Look for a federal report on the status of implementation and early results from the first four years of the National Background Check Program for long-term-care employees, including those who work in assisted living, in 2016. That’s according to the work plan (PDF) for fiscal year 2016 recently released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.
The Affordable Care Act established the framework for a nationwide program to conduct background checks on a statewide basis on all prospective direct-care employees of long-term care facilities and providers. Eligible facilities and providers, as specified by each participating state, include assisted living communities, residential care providers, skilled nursing and nursing facilities, home health agencies, hospice care providers, long-term care hospitals, personal care service providers, adult day care providers, intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities and other entities that provide long-term care services.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, also part of HHS, administers the program and has solicited grant applications from states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories. As of mid August, CMS had awarded more than $50 million to 26 states to design comprehensive national background check programs, according to the agency’s website.
