How to Read Form CMS-2567 (Statement of Deficiencies)
The CMS-2567 is the document a survey team leaves behind — and the document your Plan of Correction has to respond to. Every citation on it follows the same four-part structure.
Quick answer
Every citation on Form CMS-2567 has four parts: the F-tag and regulatory text that was violated, a scope-and-severity letter grade (A–L) describing how widespread and how serious the problem was, a narrative describing what surveyors observed, and — once the facility responds — the Plan of Correction. Reading a 2567 accurately means separating these four elements, not treating the whole page as one undifferentiated block of text.
The four parts of every citation
1. F-tag and regulatory citation
The tag number (F0684, F0880, etc.) identifies exactly which requirement in 42 CFR Part 483 the surveyor determined was violated, followed by the text of the regulation itself. See what an F-tag is for how these codes map back to federal regulation.
2. Scope-and-severity rating
A single letter, A through L, on a grid combining how widespread the deficiency was (isolated, pattern, or widespread) with how serious the harm was (no actual harm with potential for minimal harm, up to Immediate Jeopardy). This letter — not the tag number alone — determines what enforcement remedies CMS can impose.
3. Deficiency narrative
The substantive description: what the standard requires, followed by the specific evidence surveyors gathered — observations, interviews, and record reviews — supporting the finding. This is the section a Plan of Correction has to respond to point by point, not in general terms.
4. Plan of Correction column
The facility's written response, due within 10 calendar days of the survey exit date for most deficiencies. See the four required elements every PoC needs to address.
The full A–L scope-and-severity grid
The letter on a citation comes from a grid with two axes: how widespread the deficiency was down the rows, and how severe the harm was across the columns.
| Severity | Isolated | Pattern | Widespread |
|---|---|---|---|
| No actual harm, potential for minimal harm | A | B | C |
| No actual harm, potential for more than minimal harm (not Immediate Jeopardy) | D | E | F |
| Actual harm that is not Immediate Jeopardy | G | H | I |
| Immediate Jeopardy to resident health or safety | J | K | L |
This is the same scope-and-severity framework CMS surveyors apply under 42 CFR §488.404, which lists scope and severity of noncompliance among the factors CMS weighs when selecting enforcement remedies.
Why the scope-and-severity letter matters more than it looks
Two citations under the same F-tag can carry very different weight depending on their letter grade. A D-level citation (isolated, no actual harm) and a K-level citation (pattern, Immediate Jeopardy) under the same tag trigger completely different consequences — from routine follow-up to accelerated enforcement and, at the top of the scale, potential termination proceedings. Reading the letter grade, not just the tag number, is the difference between understanding what actually happened and just knowing the general subject area.
What happens after you submit the Plan of Correction
Submitting the PoC isn't the end of the process. The survey agency conducts a revisit — either a desk review of documentation or an onsite visit — to verify the deficiency was actually corrected as described, not just that the paperwork was accepted. States may conduct up to two revisits at their own discretion; a third revisit requires approval from the CMS Regional Office. For an Immediate Jeopardy citation, the corrective timeline is typically compressed, and the revisit focuses first on confirming the jeopardy itself has been removed.
If a facility disputes a cited deficiency rather than simply correcting it, 42 CFR §488.331 requires CMS and states to offer an Informal Dispute Resolution (IDR) process. The request has to be made within the same 10-calendar-day window as the Plan of Correction itself, and most states offer a choice of a face-to-face meeting, a video conference, or a paper desk review.
PoC360 imports your 2567 automatically
PoC360 parses each citation on your CMS-2567 — F-tag, scope-and-severity, and narrative — and pre-generates the corrective action, systemic fix, and monitoring plan your Plan of Correction needs, before your team even opens the form.
See AI Plan of Correction →Frequently Asked Questions
What does the scope-and-severity letter grade mean on a CMS-2567?+
The letter (A through L) is a two-axis rating: how widespread the deficiency was (isolated, pattern, or widespread) and how serious the actual or potential harm was, from no actual harm up to Immediate Jeopardy. The combination determines what enforcement remedies CMS can impose, not just how the deficiency reads on paper.
Is the CMS-2567 public?+
Yes. Statements of Deficiencies are public records, typically available from the facility itself, the state survey agency, or CMS's Care Compare tools, and are commonly reviewed by families, attorneys, and competitors researching a facility's compliance history.
What are the four parts of every citation on a CMS-2567?+
The F-tag and regulatory citation identifying which requirement in 42 CFR Part 483 was violated, the scope-and-severity letter grade, the deficiency narrative describing what surveyors observed, and the Plan of Correction column where the facility responds.
How long does a facility have to submit its Plan of Correction after a CMS-2567?+
For most deficiencies, the written Plan of Correction is due within 10 calendar days of the survey exit date.
Can a facility dispute a citation on its CMS-2567 instead of just correcting it?+
Yes. Under 42 CFR §488.331, CMS and states must offer an Informal Dispute Resolution (IDR) process. The request must be made within the same 10-calendar-day window as the Plan of Correction, and most states offer a choice of face-to-face, video conference, or paper desk review.
Does submitting the Plan of Correction end the process?+
No. The survey agency conducts a revisit — a desk review or an onsite visit — to verify the deficiency was actually corrected. States can conduct up to two revisits at their own discretion; a third requires CMS Regional Office approval.