Failure to Complete Required Criminal Background Check for Employee
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to conduct a required criminal background check for a Certified Medication Aide (CMA) who had been working in the facility since their hire date. During a review of staffing records, the facility was unable to provide evidence that a criminal background check had been completed for this employee. The CMA had been allowed access to residents without confirmation of their eligibility, specifically whether they had any history of abuse, neglect, exploitation, misappropriation of property, or mistreatment as determined by a court of law. The facility's own Abuse Prevention Program policy required that background checks be completed per state guidelines for all employees prior to employment, and that documentation of such checks be maintained. The policy also specified that individuals with findings of abuse or related offenses should not be employed. Despite these requirements, the lack of a completed background check for the CMA meant the facility could not ensure compliance with its own policies or state regulations regarding the prevention of abuse, neglect, and theft.