HHS OIG: Indiana Nursing Homes Generally Complied with Federal Background Check Requirements

HHS OIG Reports & Publications

Published March 16th, 2026

Detected March 19th, 2026

Summary

The HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) reported that Indiana nursing homes generally complied with federal requirements for employee background checks. Out of 825 employees reviewed, only 13 lacked completed background checks, and none had disqualifying offenses.

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What changed

The HHS OIG has released a report indicating that Indiana nursing homes largely adhered to federal mandates regarding employee background checks. The audit reviewed 825 employees across 8 nursing homes and found that all but 13 had completed background checks without disqualifying offenses. Employees requiring licenses also held current, unencumbered licenses.

The OIG recommends that Indiana advise nursing homes to ensure background checks are completed and to maintain proper documentation. While the State did not formally concur or nonconcur, it indicated it would take actions to address the recommendation, suggesting a need for enhanced verification and record-keeping processes for nursing home employers.

What to do next

Advise nursing homes to verify completion of employee background checks.
Ensure maintenance of documentation for completed background checks.

Source document (simplified)

Indiana Generally Ensured That Selected Nursing Homes Complied With Federal Background Check Requirements

Issued on

03/16/2026

| Posted on

03/19/2026

| Report number: A-05-24-00011

Report Materials

Why OIG Did This Audit

Background checks for employees are an important safety measure that can help protect the approximately 1.2 million people who reside in nursing homes. Oversight and management of nursing homes are crucial for the safety of long-term care residents.
We performed this audit to determine whether Indiana ensured that selected nursing homes complied with Federal requirements that prohibit the employment of individuals with disqualifying backgrounds.

What OIG Found

Indiana generally complied with Federal requirements that prohibit the employment of individuals with disqualifying backgrounds. Specifically, for the 825 nursing home employees we reviewed from the 8 selected nursing homes, all but 13 employees had completed background checks. The employees with completed background checks had no disqualifying offenses, and the employees who were required to have a license because of their occupation had a current license (as of the time of their employment) and had no actions taken against their license related to disqualifying offenses.

What OIG Recommends

We recommend that Indiana advise nursing homes to verify that employees’ background checks are completed and maintain documentation of the completed background checks.

The State did not indicate concurrence or nonconcurrence with our recommendation but stated that it would continue to take actions that would address our recommendation.

Report Type Evaluation HHS Agencies Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Issue Areas – Target Groups Elderly Financial Groups Medicaid