Latest data: The VDH Office of Licensure and Certification (OLC) provided VHCA-VCAL with a two-week snapshot of long term care complaint activity covering August 7 through August 20, 2026.

• While complaint volume remained relatively stable during the period, the data continues to highlight several recurring areas that may warrant ongoing attention as facilities monitor quality assurance, grievance trends, and resident care processes.
• The information below reflects allegations reported to OLC and does not represent substantiated findings. A single complaint may also contain multiple allegations.

By the numbers: During the two-week reporting period, OLC received:

• 63 Long Term Care complaints
  • August 7-13: 31 complaints
  • August 14-20: 32 complaints
• 130 Adult Protective Services referrals
• 395 Facility Reported Incidents

OLC reported no complaints were triaged in the 3-day Immediate Jeopardy category during either week.

The most frequently reported allegations during the two-week period included:

• Failure to adequately assess and monitor residents (20)
• Improper incontinence care (18)
• Facility cleanliness (13)
• Resident dignity and respect (13)
• Infection control (11)
• Employee-to-resident verbal/physical abuse (10)
• Medication administration (10)
• Grooming/personal care (10)
• Insufficient supplies (9)
• Staffing inadequacy (8)
• Call bells/timely response (8)

What we’re seeing in the data: The themes reported over this two-week period align closely with areas that have appeared consistently in recent OLC complaint summaries. Resident assessment and monitoring remains the most frequently reported allegation, reinforcing the importance of timely recognition of changes in condition, appropriate follow-up, communication, documentation, and care plan implementation.

Personal care concerns also continued to appear prominently, including incontinence care, grooming, dignity and respect, and timely response to resident needs. Environmental issues such as facility cleanliness and supply availability were also among the leading allegation categories.

A new area standing out in the data is employee-to-resident verbal and physical abuse allegations, which increased from two allegations during the week of August 7-13 to eight allegations during the week of August 14-20. While a single week’s increase does not establish a trend, it serves as a reminder of the importance of ongoing staff education, supervision, abuse prevention efforts, immediate reporting expectations, and fostering a culture of respectful resident care.

Why it matters: Complaint allegation data can help facilities identify areas that may benefit from additional review, auditing, education, or monitoring. Many of the allegations reported to OLC involve systems and practices that residents and families experience daily, including:

• Resident assessment and monitoring
• Personal care delivery
• Dignity and respectful interactions
• Infection prevention and control
• Medication administration
• Staffing and workload management
• Timely response to call bells and resident requests

Reviewing these statewide trends alongside facility-specific grievance data, incident reports, resident council concerns, family feedback, and QAPI findings may help identify opportunities for improvement before issues escalate into formal complaints or survey concerns.

Suggested leadership questions: As facilities review this week’s data, teams should consider:

• Are changes in resident’s condition consistently recognized, assessed, communicated, and documented?
• Are residents receiving timely assistance with toileting, grooming, and other activities of daily living?
• Do staff understand expectations regarding dignity, respectful communication, abuse prevention, and immediate reporting requirements?
• Are call bell response times routinely monitored and evaluated across shifts?
• Do infection prevention practices remain effective and consistently implemented?
• Are environmental rounds identifying cleanliness and supply concerns before they become resident or family complaints?

Important reminder: These figures represent allegations reported to OLC and not substantiated findings. Individual complaints continue to be reviewed, triaged, and investigated through OLC’s established processes. Multiple allegations may be associated with a single complaint, which is why allegation totals exceed the number of complaints received.

VHCA-VCAL appreciates OLC’s continued willingness to share statewide complaint trend information. We encourage members to use these insights as one of many tools to support ongoing quality improvement, resident safety, and regulatory compliance efforts.