Failure to Protect Resident's Debit Card from Unauthorized Use by Staff
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency occurred when a resident, who was alert and oriented and had diagnoses including a left total hip replacement and anxiety, reported that their debit card was missing and unauthorized charges had been made. The resident last saw the debit card in their purse on the bureau, and it was documented as part of their personal belongings upon admission. Facility records show that the resident noticed $300 had been spent from their account without their authorization, and this was reported to the charge nurse and nursing supervisor. Subsequent investigation, including review of video footage from a local CVS, identified a nurse aide as the individual who used the resident's debit card to withdraw money from an ATM. The debit card was never returned to the resident, and the nurse aide failed to report to work for several scheduled shifts following the incident. The nurse aide in question had completed required training on abuse prevention and misappropriation of resident property. Despite this, the aide was identified by facility leadership and law enforcement as the person responsible for the unauthorized use of the resident's debit card. The facility's policy requires protection of residents' property and prohibits misappropriation, but in this case, the resident's debit card was removed from the facility and used without authorization, constituting a failure to safeguard the resident's belongings.