New Jersey § 38a:3-2b8

§ 38a:3-2b8.

a. The Division of Veterans' Healthcare Services in the Department of Military and

Veterans' Affairs shall establish a position to be known as a resident advocate at

each State veterans' memorial home. The resident advocate shall have a direct reporting relationship to the director

of the division. b. The resident advocate shall: (1) act as a liaison between the State veterans' memorial home and each of the residents

at the State veterans' memorial home; (2) receive complaints from residents at the State veterans memorial home; and (3) respond to any concerns or grievances from the residents at the State veterans'

memorial home and, if appropriate, submit concerns or grievances to the State Long-Term

Care Ombudsman. c. A resident advocate who receives an oral or written complaint from a resident at

a State veterans' memorial home shall log the complaint from the resident on a written

or electronic form. The division shall develop, publish, and distribute the written and electronic form

to be used by the resident advocate. At a minimum, the written and electronic form shall contain spaces for the following

information: (1) the name of the resident submitting the complaint; (2) the nature of the complaint; (3) whether the complaint is an emergency that requires an immediate response, a critical

situation that requires a reasonably prompt response, or a noncritical situation that

requires an appropriately timely response; and (4) a plan of action for the complaint and an estimate time frame within which the

action will be taken. d. A resident advocate who fills out a form under subsection c. of this section shall

provide one copy of the form to the resident submitting the complaint and one copy

to the administrator of the State veterans' memorial home. The resident advocate shall also retain the advocate's copy for not less than one

year after the complaint is resolved. e. A State veterans' memorial home shall make every reasonable effort to make the

resident advocate at that memorial home easily identifiable by posting the name and

work hours of the resident advocate and shall make every reasonable effort to assure

that the plan of action prepared by the resident advocate under paragraph (4) of subsection

c. of this section is carried out within the time frame set forth in the plan of action.