Failure to Timely Investigate and Report Alleged Misappropriation of Property
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to thoroughly investigate an allegation of misappropriation of property for one resident. The resident, who had moderately impaired cognition and was alert and able to make her needs known, reported missing two pink wallets from her purse, one of which contained her state ID and Social Security card. The incident was initially reported to the facility's administrator by a CNA, and a search was conducted by the Housekeeping Supervisor, focusing on the laundry for two days. However, the investigation documentation was incomplete, with the plan/actions section left blank and no evidence that the resident was followed up with after the search. The facility did not report the allegation of misappropriation to the State Agency within the required timeframe. The initial report to the State Agency was made six days after the resident reported the missing wallet, and the investigation summary was submitted ten working days after the allegation was reported, exceeding the five working day requirement. The administrator stated that she did not initially report the missing wallet as misappropriation because the resident had multiple wallets and did not explicitly state it was stolen, only missing. The administrator also acknowledged that the five-day investigation report was not submitted timely. Facility policy required reporting alleged violations to the administrator and state agency within specific timeframes and submitting the results of the investigation within five working days. The facility's failure to follow these procedures resulted in a lack of timely and thorough investigation and reporting of the alleged misappropriation of the resident's property.