District of Columbia

Grounds stated in the sources

D.C. Code § 44-1003.01(a): "Unless a resident and his or her representative consent otherwise, a facility may discharge the resident, transfer the resident to another facility, or relocate the resident from one part or room of the facility to another only:" — "If essential to meet that resident’s documented health-care needs or to be in accordance with his or her prescribed level of care;" "If essential to safeguard that resident or one or more other residents from physical or emotional injury;" "On account of nonpayment for his or her maintenance, after reasonable and appropriate notice, except as prohibited by subsection (b) of this section and 42 U.S.C. § 1395 et seq. and 42 U.S.C. § 1396 et seq.;" "If essential to meet the facility’s reasonable administrative needs and no practicable alternative is available; or" "If the facility is closing or officially reducing its licensed capacity." Subsection (b) adds: "No facility that is a District Medicaid provider may discharge, transfer, or relocate a resident on account of his or her conversion from private-pay or Medicare to Medicaid status, or on account of a temporary hospitalization if payment or reimbursement for his or her bed continues to be made available."

Notice stated in the sources

§ 44-1003.02(a): "both oral and written notice of the reasons for, procedures for contesting, and proposed effective date of the discharge, transfer, or relocation." The period: "the oral and written notice shall be given at least 21 calendar days before a proposed discharge or transfer from the facility, and at least 7 calendar days before a proposed relocation within the facility." The stated exceptions, § 44-1003.02(b): where "A more immediate discharge, transfer, or relocation is necessitated by the resident’s urgent medical needs as explicitly delineated in the signed, written orders of an attending physician; or" where "The Long-Term Care Ombudsman determines that emergency or other compelling circumstances necessitate a more immediate discharge, transfer, or relocation, and the basis for that determination is documented in the clinical records of those discharged, transferred, or relocated." The written notice "shall be on a form prescribed by the Mayor" and must carry, among seven listed items, "The specific reason(s), stated in detail and not in conclusory language, for the proposed discharge, transfer, or relocation;" a hearing-rights statement "in not less than 12-point type", "A hearing request form, together with a postage paid envelope preaddressed to the appropriate District official or agency;" and "The names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program and local legal services organizations;" (§ 44-1003.02(d)). DC Health's prescribed form states the period differently from the statute: "You should receive this notice at least thirty (30) days prior to the date of transfer or discharge from the facility." Both are quoted as published.

Hearing office in these sources

§ 44-1003.03(a)(1): the resident, "his or her representative, or the Long-Term Care Ombudsman may contest the decision by mailing a written hearing request to the Mayor and notifying the administrator or facility staff of the request:" "Within 7 calendar days after receiving notice of a proposed discharge or transfer to another facility; or" "Within 5 calendar days after receiving notice of a proposed relocation within the facility." § 44-1003.03(a)(3): "A timely hearing request shall stay the discharge, transfer, or relocation unless a condition set forth in § 44-1003.02(b)(1) and (2) develops in the interim." § 44-1003.03(b): "The Mayor shall hold a hearing at the Office of Administrative Hearings ("OAH") within 10 calendar days, and OAH shall render a decision within 21 calendar days, after a timely hearing request is received." The Office of Administrative Hearings publishes its filing routes on its own page — "How to File By Mail" "Clerk’s Office" "D.C. Office of Administrative Hearings" "441 Fourth Street NW, Suite 450N" "Washington, DC 20001" and "How to File By Email" "oah.filing@dc.gov" — and its contact block as "441 4th Street, NW, Suite 450 North" "Washington, DC 20001" "Phone: (202) 442-9094". The statute's hearing request goes "to the Mayor" in a "preaddressed envelope"; the prescribed form lists the enclosures as addressed to the Health Regulation and Licensing Administration and the Department of Health Care Finance (see change log).

Ombudsman in these sources

The program's own page: "The Office of the D.C. Long-Term Care Ombudsman" "Contact us at 202-434-2190 or email at DCOmbuds@aarp.org. Calls and emails are responded to within 24 hours or the next business day." and "Legal Counsel for the Elderly" "The Office of the D.C. Long-Term Care Ombudsman" "601 E St. NW" "Washington, DC 20049-0001". The contact block DC Health's prescribed form requires the facility to print: "DC Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program" "Legal Counsel for the Elderly" "601 E Street, NW, Building A-4th Floor" "Washington, DC 20049" "Tel. (202) 434-2190, Fax (202) 434-6595". By statute the ombudsman shall "Serve as the legal representative for residents, pursuant to §§ 44-1003.02(e), 44-1003.03(a)(1), and 44-1003.07(a) and (b);" (§ 7-702.04(a)(9)).

Sources last checked

Sep 4, 2026

Reproduced from the agencies' own pages and documents quoted below — potentially relevant official sources, not a determination that any notice, ground, or deadline applies to any situation.

Lede

This page assembles what the District of Columbia's own publishers state about involuntary discharge, transfer and relocation from a nursing facility. It is a baseline page: the docket rows and the source map are built; the grounds section and the published-process section are not yet written, as the change log records. The fullest single source is subchapter III of chapter 10 of title 44 of the D.C. Code, §§ 44-1003.01 through 44-1003.13, the Council's codification of the Nursing Home and Community Residence Facility Residents' Protection Act of 1985 as amended, published in the Council's code library current through Aug. 20, 2026. The District's own vocabulary is three words for three acts: discharge from the facility, transfer to another facility, and relocation from one part or room of the facility to another, each with its own notice period and its own hearing-request deadline.

Four publishers hold the pieces. The Council publishes the statute, which states the grounds, the notice and its contents, the hearing and its deadlines, and the ombudsman's duties. DC Health prescribes the notice form the statute requires and posts it with a transmittal letter. The Office of Administrative Hearings, where the statute places the hearing, publishes its own filing routes. The Office of the D.C. Long-Term Care Ombudsman is operated by Legal Counsel for the Elderly, which publishes the program's contact on its own site. The federal floor for Medicare/Medicaid-certified facilities is assembled separately on the federal page; nothing here fills a gap from federal law or another state. Confirm applicability with the agencies named in the sources: whether any provision applies to a particular facility, resident, or notice is for the hearing office to determine. Deadlines and periods on this page are quoted from the sources, not calculated for any case.