Residents Denied Timely Access to Personal Funds
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide two residents with ready and reasonable access to their personal funds, despite having been authorized to manage these funds. One resident reported being unable to access her money on weekends because no staff member with access to the funds was available outside of weekday business hours. She was told she would have to wait until Monday to obtain her money. Another resident had previously filed a grievance stating that there was no one available to distribute money on weekends, and the business office confirmed that funds were only accessible during the week. Interviews with facility staff, including the Business Office Manager and the Administrator, confirmed that residents could not access their funds on weekends. The Business Office Manager stated he was solely responsible for distributing funds and only worked Monday through Friday. The Administrator acknowledged gaps in the process, including times when no staff were available to distribute funds and instances when there was no cash available due to delays in obtaining money from the corporate office. These actions and inactions resulted in residents not having reasonable access to their personal funds as required.