The Office of Health Facility Complaints (OHFC) was created by the Legislature in 1976 to review allegations that licensed health care facilities were not complying with standards established by statute and Minnesota Department of Health rules. From 1976 to 1983, the Health Facility Complaints Advisory Task Force served to advise the director of the OHFC in its early days.
With the enactment of the Vulnerable Adults Act (VAA) in 1981, the responsibilities of OHFC were expanded to include investigations into claims of abuse and neglect of residents in licensed health care facilities, and to receive and evaluate incidents reported from facilities that may constitute violations of the VAA.
In November 2017, the Star Tribune reported on "breakdowns in the [Department of Health's] handling of elder abuse allegations" in a five-part series. Governor Mark Dayton announced in December that the Department of Human Services would begin partnering closing with the OHFC and the Health Department to address the caseload of health facility and abuse complaints.
The OHFC is an office within the Department of Health's Health Regulation Division.