Failure to Safeguard Resident Personal Funds
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to safeguard a cognitively intact resident’s personal funds that had been entrusted to staff for safekeeping. The resident, who was self-responsible and had diagnoses including diabetes mellitus, benign prostatic hyperplasia, and chronic gout, had a Brief Interview for Mental Status (BIMS) score of 13, indicating intact cognition. According to the Administrator, the resident gave a wallet containing $180 in cash to the Social Services Director (SSD) for safekeeping. The SSD placed the wallet in an unlocked drawer in the SSD office, contrary to the facility’s policy and procedure for management of residents’ personal funds, which required the facility to hold, safeguard, manage, and account for residents’ personal funds when the facility manages them. Later, when the resident’s family requested $140 from the resident’s money, only $40 remained in the wallet, indicating that $140 was missing. The SSD no longer worked at the facility at the time of the investigation. A review of the Social Services Progress Notes from October through December did not show that the resident was informed about the missing $140, although the SSD had discussed the issue with the resident’s family. During an interview, the resident stated that the facility still had the wallet and that a man had visited his room and provided a number to call regarding the missing money. The facility’s policy required written authorization and proper safeguarding of funds when the facility manages a resident’s personal funds, but the wallet and cash were not secured in accordance with these procedures.
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