Failure to Complete Required Abuse-Prevention Screening for CNAs Prior to Hire
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors found that the facility failed to follow its abuse prevention screening policies by not completing required reference and background checks for two certified nursing assistants (CNAs) prior to their employment. During an interview and concurrent record review with the DON and Human Resource Assistant, CNA 1’s personnel file showed a hire date of 3/25/25 with no reference checks and no exclusion (Office of Inspector General) background check completed before employment, despite facility policy requiring these screenings. In the same review, CNA 2’s file, with a hire date of 1/9/23, showed no reference checks completed prior to employment, again contrary to facility policy. The facility’s written Abuse Prevention Program policy dated 7/22/21 stated that potential employees would be screened for a history of abuse, neglect, or mistreatment using reference checks with previous and/or current employers and additional hiring procedures, and that all applicants must have checks completed through CA courts (including supreme and 5th appellate district), Megan’s Law website, exclusion lists, and L&C verification searches. DON and HRA both acknowledged during the interviews that, per facility policy, reference checks and background checks were required to be completed prior to employment for these CNAs, but this was not done in these two cases.
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