The survey process for Vermont long-term care facilities is looking better, a report from the state auditor has found.
The office of audit chief Doug Hoffer released a report Monday that highlighted improvements the Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living (DAIL) made following the declaration of failures in the office’s original March 2023 report.
The new report noted that DAIL was successful in creating a tracking tool that shows annual inspections are being monitored, as well as performing licensure surveys of facilities that had changed ownership since their last survey.
These advancements come after last year’s survey of 151 facilities revealed multiple missteps on DAIL’s end, some of which have only been partially fixed in the updated report.
“We found that of the 691 inspections DAIL conducted, 53% detected substantial noncompliance, meaning that the facility’s noncompliance risked residents’ wellbeing, or, in the most severe instances, the facility caused or was likely to cause serious injury, serious harm, impairment, or death,” March’s report read. “We also found that DAIL failed to inspect facilities as often as required by law; as a practice, they strove to inspect each facility every two years, but statute requires annual inspections.”
Vermont is taking a page out of Delaware and Missouri‘s book, two states where agencies increased the frequency of LTC inspections following damning reviews from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
With more work to be done, Hoffer acknowledged great effort on both sides.
“My audit team did a great job identifying opportunities for (the department) to perform better, and credit to (the department) for stepping up,” he said in a statement.
The suggestions that DAIL are working to implement will be revisited in 2026, the report said.
A federal report in August found widespread backlogs in state survey programs nationwide, although many had made recent progress. Overall, CMS underscored persistent problems with untimely follow-up investigations at nursing homes. As a result, many facilities and consumers have had to rely on outdated data, which has led to inaccurate ratings and, sometimes, excess penalties.
