How to Report a California Nursing Home Concern: 2026 Guide
A practical route to emergency help, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman, CDPH complaints, and California elder-abuse enforcement — and what to have ready before you call.
Choose the route that matches the problem
California gives residents and families several different reporting paths, and they serve different purposes. Reporting something to one agency does not automatically notify another, and using the wrong route can slow down a response. If unsure which applies, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman can help direct the concern to the right place.
Resident advocacy: the Long-Term Care Ombudsman
Call California's Long-Term Care Ombudsman at 1-800-231-4024. The statewide CRISISline is available 24/7 and routes residents and families to a local, confidential ombudsman program. The Ombudsman program focuses on resident advocacy, problem-solving, and rights — it can intervene directly with a facility, help a resident understand their options, and refer serious concerns elsewhere when appropriate. See our Long-Term Care Ombudsman guide for more on what the program does and when to use it.
Facility quality or regulatory complaints: CDPH
Anyone may file a complaint about a skilled nursing facility with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), which licenses and inspects nursing homes. Filing online through Cal Health Find routes the complaint to the district office responsible for that facility. Appropriate complaints include understaffing, care-quality problems, infection-control failures, unsafe conditions, and violations of resident rights. CDPH can conduct an unannounced investigation and cite the facility for violations. See our guide to inspections and deficiencies to understand what CDPH findings mean once a complaint is investigated.
Suspected abuse or Medi-Cal fraud
The California Department of Justice's Division of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse accepts reports of suspected abuse, neglect, or Medi-Cal fraud in a licensed facility at 1-800-722-0432 and online. Local police or the county sheriff may also be the right first call when a crime or an immediate threat to safety is suspected — do not assume a regulatory complaint alone is sufficient when the concern involves possible criminal conduct. See our nursing home abuse and neglect guide for how to recognize warning signs and document a suspected abuse situation.
Building a usable record
A clear, contemporaneous record makes every one of the reporting routes above more effective:
- Write a dated timeline with names, witnesses, and exact observations — not just general impressions.
- Preserve care-plan, medication, transfer, discharge, billing, and grievance records.
- Photograph visible conditions when lawful and respectful of other residents' privacy.
- Record the confirmation number, case number, or reference given by each agency you contact.
- Note the date, time, and name of anyone at the facility you spoke with about the concern.
What happens after you report
Regulatory complaints, resident advocacy, and civil legal action serve different purposes and can proceed at the same time — one does not automatically replace another. CDPH investigations can take time and may not result in public findings immediately. The Ombudsman can typically engage more quickly on resident-level advocacy. If a facility retaliates against a resident or family for filing a complaint, that retaliation is itself against California law and should be reported.
Where to get help
If the concern involves a proposed transfer or discharge rather than ongoing care quality, see our transfer and discharge rights guide. If the underlying issue may involve preventable harm, an independent attorney review is available below at no cost.
Before you call, have ready
- The resident's full name and the facility's name and address.
- A one-paragraph summary of the concern, in plain language.
- Dates of the incidents involved.
- Names of any staff, witnesses, or other residents involved, if known.
- Any documents, photos, or records already gathered.