Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox: Criminal background check legislation to protect Michigan's
most vulnerable adults sent to governor

LANSING, Mich., Feb. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorney General Mike Cox today announced that legislation designed to protect Michigan's seniors and vulnerable adults in residential care facilities has been sent to the governor. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Patricia Birkholz (R - Saugatuck Twp.), and Sen. Tony Stamas (R - Midland), is intended to enhance laws regarding criminal background checks for prospective residential care facility employees.

"This legislation provides a great tool in safeguarding residents of facilities from preventable risk," said Cox. "This is one way that we can ensure Michigan's most vulnerable adults are protected."

The legislation requires Michigan's almost 5,000 residential care facilities to conduct criminal background checks of all new employees and creates a database of residential care facility employees to continually monitor future criminal convictions. The legislation also increases criminal sanctions for failure to comply.

After Cox's Health Care Fraud Division uncovered that 25% of residential care facility employees committing crimes against residents since 2002 had past criminal convictions, he commissioned the statewide studies. Of the more than 5,500 Certified Nurse's Aides (CNAs) studied, 9% had a total of 836 outstanding criminal warrants and 3%, or 170, had past criminal convictions. These results were confirmed when the backgrounds of entire employee populations at four nursing homes across Michigan revealed 58 of 618 employees, or more than 9%, had 101 outstanding warrants, and that 68, or 11%, of the staffs had past criminal convictions.

Many of Cox's proposals were included in the legislation:

* Expansion of the crimes covered by the statutes to disqualify not only applicants with past convictions for fraud or theft against a vulnerable adult victim, but also convictions for these crimes regardless of the victim's status.

* Inclusion of convictions for misdemeanor drug offenses, as well as felony convictions, in light of the numerous cases that involve employees stealing patients' narcotics.

* Expansion of the criminal background check requirement beyond staff providing direct care to residents to include all employees with direct access to the residents and the residents' personal information.

* Criminal sanctions for failure to comply with the requirements of the criminal background check statutes would be a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison and/or a $5,000 fine.

Cox has shared the report's findings with each of the State's residential care facilities. In addition, Cox has sent an Abuse Alert to nursing homes statewide informing them of the legal requirements and has notified local authorities about nursing home employees with outstanding warrants.

The Attorney General's Health Care Fraud Division is one of 49 federally certified Medicaid Fraud Control Units. Medicaid fraud investigations and prosecutions include false billings, unlawful delivery of controlled substances, practicing medicine without a license, kickbacks, and bribery schemes. Abuse and neglect investigations and prosecutions include physical assault, criminal sexual conduct, identity theft, theft of residents' property and funds, and harmful neglect in Michigan residential care facilities. The division also initiates civil actions, including asset forfeiture and claims for Medicaid overpayments.

In conducting its activities, the division works closely with other agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of Justice, Michigan State Police, state regulatory agencies, local law enforcement agencies, and private health insurance companies.

To report Medicaid provider fraud or identity theft/patient abuse in a resident care facility, call the Attorney General's 24-hour Hotline at 800 24-ABUSE (800-242-2873); e-mail hcf@michigan.gov ; or visit the Attorney General's Web site at http://www.michigan.gov/ag .

Source: Michigan Attorney General