GAO Report: CMS Provides Little Guidance and Oversight on Assisted Living

​Federal investigators found significant gaps in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) oversight of state monitoring of assisted living facilities, concludes a February 2018 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). As a result, more than half of states (54%) were unable to provide data on the number of incidents involving elder abuse, neglect, exploitation, or unexplained death. Only 22 states could provide information on “critical incidents" involving actual or potential harm to residents. In one year, those states reported more than 22,900 incidents, including physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.