Failure to Timely Report Allegation of Misappropriation of Property
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to timely report an allegation of misappropriation of property to the state survey agency, as required by policy. A resident, who had a history of congestive heart failure, type II diabetes mellitus, and acute respiratory failure with hypoxia, reported missing money in January. The resident, who was cognitively intact, informed the social worker that $225 was missing from their belongings. Staff searched the resident's room and provided a lock box for valuables, but could not locate the money or confirm if the resident ever possessed the amount claimed. Despite the allegation being reported to multiple staff members, including a Geriatric Nursing Assistant and the Director of Nursing, the incident was not reported to the state agency at that time. The facility's policy required immediate reporting of any alleged violations involving abuse, neglect, exploitation, or misappropriation of resident property. However, the staff treated the incident as a grievance rather than a reportable allegation because they could not verify the resident had the missing money. The allegation resurfaced in April, at which point the facility reported it to the state agency, several months after the initial report by the resident. The required 5-day investigation report was also submitted late, outside of the mandated timeframe. Interviews with staff revealed that the decision not to report the incident in January was based on the inability to substantiate the resident's claim. Staff, including the social worker and unit managers, stated that they did not observe the resident with the alleged sum and only reported the incident after it was brought up again months later. The administrator confirmed that the facility typically reported such allegations within two hours but, in this case, delayed reporting due to doubts about the validity of the claim.