Maryland's Ombudsman Program Is Local First - Here's Who Covers Montgomery & Prince George's

Unlike the District's single-office model, Maryland's ombudsman program is built around local designees. The state office - coordinated through the Maryland Department of Aging's State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Office, with day-to-day casework handled by a local designee - designated to the county level - Montgomery County's program runs through the County Department of Health and Human Services, Aging and Disability Services, while Prince George's County operates its own separate local ombudsman program.

If the facility is in Montgomery County

Bethesda, Silver Spring, Rockville, Gaithersburg, and Wheaton are all in Montgomery County, so the relevant ombudsman contact runs through the County Department of Health and Human Services, Aging and Disability Services (Montgomery County Aging and Disability Services (240-777-3000)). That's also the office that fields general options-counseling calls, not just formal complaints.

If the facility is in Prince George's County

Hyattsville and College Park sit in Prince George's County, which runs its own separate local ombudsman designee, distinct from Montgomery's. Start with the Prince George's County Area Agency on Aging or the state Long-Term Care Ombudsman Office to be connected to the current county contact - the two counties do not share a hotline.

Where the facility record itself lives

Regardless of county, licensing and inspection sit with the Maryland Office of Health Care Quality (OHCQ). OHCQ licenses and inspects Assisted Living Programs and comprehensive care (nursing) facilities alike, statewide, and publishes both the facility directory and survey/inspection results through the same office. Search the OHCQ facility directory by name or address, not by county, since the state runs one unified database.

Legal basis

Maryland licenses assisted living through the Department of Health's Office of Health Care Quality (OHCQ) under COMAR 10.07.14, rating each program Level 1 through 3 by service intensity, while nursing homes are OHCQ-licensed comprehensive care facilities. Maryland Medical Assistance funds home- and community-based care through the Community Options Waiver and Community First Choice, and Montgomery and Prince George's counties each run their own Area Agency on Aging alongside the statewide Maryland Access Point (MAP) referral line.