September 3, 2019

Ombudsman programs report their activities such as facility visits, complaints received and investigated, information and assistance provided, and community education to the Administration for Community Living (ACL)/Administration on Aging (AoA) to be summarized in the National Ombudsman Reporting System (NORS). NORS data is available on the ACL website here and here and on the NORC website. 

The revised NORS data collection is effective October 1, 2019. NORS was revised to address past criticisms regarding inconsistencies across states and implement recommendations to:

• increase reliability and accuracy of the data,
• simplify codes and number of data elements,
• streamline reporting by states and
• reduce manual entry to avoid errors in complaint and activity data

The goal of revising NORS is to enhance ACL’s ability to understand and report on Ombudsman program operations, experience of long-term care facility residents, and changes in long-term supports and services policies, research, and practices. The following information is also available on the NORC and ACL website.

NORC updated the four-part NORS training materials to reflect the updated codes, definitions, and activities and instruct programs on how to record the work they do. States are to continue to use the current approved NORS codes and instructions and training materials to ensure consistent reporting until the updated data collection is effective on October 1, 2019. 

NOTE: A few questions and/or answers in the Part II, III, and IV quizzes were edited in response to questions asked during the Revised NORS Training Webinar series. Please use the edited versions below.

Revised Materials from ACL

• Introduction: NORS Revisions
• Table 1: NORS Parts A, B and C - Case and complaint codes, values, and definitions
• Table 2: Complaint codes and definitions
• Table 3: State Program Information
• Crosswalk A: NORS Overview
• Crosswalk B: Complaint Codes (Old NORS to Revised NORS)

Revised Materials from NORC

Part I Revised NORS Training Materials

• Revised NORS Training Part I: Basic Principles
• Revised NORS Training Part I: Quiz
• Revised NORS Training Part I: Quiz Answer Sheet
• Table 1: NORS Parts A, B and C - Case and complaint codes, values, and definitions

Part II Revised NORS Training Materials

• Revised NORS Training Part II: Complaint Coding Basic Principles
• Revised NORS Training Part II: Complaint Coding Quiz
• Revised NORS Training Part II: Complaint Coding Quiz Answer Sheet NOTE: The answer to 4 in the D. Autonomy, Choice, Rights section was revised in September 2019, please use this version.
• Revised NORS Training Part II: Complaint Coding Beyond the Basics Quiz
• Revised NORS Training Part II: Complaint Coding Beyond the Basics Quiz Answer Sheet
• NORS Table 2: Complaint codes and definitions

Part III Revised NORS Training Materials

• Revised NORS Training Part III: Verification, Disposition, Referral, and Closing Cases Basic Principles
• Revised NORS Training Part III: Verification, Disposition, Referral, and Closing Cases - Closing the Case
• Revised NORS Training Part III: Verification, Disposition, Referral, and Closing Cases Quiz NOTE: Questions 2 and 13 were revised in September 2019, please use this version.
• Revised NORS Training Part III: Verification, Disposition, Referral, and Closing Cases Quiz Answer Sheet NOTE: Questions 2 and 13 were revised in September 2019, please use this version.
• Table 1: NORS Parts A, B and C - Case and complaint codes, values, and definitions
• Table 2: Complaint codes and definitions

Part IV Revised NORS Training Materials

• Revised NORS Training Part IV: Ombudsman Program Activities Basic Principles
• Revised NORS Training Part IV: Ombudsman Program Activities Quiz NOTE: Question 13 was revised in September 2019, please use this version.
• Revised NORS Training Part IV: Ombudsman Program Activities Quiz Answer Sheet NOTE: Question 13 was revised in September 2019, please use this version.
• NORS Table 3: State Program Information

NORC held a five-part webinar series on the revised NORS training materials. The purpose of this webinar series was to introduce the new training materials to help programs prepare for the transition to new codes, definitions, and activities on October 1, 2019. The first webinar introduced the revised new NORS data collection and the following four webinars covered each part of the revised four-part training. Watch the recordings and view the webinar materials here.

Join us to hear answers to frequently asked questions about the revised NORS data collection. Presenters will respond to feedback about NORC’s Revised NORS Training materials and questions asked during the webinar series. Attendees will also learn about additional opportunities for technical assistance regarding NORS and have time to ask questions. Register here.

Presenters: Louise Ryan, Ombudsman Program Specialist, Administration for Community Living (ACL); Amity Overall-Laib, Director, NORC; and Maria Greene, NORC Consultant.

Read archived issues of NORC Notes here. If you have a question, are not able to find a resource, or want to share training materials or program practices, please email ombudcenter@theconsumervoice.org.