Who do I call to file a complaint against a licensed senior care facility in Erie or Niagara County?
Short answer: Complaints about a licensed Adult Care Facility, ALR, or nursing home's compliance should go through the New York State Department of Health's facility complaint process, separate from Adult Protective Services (which handles suspected abuse/neglect of a specific person).
It's a common point of confusion: a facility-compliance complaint (like unsafe conditions, understaffing, or a licensing violation) and an abuse/neglect report about a specific resident go to different places in New York. The former runs through NYS DOH's Adult Care Facility oversight; the latter goes through county Adult Protective Services (Erie County DSS at (716) 858-6877, or the statewide New York abuse-reporting line at 1-844-697-3505). If you're not sure which applies, the Region 15 Long Term Care Ombudsman (People Inc., (716) 817-9222) can help direct you to the right channel and, in many cases, help resolve the concern directly with the facility on the resident's behalf, with the resident's consent.
