Virginia's new guidance on sanctioning nursing homes that repeatedly break the rules took effect September 28, and it does not require the state to act in any specific case. The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) said it made no changes after a public comment period in which some commenters asked for mandatory action when serious deficiencies keep recurring.
For families with a loved one in one of Virginia's 289 nursing homes, the design matters. A facility could be cited for the same problem on back-to-back inspections and still face no state sanction, because the guidance leaves that decision to regulators case by case.
