F0947 F947: Ensure nurse aides have the skills they need to care for residents, and give nurse aides education in dementia care and abuse prevention.
E

CNA Annual In-Service Training Not Completed

Merry Heart Nursing HomeSuccasunna, New Jersey Survey Completed on 06-26-2026

Summary

The facility failed to ensure that 4 of 5 randomly selected CNAs received the required 12 hours of annual in-service education. Review of the facility’s records on 6/25/26 showed that CNA #1 had 11.5 hours, CNA #2 had 8 hours, CNA #3 had 9.5 hours, and CNA #4 had 8.75 hours of in-service training for the 2025 to 2026 anniversary period. The surveyor reviewed the in-service education records for five CNAs and identified that these four CNAs did not meet the facility’s annual training requirement. The surveyor informed the DON, LNHA, and AA of the concern that the 12-hour CNA in-service education requirement had not been completed for 4 of 5 CNAs reviewed. The DON later stated the identified CNAs were called in to complete their education and acknowledged that the 12-hour education was expected to be completed from each hired anniversary date annually. The DON also stated HR was responsible for ensuring the education was completed and did not know why HR had not called in the CNAs earlier. The facility policy stated that each CNA must receive 12 hours of in-service education annually, with at least 6 hours covering OBRA requirements.

Penalty

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.

Resources

Below are regulatory guidelines relevant to this citation:

See other F0947 citations
NA Training and Dementia Education Deficiency
F
F0947 F947: Ensure nurse aides have the skills they need to care for residents, and give nurse aides education in dementia care and abuse prevention.
Short Summary

NA Training and Dementia Education Deficiency: The facility failed to ensure an NA received the required 12 hours of annual education and dementia management training as required by the Facility Assessment. Records showed the NA had only 10.15 hours of continuing education, no documented dementia training, and did not attend staff in-services or nursing meetings; the FA and DON confirmed the missing training documentation.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Failure to Document Required Annual Nurse Aide Education
D
F0947 F947: Ensure nurse aides have the skills they need to care for residents, and give nurse aides education in dementia care and abuse prevention.
Short Summary

The facility failed to ensure that three nurse aides completed the required annual education. Review of employee education files showed no documented evidence that Nurse Aides 10, 11, and 12 completed the required 12 hours of annual training, and the DON confirmed the missing documentation during interview.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Nurse Aide Annual Training Deficiencies
D
F0947 F947: Ensure nurse aides have the skills they need to care for residents, and give nurse aides education in dementia care and abuse prevention.
Short Summary

Nurse aide training records showed two employees did not receive the required annual in-service education, and both lacked abuse prevention training. The facility’s job description required at least 12 hours of continuing education, and the DON stated she expected nurse aides to complete that amount each year and include abuse prevention training.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Missing Annual In-Service Training Documentation for Nurse Aides
F
F0947 F947: Ensure nurse aides have the skills they need to care for residents, and give nurse aides education in dementia care and abuse prevention.
Short Summary

Missing Annual In-Service Training Documentation for Nurse Aides: The facility failed to verify that two CNAs had completed the required 12 hours of annual in-service training. Personnel files for both aides lacked documentation, and the DON stated the facility could not determine whether the training had been completed. The facility policy required at least 12 hours of annual in-service training based on employment date, with documentation kept in the personnel file.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Missing CNA Annual and Dementia Care Training
F
F0947 F947: Ensure nurse aides have the skills they need to care for residents, and give nurse aides education in dementia care and abuse prevention.
Short Summary

Missing CNA Annual and Dementia Care Training: The facility failed to document required annual training for three CNAs and failed to document training in the care of cognitively impaired residents for three other CNAs. Staff record review showed the affected CNAs had no evidence of the required training, and the Administrator verified the missing documentation during interview.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
CNA In-Service Training Not Completed
E
F0947 F947: Ensure nurse aides have the skills they need to care for residents, and give nurse aides education in dementia care and abuse prevention.
Short Summary

The facility failed to maintain required CNA in-service education for a CNA specific to the resident population. Record review and an interview with the Administrative Nurse confirmed the CNA had not completed mandatory training in psychosocial needs of the older adult, abuse prevention in persons with dementia, and challenging behaviors/care interventions for individuals experiencing dementia. The facility did not provide a CNA education policy.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Citation search

Search every citation & Plan of Correction

Go to search
Citation watch

Track new serious citations across New Jersey

Get a heads-up on the newest immediate-jeopardy (J–L) citations in New Jersey — where surveyors are focused right now.

Free · about one email a month

Trusted data from CMS and state health departments

Every citation, penalty and Plan of Correction is sourced from public CMS records (latest release October 8, 2026) and official state health department websites — never guesswork.

In your survey window? See what surveyors are citing.

The Survey-Prep Report maps your facility's risk from 12 months of CMS and state citation data — what's being cited around you and what to check first. $129 one-time.

Get the Survey-Prep Report
An unhandled error has occurred. Reload 🗙

Connection lost — reconnecting… We couldn't reconnect automatically. Please reload the page to continue.