Resident grievance procedures.

(1) Every nursing home must have a grievance procedure available to its residents and their families. The grievance procedure must include:

(a) An explanation of how to pursue redress of a grievance.

(b) The names, job titles, and telephone numbers of the employees responsible for implementing the facility’s grievance procedure. The list must include the address and the toll-free telephone numbers of the ombudsman and the agency.

(c) A simple description of the process through which a resident may, at any time, contact the toll-free telephone hotline of the ombudsman or the agency to report the unresolved grievance.

(d) A procedure for providing assistance to residents who cannot prepare a written grievance without help.

(2) Each nursing home facility shall maintain records of all grievances and a report, subject to agency inspection, of the total number of grievances handled, a categorization of the cases underlying the grievances, and the final disposition of the grievances.

(3) Each facility must respond to the grievance within a reasonable time after its submission.

(4) The agency may investigate any grievance at any time.