Barnegat Nursing Center Fined $791K Over Staffing Shortages

The New Jersey Office of the State Comptroller has ordered Barnegat Nursing and Rehabilitation to pay Medicaid close to $800,000 after it was revealed they were seriously understaffed during a month-long period in 2023.

Barnegat Nursing and Rehabilitation is one of three New Jersey nursing homes that were found to have been seriously understaffed.

Belle Care Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Trenton and Barclays Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in Cherry Hill also failed to meet minimum staffing requirements every single day that month.

The three facilities will have to pay Medicaid a total of $2.1 million for being understaffed during the review period.

Barnegat Nursing Center Was Seriously Understaffed

A July 2023 review of professional licenses, timesheets, and payroll records at Barnegat Rehabilitation & Nursing Center showed the facility failed to meet minimum staffing requirements every single day that month.

The comptroller's office is seeking to recover $791,380 that Medicaid paid the facility during July 2023. The office will also withhold 10% of future Medicaid payments until the funds are paid back to Medicaid.

State Requirements Were Not Met

New Jersey law requires nursing facilities to have one certified nurse's aide for every eight residents during the day shift, one direct care staff member for every 10 residents during the evening shift, and one direct care staff member for every 14 residents during the night shift.

The review found that Barnegat did not adequately staff 86 of 93 shifts.

“The minimum staffing requirements are clear, and they were put in place because residents rely on nursing home staff for their daily needs,” said Josh Lichtblau, director of OSC’s Medicaid Fraud Division.

“And the numbers don’t lie. We looked at 31 days, and they failed to meet the legal requirements every day. Nursing home residents deserve adequate staffing, and the Medicaid program should demand nothing less.”

Barnegat Nursing and Rehabilitation

Barnegat Nursing and Rehabilitation opened in 2013. The 116-bed facility offers skilled nursing care, sub-acute rehabilitation, and long-term care services. 

The facility is part of Royal Suites Healthcare and Rehabilitation, a public company.