Failure to Protect Residents from Misappropriation of Personal Funds
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to protect residents from the wrongful use and misappropriation of their personal funds, as evidenced by incidents involving three residents. One resident, diagnosed with schizophrenia and major depressive disorder and noted to be alert and oriented, discovered a significant discrepancy in their account balance after attempting to withdraw funds. Upon review, it was found that several withdrawals had been made in amounts inconsistent with the resident's usual withdrawal pattern, and the resident denied authorizing these transactions or signing the receipts. Investigation revealed that a former receptionist, whose signature appeared on the questionable receipts, was present at the facility during at least one of the unauthorized transactions, despite having called out sick that day. For another resident with schizophrenia, metabolic encephalopathy, and dementia, an audit of personal funds uncovered several handwritten receipts for food purchases without corresponding receipts from the restaurant, raising concerns about the legitimacy of these transactions. Similarly, a third resident with depression, anxiety, and dementia was found to have a withdrawal noted for food, but again, no vendor receipt was available to verify the transaction. Both residents had memory recall deficits, making them particularly vulnerable to financial misappropriation. Interviews with facility staff confirmed the standard process for resident fund withdrawals, which requires a receipt signed by the resident and the distributing staff member, with additional management signatures if the resident is unable to sign. However, the investigation determined that the former receptionist did not follow these procedures and was responsible for the misappropriation of funds from the residents' accounts. Facility policy explicitly prohibits misappropriation and exploitation of resident property, but these incidents demonstrated a failure to adhere to established protocols, resulting in unauthorized withdrawals from resident accounts.