Adult Foster Care Home Complaints
The Office of Children and Adult Licensing in the Department of Human Services licenses and regulates Adult Foster Care (AFC) homes and is required to investigate complaints made against AFC homes. You may file a complaint by calling the Complaint Intake Unit at 1-866-856-0126 (toll free), or by sending a written complaint to:
Department of Human Services
Office of Children and Adult Licensing
Complaint Intake Unit
7109 W. Saginaw, 2nd Floor
P.O. Box 30650
Lansing, MI 48909
If you have access to the Internet, a complaint can be submitted online by going to the DHS website at www.michigan.gov/dhs and clicking on Doing Business with the DHS in the left hand column, Licensing, and then Complaints in the Contact Us box.
The Office of Children and Adult Licensing must initiate an investigation within 15 days of receiving a written complaint. If the Office receives an oral complaint, it must help the complainant put the complaint into writing within 7 days of a request for assistance. Whether the complaint is received in writing or orally, the Office must provide you with the investigation results within 30 days of receiving the complaint, or provide you with a status report indicating when the results of the investigation can be expected.
Your name will not be disclosed to the AFC or as part of the public record unless you give your consent. If disclosure of your name is essential to the investigation, you will be given the opportunity to withdraw your complaint. If you are filing a complaint on behalf of a resident, their name will also remain confidential.
If you wish to file a complaint against an adult foster care home, the following may help you in writing a letter to the Office of Children and Adult Licensing:
1. In your letter, state that you are making a formal complaint and include the name and address of the AFC home. Only formal complainants have the right to receive a copy of the investigation report and to request a hearing if they are dissatisfied with the investigation.
2. Give your name, the name of the resident if you are filing a complaint on their behalf, address, and telephone number(s) where the Licensing Consultant can contact you during the investigation.
3. Be very specific about what happened, when it happened, how it happened, who was involved, and any other details. Use names, dates, and times. It is best to organize the letter around specific issues rather than telling a story of each day’s events.
4. Always keep a copy for yourself and send a copy of your letter to your Local Long Term Care Ombudsman.
5. If you feel that you must remain anonymous or that you cannot reveal the name of the resident, you can still contact the Office of Children and Adult Licensing, or send a letter without any names. However, it will be more difficult for the Licensing Consultant to investigate your concerns or a specific event.
PLEASE CALL YOUR LOCAL LONG TERM CARE OMBUDSMAN IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR WOULD LIKE ASSISTANCE