Failure to Verify Active OBRA Status for CNAs
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that nine Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) had active Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) verifications at the time of their employment and while working in the facility. Employment records showed that one CNA was hired and worked with an expired OBRA verification, and a review of all facility staff revealed a total of nine staff members with expired OBRA verifications. The Business Office Manager acknowledged awareness of the expired OBRA status for at least one CNA and provided documentation showing the expiration. The manager also stated that OBRA verifications were only being updated as they expired and that there was no plan in place to update expired verifications prior to employment. Additionally, the facility did not have OBRA documentation for any agency staff. Interviews with facility staff confirmed that the identified CNAs with expired OBRA verifications had been scheduled and working in the facility. The Business Office Manager expressed uncertainty about how to address the expired verifications and indicated that staff would need to be removed from the schedule until their OBRA status could be verified as active. The Administrator confirmed that there had been a period when OBRA verifications were not processed in a timely manner, resulting in staff being taken off the schedule. The Administrator also stated that agency staff should have OBRA verifications and that CNAs without current OBRA documentation should not work until the issue is resolved.