Powers of ombudsman and representatives. Access to records, facilities and residents. Penalty for wilful interference with representatives of office. Confidentiality. Assistance from outside persons or entities - Conn. Gen. Stat. § 17b-410

The Long-Term Care Ombudsman and their representatives must have:

• “Access to long-term care facilities and residents.”
• “Appropriate access” to resident’s medical and social records provided (1) the resident or their representative consents; (2) the resident cannot consent and lacks representation; or (3) the resident’s legal guardian refuses to consent, an ombudsman representative believes that the records are necessary to investigate a complaint and the guardian is not acting in the resident’s best interests, and the Ombudsman approves the access.
• Access to long-term care facility records, policies, and documents to the extent that residents or the public have access to such items.
• Access to long-term care licensing and certification records.

The State Ombudsman, Regional Ombudsman, and Residents’ Advocates may access all public records relevant to their duties, but must obtain a resident’s written consent before accessing confidential resident records.