Failure to Prevent and Investigate Misappropriation of Resident Property
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to protect a resident from misappropriation of property by a staff member. A resident with severe cognitive impairment was found to have six unauthorized charges on their debit card, including four withdrawals deposited into a cash app account belonging to a CNA employed at the facility. The charges were discovered by the resident's family, who reported the incident to the facility and filed a police report. The resident's bank confirmed the cash app account was in the CNA's name, and the card was also used at a food establishment and a gas station. The facility's abuse, neglect, exploitation, and misappropriation prevention program required identification and investigation of all possible incidents of misappropriation. However, after being notified of the incident, the facility did not conduct interviews with other residents or staff regarding the misappropriation allegation. The DON stated that no additional residents were interviewed because they did not have similar bank cards, and no staff were interviewed in relation to the incident. The only documentation related to the investigation consisted of some statements, and the only inservice related to misappropriation was conducted prior to the incident. The CNA implicated in the misappropriation had not worked at the facility since before the incident was reported but remained on the PRN rotation until being terminated after the allegation surfaced. The facility was notified of the unauthorized charges after the resident had already been discharged. The administrator and DON confirmed that the incident was reported to the appropriate authorities, but no further internal investigation or interviews were conducted with other potentially affected individuals.