Summary: GAO examined the services provided to mentally retarded nursing home residents through Medicaid in five states to determine if they were complying with Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) requirements for: (1) speech, occupational, and physical therapy; (2) training in personal care skills; and (3) training in community living skills.
GAO found that: (1) management controls were inadequate because Medicaid regulations to ensure active treatment and services for normal individuals admitted to a nursing home facility did not exist for retarded persons; (2) at some facilities, plans of care did not adequately address active treatment and developmental and behavioral needs for retarded residents; (3) in some instances, state inspections of nursing home facilities were inadequate, since they did not assess the adequacy of the services provided to retarded residents; and (4) since Medicaid agencies in three states failed to consult with their state retardation agencies, the retardation agencies were unaware of 1,477 of the 2,238 retarded nursing home residents that GAO identified.
