Delayed Disbursement of Resident Trust Funds After Discharge
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that a discharged resident's trust funds were conveyed to the resident's representative or to the state Office of Financial Recovery (OFR) within 30 days of discharge, as required. Record review showed that the resident was discharged with return anticipated, but the trust account continued to show credits and a balance for over two months after discharge. The account was not closed and the funds were not issued to the OFR until 78 days after discharge, with the issue date for the payment to OFR occurring even later. The administrator confirmed that dispersing funds within 30 days of discharge was not documented in the resident's electronic health record and acknowledged that this step should have been addressed.