within Oregon's care system, the Oregon Care Decision Guide covers the full vetting process alongside financial planning and Medicaid eligibility.

See more Oregon guides →