F0609 — Report Reasonable Suspicion of a Crime
F0609 requires covered individuals to report reasonable suspicion of a crime against a resident to local law enforcement and the state survey agency, within federally required timeframes that vary based on whether serious bodily injury occurred.
Common Deficiency Examples
- Suspected crime not reported to law enforcement within 2 hours when the event caused serious bodily injury
- Suspected crime not reported within 24 hours when no serious bodily injury occurred
- Facility staff unaware that the clock starts at the time suspicion is formed, not at shift end or next business day
- Reporting done to the state agency but not law enforcement, or vice versa
What Your Plan of Correction Needs
F0609 PoCs should demonstrate awareness and process fix, since this tag is a compliance/timeliness requirement:
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the required reporting timeframe under F0609?+
Under Section 1150B of the Social Security Act: if the event that caused reasonable suspicion resulted in serious bodily injury, the covered individual must report to law enforcement no later than 2 hours after forming the suspicion. If it did not result in serious bodily injury, the deadline is 24 hours. Both clocks run on real (clock) time, not business hours, starting from when the suspicion was formed — not from shift end or next business day.
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