F0602

D

Failure to Safeguard Resident Funds and Investigate Reported Misappropriation

Columbia, Missouri Survey Completed on 01-15-2026

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

Facility staff failed to protect a cognitively intact resident from misappropriation of funds and did not follow required abuse/misappropriation reporting and investigation protocols. The resident’s quarterly MDS documented that the resident was cognitively intact. At admission, the resident had $1700 in cash, described as $100 bills, which the resident reported giving to a staff member in the business office to be placed in an account for the resident’s use. RN A, who completed the admission, stated that he/she took the resident to the Business Office Manager’s (BOM) office, witnessed the resident hand the $1700 in cash to a staff member, and heard the staff member tell the resident the money would be put into an account for the resident. Review of the resident’s funds account showed no deposit of $1700 during the period reviewed.

Multiple staff and family reports about the missing $1700 were made over several months without a timely or thorough investigation by the administrator. The Activity Director reported that in early August, during an admission activity assessment, the resident stated he/she had given $1700 in cash to a staff member on the day of admission and did not know what happened to the money; the Activity Director reported this concern to the administrator. The Social Service Director (SSD) D stated that shortly after starting in September, the resident’s family member asked about the missing $1700, and a former staff member told them the facility was investigating it. SSD D further reported that in October, he/she and the resident’s family member spoke directly with the administrator, in front of the receptionist, about the missing money. The receptionist confirmed witnessing SSD D and the family member inform the administrator about the missing funds and stated the administrator had been made aware of the issue even before that conversation.

Despite these reports, the administrator did not initiate an investigation or notify the state agency when first informed of the missing money. The Assistant Director of Nursing (ADON) stated that he/she was aware of the resident’s report of missing money several months earlier and had asked the administrator if assistance was needed, but the administrator responded, “the less you know the better,” and the ADON heard nothing further. The administrator later acknowledged being told about the missing money, though not the exact amount, and admitted he/she did not investigate or report the allegation to the Department of Health and Senior Services at that time, stating he/she should have done so. The facility’s Abuse Prohibition Protocol required that allegations of abuse, neglect, misappropriation, or exploitation be thoroughly investigated with documented resident, staff, and witness statements, environmental review, physical assessment, and a timeline of events. These required investigative steps were not initiated when the allegation was first reported, leading to a prolonged period during which the resident’s missing funds were not addressed in accordance with facility policy and regulatory expectations.

When the Director of Operations (DOP) was later informed by SSD D that the resident and family had repeatedly reported the missing $1700 and that the administrator had been previously notified without action, the DOP began an investigation and notified the state agency. The DOP determined through interviews that the resident had $1700 in cash at admission and had given it to a staff member, but the funds were never deposited into the resident’s account. The corporate financial representative and BOM also interviewed the resident, who again reported bringing $1700 in cash at admission, taking it to the office, and giving it to a staff member whose name he/she could not recall, though the resident could identify the office location. Former SSD E denied receiving any cash from the resident and stated that if he/she had, it would have been secured in the facility safe with a witness. Overall, the documented events show that the facility failed to safeguard the resident’s funds and failed to promptly and thoroughly investigate and report the allegation of misappropriation as required by its own abuse and misappropriation protocols.