Failure to Complete and Document Staff Background Checks
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to complete and document criminal background checks for three sampled employees: a Licensed Vocational Nurse, a Registered Nurse, and a Certified Nurse Assistant. Review of their employee files showed no evidence of background checks, despite all three being currently employed. The employees were hired in 1997, 1998, and 2021, respectively, and their files lacked documentation of any criminal background screening at the time of hire or thereafter. Interviews with facility leadership revealed that background checks were reportedly not conducted prior to 2014, but no policy was provided to support this claim. The facility's current policy, dated August 1, 2023, requires criminal background screening for all prospective staff, contractors, and volunteers prior to employment. The absence of background checks for these employees was confirmed by both the Director of Staff Development and the Administrator during interviews.