Latest update: The VDH Office of Licensure and Certification’s (OLC) weekly data now provides nursing facilities with a broader view of issues entering the state’s oversight system.

• In addition to complaints and their related allegations, OLC is including two new points of reference: facility reported incidents (FRIs) and Adult Protective Services (APS) referrals.

For the last reporting week, OLC received 37 long term care complaints, 258 FRIs, and 63 APS referrals. The 37 complaints contained 105 individual allegations, demonstrating that one complaint may identify concerns across several areas of resident care.

The most frequently reported allegations were:

• Failure to adequately assess and monitor residents – 10 allegations
• Improper medication administration – 9 allegations
• Call bells not answered timely or being inoperable – 6 allegations

Inadequate staffing, facility cleanliness, improper incontinence care, inadequate grooming, and failure to provide therapeutic diets were each reported five times. Other allegations involved resident safety, falls, abuse, infection control, turning and repositioning, documentation, communication of changes in condition, activities of daily living, food and hydration, privacy, environmental conditions, and life safety.

The three data points tell different but complementary stories. Complaints reflect concerns reported to OLC, FRIs reflect incidents facilities are required to report, and APS referrals reflect concerns referred through the adult protective services system. Reviewing all three may help leaders identify where resident risk, reporting obligations, communication, and family concerns overlap.

Why it matters: This week’s leading allegations involve core systems that affect residents every day: assessment and monitoring; medication administration; timely assistance; staffing coverage; personal care; dietary services; and the environment.

• These are also areas where small gaps can become more serious if they are repeated, poorly communicated, or not addressed promptly.

Facilities may find the expanded reporting most useful when statewide figures are considered alongside internal FRI logs, APS contacts, grievances, resident and family feedback, medication variances, call-bell data, staffing patterns, and QAPI findings.

Recommended actions for this week: Consider using the following focused checks to turn the weekly data into practical quality improvement:

• Connect the reporting streams.
  • Reconcile recent complaints, FRIs, APS referrals, grievances, and resident council concerns to identify repeated residents, units, shifts, staff roles, or processes.

• Validate assessment and monitoring.
  • Sample residents with recent changes in condition to confirm assessments were completed, care plans were updated, MD/NP/PAs and responsible parties were notified, and any follow-up was documented.

• Observe medication administration.
  • Conduct direct observations across all shifts and compare the MAR with orders, pharmacy communications, monitoring parameters, and documentation of omitted or delayed doses.

• Test call-bell performance.
  • Check whether systems are functioning, response times are monitored by location within the facility and shift, and repeated delays are addressed through staffing assignments, rounding, or process improvements.

• Review basic care reliability.
  • Use resident interviews and observations to confirm consistent toileting, incontinence care, grooming, hydration, nutrition, therapeutic diets, repositioning, and assistance with activities of daily living.

• Close the loop.
  • For each recent complaint, FRI, or APS referral, verify that immediate protections, required notifications, full investigations, corrective actions, and leadership follow-up are complete.

Important reminder: These figures represent reports and allegations received by OLC. They should not be interpreted as findings of deficient practice or substantiated regulatory violations. Complaints, FRIs, and APS referrals are reviewed and assessed under the requirements and processes applicable to each reporting pathway.

OLC’s expanded weekly reporting offers facilities another practical benchmark for prevention and continuous quality improvement. Leadership teams can use the statewide trends to ask not only whether a similar event has occurred, but whether their systems would recognize, report, investigate, and correct it promptly.

FRI Reporting System Outage Earlier This Week

What happened: The electronic FRI reporting system experienced an outage from Monday, August 3, into Tuesday, August 4. For incidents affected by the outage, facilities should:

• Retain documentation related to the incident and any attempted submissions made during the outage.
• Maintain copies of supporting documentation and related correspondence in case OLC requests additional information.
• Document how the outage affected the timing of any delayed submission.

OLC has advised that providers will not be penalized for late FRI submissions resulting from the outage. Facilities that experienced submission issues should keep detailed records of their attempts and any related correspondence.

FRI/Complaints Webinar Next Week

Registration closes August 7 for the Strengthening Facility Reported Incidents, Grievance Management, and Complaint Response in Virginia webinar. You don’t want to miss this event led by Lisa Thomson, Chief Operating Officer of Pathway Health, Inc.

Topics to be covered include Virginia’s FRI process; CMS Chapter 5 and Chapter 7 expectations; complaint triage; grievance management; investigations; documentation; escalation; and timely resolution

Strengthening FRI, Grievance Management, and Complaint Response in Virginia | Register
August 11, 2026 | 9:00 am – 12:15 pm