Official Site of The State of New Jersey

March 2026

Know Your Rights! Room and Bed Changes

As nursing home residents, you have more rights than you may realize, starting with the room — and even the bed — that you occupy.

The Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman (LTCO) has received a growing number of complaints recently that residents are being moved to other rooms or other beds without their consent or any advance notice. This is not legal.

If the nursing home wants to change your room or bed, they must tell you ahead of time, in writing — even if you want to move. The written notice must: Give a valid reason for the room or bed change; and

Tell you that you have the right to challenge the room or bed change with the facility Administrator.

There are times when a nursing home can move you. For example, you may need to be isolated for medical treatment.

But recent reports suggest that nursing homes are moving people because it would be more convenient for their staff or because they claim that the bed is reserved for short

If your nursing home tries to move you and you do not want to move, request a hearing with the Administrator. You should also contact the LTCO— 1-877-582-6995 ombudsman@ltco.nj.gov www.nj.gov/ltco

Learn more about your rights…

Mandatory Nursing Home Resident Rights: N.J.A.C. 8:39-4.1

LTCO website: https://www.nj.gov/ooie/resident.shtml

Journal: NJ Nursing Home Residents United in Action

¨ The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rescinded rules requiring nursing homes to have an RN on-site 24/7 and provide 3.48 nurse staffing hours per resident day. Experts estimated that the rescinded rules would have saved thousands of lives every year. Read the Residents United comments here: https://tinyurl.com/96c6zxkw

¨ The Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee approved Bill S3023, which protects the legal and financial interests of nursing home residents. Residents United members Ray DiFrancesco and Gail Smith testified in favor of the bill. A similar bill, A1752, awaits a hearing the Assembly Aging and Human Services Committee.

¨ The bill to increase the personal needs allowance has been reintroduced in the Senate (S1576) and Assembly (A2691). Residents United will be ramping up outreach to legislators on these bills in the coming months.

To connect with Residents United:

1-609-690-4740 community@ltco.nj.gov