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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>84466</law_id><section_number>32.1-27.1</section_number><catch_line>Additional civil penalty or appointment of a receiver</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>32.1-102.10</reference><reference>32.1-127.01</reference><reference>32.1-27</reference><reference>32.1-27.3</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="32.1">Health</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="1">Administration Generally</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="4">Procedures; Inspections; Orders; Penalties; Representation by Attorney General</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> In addition to the remedies provided in &#xA7;&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Penalties, injunctions, civil penalties and charges for violations" href="/32.1-27/">32.1-27</a> and <a class="law" title="Administrative sanctions" href="/32.1-27.2/">32.1-27.2</a>, the civil penalties set forth in this section may be imposed by the <span class="dictionary">circuit</span> <span class="dictionary">court</span> for the city or county in which the facility is located as follows: <a id="paragraph-302753" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/32.1-27.1/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="A1" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">1.</span> A civil <span class="dictionary">penalty</span> for a Class I violation shall not exceed the lesser of $25 per licensed or certified bed or $1,000 for each day the facility is in violation, beginning on the date the facility was first notified of the violation. <a id="paragraph-302754" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/32.1-27.1/#A1"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="A2" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">2.</span> A civil <span class="dictionary">penalty</span> for a Class II violation shall not exceed the lesser of $5 per licensed or certified bed or $250 per day for each day the facility is in violation, beginning on the date the facility was first notified of the violation.
				In the event federal <span class="dictionary">law</span> or regulations require a civil <span class="dictionary">penalty</span> in excess of the amounts set forth above for Class I or Class II violations, then the lowest amounts required by such federal <span class="dictionary">law</span> or regulations shall become the maximum civil penalties under this section. The date of notification under this section shall be deemed to be the date of receipt by the facility of written notice of the alleged Class I or Class II violation, which notice shall include specifics of the violation charged and which notice shall be hand delivered or sent by overnight express mail or by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested.
				All civil penalties received pursuant to this subsection shall be paid into a special fund of the <span class="dictionary">Department</span> for the cost of implementation of this section, to be applied to the protection of the health or property of residents or patients of facilities that the <span class="dictionary">Commissioner</span> or the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services finds in violation, including payment for the costs for relocation of patients, maintenance of temporary management or receivership to operate a facility pending correction of a violation, and for reimbursement to residents or patients of lost personal funds. <a id="paragraph-302755" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/32.1-27.1/#A2"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> In addition to the remedies provided in &#xA7;&#xA7; <a class="law" title="Penalties, injunctions, civil penalties and charges for violations" href="/32.1-27/">32.1-27</a> and <a class="law" title="Administrative sanctions" href="/32.1-27.2/">32.1-27.2</a> and the civil penalties set forth in subsection A, the <span class="dictionary">Commissioner</span> may <span class="dictionary">petition</span> the <span class="dictionary">circuit</span> <span class="dictionary">court</span> for the <span class="dictionary">jurisdiction</span> in which any nursing home or certified nursing facility as defined in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="(Effective January 1, 2026) Definitions" href="/32.1-123/">32.1-123</a> is located for the appointment of a receiver in accordance with the provisions of this subsection whenever such nursing home or certified nursing facility shall (i) receive official notice from the <span class="dictionary">Commissioner</span> that its license has been or will be revoked or suspended, or that its Medicare or Medicaid certification has been or will be cancelled or revoked; or (ii) receive official notice from the United States <span class="dictionary">Department</span> of Health and Human Services or the <span class="dictionary">Department</span> of Medical Assistance Services that its provider agreement has been or will be revoked, cancelled, terminated or not renewed; or (iii) advise the <span class="dictionary">Department</span> of its intention to close or not to renew its license or Medicare or Medicaid provider agreement less than ninety days in advance; or (iv) operate at any time under conditions which present a major and continuing threat to the health, safety, security, rights or welfare of the patients, including the threat of imminent abandonment by the owner or operator, or a pattern of failure to meet ongoing financial obligations such as the inability to pay for essential food, pharmaceuticals, personnel, or required insurance; and (v) the <span class="dictionary">Department</span> is unable to make adequate and timely arrangements for relocating all patients who are receiving medical assistance under this chapter and Title XIX of the Social Security Act in <span class="dictionary">order</span> to ensure their continued safety and health care.
			Upon the filing of a <span class="dictionary">petition</span> for appointment of a receiver, the <span class="dictionary">court</span> shall hold a <span class="dictionary">hearing</span> within ten days, at which time the <span class="dictionary">Department</span> and the owner or operator of the facility may participate and present <span class="dictionary">evidence</span>. The <span class="dictionary">court</span> may grant the <span class="dictionary">petition</span> if it finds any one of the conditions identified in (i) through (iv) to exist in combination with the condition identified in (v) and the <span class="dictionary">court</span> further finds that such conditions will not be remedied and that the patients will not be protected unless the <span class="dictionary">petition</span> is granted.
			No receivership established under this subsection shall continue in effect for more than 180 days without further <span class="dictionary">order</span> of the <span class="dictionary">court</span>, nor shall the receivership continue in effect following the <span class="dictionary">revocation</span> of the nursing home&#x2019;s license or the termination of the certified nursing facility&#x2019;s Medicare or Medicaid provider agreement, except to enforce any post-termination duties of the provider as required by the provisions of the Medicare or Medicaid provider agreement.
			The appointed receiver shall be a <span class="dictionary">person</span> licensed as nursing home administrator in the Commonwealth pursuant to Title 54.1 or, if not so licensed, shall employ and supervise a <span class="dictionary">person</span> so licensed to administer the day-to-day business of the nursing home or certified nursing facility.
			The receiver shall have (i) such powers and duties to manage the nursing home or certified nursing facility as the <span class="dictionary">court</span> may grant and direct, including but not limited to the duty to accomplish the orderly relocation of all patients and the right to refuse to admit new patients during the receivership, (ii) the power to receive, conserve, protect and disburse funds, including Medicare and Medicaid payments on behalf of the owner or operator of the nursing home or certified nursing facility, (iii) the power to execute and avoid <span class="dictionary">executory contracts</span>, (iv) the power to hire and discharge employees, and (v) the power to do all other acts, including the filing of such reports as the <span class="dictionary">court</span> may direct, subject to accounting to the <span class="dictionary">court</span> therefor and otherwise consistent with state and federal <span class="dictionary">law</span>, necessary to protect the patients from the threat or threats set forth in the original <span class="dictionary">petitions</span>, as well as such other threats arising thereafter or out of the same conditions.
			The <span class="dictionary">court</span> may grant injunctive relief as it deems appropriate to the <span class="dictionary">Department</span> or to its receiver either in conjunction with or subsequent to the granting of a <span class="dictionary">petition</span> for appointment of a receiver under this section.
			The <span class="dictionary">court</span> may terminate the receivership on the <span class="dictionary">motion</span> of the <span class="dictionary">Department</span>, the receiver, or the owner or operator, upon <span class="dictionary">finding</span>, after a <span class="dictionary">hearing</span>, that either (i) the conditions described in the <span class="dictionary">petition</span> have been substantially eliminated or remedied or (ii) all patients in the nursing home or certified nursing facility have been relocated. Within 30 days after such termination, the receiver shall file a complete report of his activities with the <span class="dictionary">court</span>, including an accounting for all property of which he has taken <span class="dictionary">possession</span> and all funds collected.
			All costs of administration of a receivership hereunder shall be paid by the receiver out of reimbursement to the nursing home or certified nursing facility from Medicare, Medicaid and other patient care collections. The <span class="dictionary">court</span>, after terminating such receivership, shall enter appropriate <span class="dictionary">orders</span> to ensure such payments upon its approval of the receiver&#x2019;s reports.
			A receiver appointed under this section shall be an officer of the <span class="dictionary">court</span>, shall not be liable for conditions at the nursing home or certified nursing facility which existed or originated prior to his appointment and shall not be personally liable, except for his own gross <span class="dictionary">negligence</span> and intentional acts which result in injuries to <span class="dictionary">persons</span> or damage to property at the nursing home or certified nursing facility during his receivership.
			The provisions of this subsection shall not be construed to relieve any owner, operator or other <span class="dictionary">party</span> of any duty imposed by <span class="dictionary">law</span> or of any civil or criminal liability incurred by reason of any act or omission of such owner, operator, or other <span class="dictionary">party</span>. <a id="paragraph-302756" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/32.1-27.1/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1989, c. 618; 1996, cc. 788, 797; 2023, cc. 482, 483.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
