Long term care facilities in New Jersey, such as nursing homes and assisted living facilities, are required to report many communicable disease cases, including COVID-19, to their local health departments. Local health departments then work with the Department of Health and the facility administrators to ensure that appropriate measures are being taken.

If you have reason to believe that a long term care facility is not reporting its communicable disease cases appropriately, please contact your local health department.

If a long term care facility is not providing the family of a loved one with information about whether the facility has a patient or patients with COVID-19, that family member should call the NJ Department of Health complaint hotline at 1-800-792-9770. Callers may remain anonymous.

The 24-hour hotline handles consumer complaints and facility emergencies seven days a week. Patients, health care facility employees and other members of the public may file complaints about hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, home health agencies, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, comprehensive personal care homes, adult medical day care, pediatric medical day facilities, and many other licensed acute- and long-term care facilities.

If you are willing to identify yourself, you can also file a complaint online with the New Jersey Department of Health.

If you have first-hand knowledge of illegal activity or other misconduct at a nursing home or a long-term care facility during the COVID-19 outbreak, please fill out this online reporting form (covid19.nj.gov/ltc) from the New Jersey Attorney General's Office.

If you have any documents that demonstrate the misconduct you are reporting, you may upload them through the form. If you prefer, you can remain anonymous, but the more detailed your submission, the more helpful it will be for investigators.

Note: This form is designed to further an ongoing statewide investigation, not to answer specific questions about a long-term care facility or someone living at one.

Source: Health Facilities Compliants and Hotlines;