This page lists the agencies that take reports of nursing home abuse or neglect in Ventura County, and the statewide lines that apply everywhere in California.
Quick Answer: If your loved one is in danger right now, call 911 first and report to the agencies afterward. The Long-Term Care Ombudsman advocates for the resident and takes complaints in confidence. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) licenses the facility, investigates complaints, and issues citations. County Adult Protective Services responds to abuse and neglect of elders and dependent adults, including people who live at home or in assisted living. Find your county below, make the calls, and then call (888) 999-0169 or send us a message for a free, confidential consultation with a lawyer who has seen these reports from the facility's side of the table.
Who Does What When You Report?
Each of the three does a different job, and it is fine to call all of them about the same problem.
The Long-Term Care Ombudsman is the resident's advocate. Every county has a local program, staffed by trained volunteers and paid representatives who visit nursing homes and assisted living facilities, hear complaints, and work to resolve them. The Ombudsman does not license or fine anyone. What it can do is get into the building, talk to your loved one privately, and press the administrator. Complaints to the Ombudsman are confidential, and the program will not act on a resident's behalf without that resident's permission where the resident can give it.
CDPH Licensing and Certification is the regulator. Its district offices license skilled nursing facilities, run the annual surveys, and investigate complaints from families and the public. When a surveyor confirms a violation, CDPH can write a deficiency, issue a state citation with a fine, and refer serious findings to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. A complaint to CDPH creates a written record the facility must answer, and that record can matter later.
Adult Protective Services is county social services. APS investigates reports of physical abuse, neglect, financial abuse, abandonment, and self-neglect involving elders and dependent adults. Its territory includes a parent still living at home and a relative in assisted living. For a licensed nursing home, APS will usually cross-report to the Ombudsman and CDPH, and it is still worth the call, because APS can act quickly on an immediate safety risk.
Law enforcement handles crimes. A physical or sexual assault, theft from a resident, or a death that does not add up belongs with the police or sheriff as well as the agencies above. Elder abuse is a crime in California under Penal Code 368, and a police report is the one document a facility cannot edit.
Ventura County
-
Long-Term Care Ombudsman
-
CDPH Licensing and Certification District Office
1889 North Rice Avenue, Suite 200, Oxnard, CA 93030
-
Adult Protective Services
Source: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CHCQ/LCP/pages/districtoffices.aspx, verified 2026-09-14. Lines change; if a number does not connect, use the statewide lines below and let us know.
What If Your County Card Is Missing a Line?
Three statewide lines reach the same systems from anywhere in California. Use them when a county row is blank or a local number has changed.
CDPH Licensing and Certification (statewide): California Department of Public Health, Licensing and Certification
State Long-Term Care Ombudsman CRISISline: Long-Term Care Ombudsman CRISISline
Adult Protective Services (statewide referral): Adult Protective Services
What Happens After You Report?
Each agency will ask who the resident is, where they live, what you saw, when, and whether the resident is safe now. You do not need proof to make a report; you need a good-faith concern.
The Ombudsman will usually visit the facility and speak with your loved one. CDPH will open a complaint file, decide how urgent it is, and send a surveyor to the building; you may hear from the investigator, and you are entitled to ask for the outcome in writing. APS will assign a worker who may visit, interview the resident, and cross-report to the other agencies.
Start a notebook the day you report. Write down the date and time of each call, the name of the person you spoke with, any reference or complaint number, and what they said would happen next. Keep every letter, email, and voicemail. Photograph a wound, a bruise, a wet bed, or an untouched meal tray with the date visible, and do it respectfully. Agencies lose files and facilities dispute memories; your copies do not change.
Call a lawyer when the injury is serious, when the facility's story keeps shifting, or when a report has gone nowhere. Once we are retained, we request the medical and facility records immediately. A family that has not yet hired a lawyer is often asked to obtain those records itself, and the request is worth making early. Nothing on this page is medical advice; treatment decisions belong with a physician who has examined the resident.
Talk to a Lawyer
Thomas Wallin and the attorneys at Young & Wallin spent years defending nursing homes. We know what a facility does when the surveyor arrives, and what its records will say about your loved one. If you have reported, or are deciding whether to, call (888) 999-0169 for a free, confidential consultation. You pay nothing unless we win.
Frequently asked questions
Can I Report Nursing Home Abuse Anonymously?
Does Reporting Start a Lawsuit?
No. A report to a state or county agency is a regulatory complaint, and it can be made whether or not you ever hire a lawyer. A lawsuit is a separate decision your family makes later, often with the agency's findings as part of the evidence.
Can the Facility Retaliate Against My Loved One for a Report?
Retaliation against a resident or family member for a complaint is prohibited under both federal and California law. It still happens in quieter forms, such as slower call-light responses or a sudden talk about discharge. Report any change in treatment to the Ombudsman at once, and write down what changed and when.
How Long Does an Investigation Take?
It depends on the agency and on how urgent the complaint is. A report involving immediate danger moves fastest, while a complaint about past care can sit longer than any family would like. Ask for a complaint number on the first call and check in on it in writing.
Should I Move My Loved One Before Reporting?
Safety comes first. If you believe your loved one is in danger, call 911 and talk to the treating physician about a transfer. If the risk is not immediate, reporting first can protect the resident inside the building while you look at other placements, and the Ombudsman can help with both.
What If I Live in a Different County or Out of State?
Report to the county where the facility is located, not where you live. Every agency on this page accepts calls from family members anywhere, and the statewide lines above work from any phone.
Is Reporting Different for Assisted Living?
Yes. Assisted living facilities, called Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly in California, are licensed by the Community Care Licensing Division of the California Department of Social Services, not by CDPH. The Ombudsman and APS still cover them, so two of the three rows on your county card apply, and the licensing complaint goes to Community Care Licensing.
What If the Agency Does Not Respond?
Call again and reference your complaint number, then put the same request in writing by email. If a local office is unresponsive, the statewide lines above can escalate, and the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman oversees every county program. A lawyer can also request the agency's file directly.
Free Case Evaluation
Confidential. No obligation. Available 24/7.