To assist consumers in making informed decisions regarding care options and provide information regarding the inspections in adult care facilities (family care homes and adult care homes) the following resources are available: statement of deficiencies or inspection reports by DHSR; Star Rating; County Corrective Action Reports (CARS) resulting in penalties by DSS; and, any penalties imposed in the previous 36 months for each adult care facility.
Adult care facilities are routinely inspected to ensure the provider is operating in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, in a manner that protects the health and safety of their residents. The Adult Care Licensure Section (ACLS), County Department of Social Services (DSS) and Construction Section (Constr) of the Division of Health Service Regulation inspect or survey adult care homes. The types of inspections conducted by both sections include routine inspection (annual or biennial), complaint investigation and follow-up inspection.
The survey report, or Form 2567, is the form used by the state to document inspections or surveys. The report form is divided into two columns as illustrated below:
Form 2567 |
|
Statement of Deficiencies (SOD) |
Plan of Correction (POC) |
State agency (DSHR) completes this section, listing any deficiencies found during the survey, if any. |
The adult care facility completes this section. |
Statements of Deficiencies are posted for adult care facilities with survey dates beginning November 1, 2014 and deficiencies or violations were identified. Inspections are conducted year-round. If you do not see a listing for a home in which you are interested, please check this site for monthly updates.
Statement of Deficiencies – The written report or findings of the inspection; if violation with an applicable law or regulation is found during an inspection or investigation, it is cited as a deficiency on the Statement of Deficiencies (Form 2567). The Statement of Deficiencies (Form 2567) includes the citation(s) on the left-hand side of the page and the right side for the provider's plan of correction.
IDR Pending - A Yes under the column, IDR Pending, indicates the facility has requested Informal Dispute Resolution (IDR), a process that gives a facility the opportunity to dispute all or some of the findings of a state inspection. If the Statement of Deficiency is changed as a result of IDR, the web page will be updated.
Statement of Deficiencies with Plan of Correction - The written report or findings of the inspection and the provider’s approved plan of correction.
Statement of Deficiencies with deficiencies corrected - A follow-up inspection conducted with deficiencies on the Statement of Deficiencies (Form 2567) and the adult care home corrected one or more of the previously cited deficiencies.
No Deficiencies Cited - The Statement of Deficiencies (Form 2567) is not posted. No violation with an applicable law or regulation was found during an inspection or investigation. For follow-up inspections, all previous citations were corrected.
Corrective Action Reports
Corrective Action report, or Form 4607, is the form used by the county to document inspections or monitoring visits. The report form is divided into two columns as illustrated below:
Form 4607 |
|
Corrective Action Report (CAR) |
Plan of Correction (POC) |
County agency (DSS) completes this section, listing any violations of Type A and uncorrected Type B violations from the County Department of Social Services (DSS), which have been reviewed and concurred by DHSR. |
The adult care facility completes this section. |
Corrective Action Reports are posted for adult care facilities with inspection dates beginning January 1, 2023 and violations were identified. Inspections are conducted year-round.
Corrective Action Reports – The written report or findings of the inspection which have been reviewed and concurred by DHSR; if violation with an applicable law or regulation is found during an inspection or investigation, it is cited as a violation on the Corrective Action Report (Form 4607). The Corrective Action Report (Form 4607) includes the violaton(s) on the left-hand side of the form and the right side for the provider's plan of correction.
IDR Pending - A Yes under the column, IDR Pending, indicates the facility has requested Informal Dispute Resolution (IDR), a process that gives a facility the opportunity to dispute all or some of the findings of a county investigation. If the Corrective Action Report is changed as a result of IDR, the web page will be updated.
Corrective Action Reports with Plan of Correction - The written report or findings of the inspection and the provider’s approved plan of correction.
Corrective Action Report - The written report or findings of the county monitoring or investigation and the provider’s approved plan of correction.
In an annual inspection by Adult Care Licensure Section, each facility begins with a base score of 100 points. Based on the facility's compliance or non-compliance with rule areas during inspections, the facility earns merit or demerit points which are added or subtracted from the 100 base points respectively.
Pursuant Articles 1 and 3 of Chapter 131-D, the Department has legal authority to impose enforcement actions when a facility has failed to maintain substantial compliance with the regulations governing adult and/or family care homes. Enforcement actions may include licensure action(s) and/or monetary penalty fines.
Penalties
Pursuant to North Carolina General Statute 131D, Articles 1 and 3, the Department of Health and Human Services shall impose an administrative penalty in accordance with provisions of the Article on any facility which is found to be in violation of requirements of G.S. 131D-21 or applicable State and federal laws and regulations. Citations for violations shall be classified and penalties assessed according to the nature of the violation.
Type A1 and A2 Violations:
A monetary penalty fine may be imposed when a "Type A1" or "Type A2" violation has occurred.
Unabated Violations: If a facility has failed to correct any violation within the specified date of correction (30 days for Type A violations; 45 days for Type B violations), additional penalty fines may be imposed. These are “unabated violations.”
Unabated Type A1 and A2 Violations:
Unabated Type B Violations:
Another type unabated violation that could result in the imposition of penalty fines would be when a "Type B" violation has not been corrected by the facility within the specific date of correction (45 days per regulatory statute), known as an Unabated B violation.
The Department or its authorized representative shall determine whether the violation has been corrected.
As provided in North Carolina General Statute 150B, Adult care homes have the legal right to appeal the imposition of a penalty fine within 30 days after the Department mails a notice of penalty to a licensee. If a penalty fine is appealed, it may go to hearing or a settlement agreement may be reached between the State and the facility.
In addition to the penalty fines, the Department may implement administrative licensure action.
Administrative Licensure Action:
As set forth in Articles 1 and 3 of Chapter 131-D, the Department may impose licensure action(s) as follows:
Adult care homes have the right to appeal licensure action(s) imposed by the Department by filing an appeal with the North Carolina Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) within the designated timeframe. Licensure actions that are appealed may go to hearing or a settlement agreement may be reached between the State and the licensee.
The statement of deficiencies, corrective action report, the Star Rating system and the penalties are just some of the resources you should use when looking for placement for yourself or a loved one in an adult care home. Additionally, be sure you have a complete and accurate picture of the care provided in an adult care facility through the following: