Failure to Provide Social Services for Resident Financial Management
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide appropriate social services related to financial management for two residents who required assistance with managing their funds and maintaining Medicaid eligibility. For one resident with paranoid schizophrenia and moderate cognitive impairment, the Social Services Director stored $900 in cash in a locked file cabinet in her office without any documentation, receipts, or care plan regarding the funds. The resident's family was not informed about the storage or management of the money, and there was no method to account for expenditures. At discharge, $700 was returned to the family, who questioned the amount, and the Administrator was unaware that the funds had been kept in the Social Service office. For another resident with hypertension, diabetes, major depressive disorder, and unspecified dementia, the facility acted as representative payee and held a balance exceeding Medicaid asset limits. Although the resident received multiple written notifications about the excess funds, there was no documentation that the information was verbally shared or that assistance was offered to help spend down the resources. The resident, who was moderately cognitively impaired and required decision-making assistance, was unaware of the excess funds and expressed interest in using money for personal items. The clinical record lacked a care plan or documentation of actions taken to assist with financial management to maintain Medicaid eligibility.