Employee Theft Accusations in Homecare: Steps to Safeguard Your Agency

You are a homecare manager or nursing supervisor, and you get that call that everyone in the industry hates. Your employee took my mothers jewelry. Or, perhaps its other accusations of employee theft, including money, drugs, or other valuables. As you dig deeper, you see the client has dementia, which complicates things even more, and then you find out you have one of your best aides on the case. Where do you begin?

Investigating Employee Theft Accusations in Homecare

Its probably in everyones best interest to remove that aide from the case during the investigation for their protection and to show you are serious about the accusation. Bring the aide in for an interview and document their statements. Inform the family/client about your investigation and let them know that you will keep them informed at every step.

During the investigation, its important to stay neutral and give the employee the benefit of the doubt. Ensure you follow your policy on employee theft and the investigation process. Let the employee know what you will be doing during this time. You may or may not want to compensate them for time off during the investigation.

Its often best to let the police investigate any allegations of employee theft with the client, especially if the amount involved is significant. Doing so allows the agency to stay neutral and puts it in the hands of professionals. You should inform the employee that they may be required to provide a statement to the police.

Also, interview the nurse Case Manager who is on the case. Determine if they have any concerns or issues they may have seen while they were in the home. Were valuables out in the open, or did they appear to be put away somewhere? Many clients have other visitors in the home, such as neighbors or cleaning services. Make sure that these individuals are also included in the investigation.

Reporting and Compliance Requirements

Next, review your policy on employee theft and make sure it is up to date and that all employees receive a copy of it annually as part of their annual mandatory education. Contact your insurance agency. Most likely, your policy will cover the cost of reimbursement to the client. Each state may have its threshold for the amount of theft that constitutes a felony. Make sure you know what it is for your state. In some states, a felony is defined as anything that exceeds $1,000, or it may be higher; however, in other states, the threshold is much lower.

If your employee is found guilty of theft, know how to report it to your states Department of Human Services, as it is considered abuse and/or exploitation of a vulnerable adult. If the employee is licensed, such as an RN, LPN, or Therapist, a report will need to be made to their specific licensing board where the theft occurred. As such, these reports can significantly impact an employees future and may exclude them from working in the human services field again.

Preventing Employee Theft in Homecare Through Policies and Training

For the protection of the agency and its clients, background studies must be conducted on all employees, including office staff, upon hire. Protect other vulnerable departments of your agency, such as billing, from potential employee theft or embezzlement.

Educate your Case Managers to ask the client if they have any concerns about the caregiver during each visit. Assure them that it is strictly confidential and they are not at risk for bringing their concerns to light. Many clients fear that there will be repercussions if they report their caregiver, especially if theyve established a relationship.

Unfortunately, an accusation of employee theft will inevitably occur at some point. How can you protect yourself when it happens? Ensure that your Case Managers and Admission/Start of Care nurses take an inventory of the home's valuables that are in plain sight and document this in the clients record as part of the admission paperwork. Update the record on an ongoing basis as items change in the home. Discuss with the client and/or family members that it would be best if the clients valuables were put away somewhere safe, or better yet, removed from the home but make sure it is documented if the family takes the valuables out of the home. It is not uncommon for an out-of-town son or daughter to visit and find that their fathers Rolex watch or mothers diamond ring is missing, when another sibling may have taken it to their own home. Any information of this nature is crucial to document to prevent future accusations and hardship for the employee. Instruct them also to avoid keeping large amounts of cash, coins, or credit cards in the home or in plain sight.

Of course, we all have had that extremely grateful client who wants to give their homecare worker something extra for all the work they do for them. Again, all clients need to know that it is against company policy for an employee to accept anything of value from a client. You should have a policy on gifts that allows the acceptance of a gift from a client under a certain dollar amount. Make sure you work with your legal department to develop that threshold and have the policy be part of every employees orientation and part of the clients admission documents.

Unfortunately, these accusations of employee theft do occur, and it is best practice to take preventative measures with clear-cut processes so that when they occur, youll know exactly what to do. Youll save yourself a lot of stress while protecting innocent employees, vulnerable clients, and the agency's reputation. It only takes one publicized incident for your agencys reputation to be damaged, so its worth creating policies and taking steps to prevent theft from your clients.

About the Author:

Pamela is an RN with over 45 years of experience. Twenty-five years as an RN and Nursing Supervisor in acute care, ICU, and Med Surg. She was also a clinical nursing instructor for a number of years and then became the Director of Nursing in home health care. Pamela spent over twenty years in home care as an administrator and then President of a large home care and hospice agency, serving approximately 3,500 patients daily and employing 1,000 employees until my retirement. She is also currently an author of continuing education courses for nurses and therapists.

Pamela is an independent contributor to CEUfast's Nursing Blog Program. Please note that the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this blog post are solely those of the independent contributor and do not necessarily represent those of CEUfast. This blog post is not medical advice. Always consult with your personal healthcare provider for any health-related questions or concerns.

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