TITLE 31 HEALTH

Section 7. Regulation and Construction of Hospitals and Other Health Care Facilities, 31-7-1 through 31-7-412.

ARTICLE 14 NURSING HOMES EMPLOYEE RECORDS CHECKS

31-7-355. (Effective October 1, 2019) Personnel files; when department may require background check; result of unsatisfactory determination.

1. A personnel file for each employee shall be maintained by the applicable facility. Such files shall be available for inspection by the appropriate enforcement authorities but shall otherwise be maintained to protect the confidentiality of the information contained therein and shall include, but not be limited to, evidence of each employee's satisfactory determination, registry check, and licensure check, if applicable.
2. 1. As used in this paragraph, the term:
      1. "Abuse" means the willful infliction of injury, unreasonable confinement, intimidation, or punishment with resulting physical harm, pain, or mental anguish. Such term includes the deprivation by an individual of goods or services that are necessary to attain or maintain physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being. Such term includes verbal abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse, and mental abuse, including abuse, facilitated or enabled through the use of technology.
      2. "Willful" means acting deliberately, not that there is an intention to inflict injury or harm.
   2. The department may require a criminal background check on any owner of or employee at a facility during the course of an abuse investigation involving such owner or employee or if the department receives information that such owner or employee was arrested for a crime. In such instances, the department shall require the owner or employee to furnish two full sets of fingerprints which the department shall submit to GCIC together with appropriate fees collected from the owner or employee. Upon receipt thereof, GCIC shall promptly transmit one set of fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a search of bureau records and an appropriate report and shall retain the other set and promptly conduct a search of its own records and records to which it has access. GCIC shall notify the department in writing of any unsatisfactory finding, including but not limited to any criminal record obtained through the fingerprint records check determination or if there is no such finding.
   3. When the department determines that an applicant or employee has an unsatisfactory determination, the department shall notify the facility that such applicant or employee is ineligible to hire or employ and the facility shall take the necessary steps so that such employee is no longer employed at the facility; provided, however, that a facility may retain a current employee during the period of his or her administrative appeal.
   4. When the department determines that an owner has an unsatisfactory determination, the department shall notify such owner of the ineligible status for ownership and shall take the necessary steps to revoke the facility's license.
   5. An owner, applicant, or employee may appeal their disqualifying unsatisfactory determination pursuant to Code Section 31-7-358.

(Code 1981, §31-7-355, enacted by Ga. L. 2018, p. 611, § 1-4/SB 406.)