Has Your Assisted Living Facility Violated State Regulations?

You can also search for the most current licensure and inspection information for Personal Care/Assisted Living facilities. Listed below are the most recent violations that were noted during 2008 inspections of those Personal Care/Assisted Living facilities that use the terms “Assisted Living” in their names. 

A Report on Licensed Personal Care Homes

This report describes the personal care homes inspected and licensed, annual trends in the number of personal care homes, the needs of residents served in personal care homes, the types of violations found, the nature of complaints and incidents received and investigated, the types of enforcement actions taken and other Adult Residential Licensing activities in 2008. 

Click here to download the PDF document

Urgent Regulations Update

The Office of Long Term Living (OLTL) is reviewing the comments received during last year’s public comment process and is considering amendments to the proposed regulations. In response to comments received from the Independent Regulatory Review Commission, the OLTL has developed and disseminated a survey to all currently licensed personal care homes.  The survey questions are focused on the physical plant characteristics of the existing personal care homes.  The OLTL is asking for survey responses by March 6, 2009, after which the results will be reviewed and tallied.  The results of the survey will assist the OLTL in drafting the final assisted living regulations.  Due to the timing of the survey, the OLTL will not issue a final draft of the regulations by the end of February as originally intended.  Check back on the PA Assisted Living Consumer Alliance web site for additional updates.

You Can Still Comment

The Department of Public Welfare received over 200 written comments to the proposed assisted living regulations.  Although the official comment period is closed, written comments can still be submitted to the Department of Public Welfare about what should be included in the final regulations.  Comments can be submitted to Gail Weidman at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 Final regulations due in mid-November 2009

Here is the status of the Assisted Living Residence regulations and information regarding the timeframe the Department of Public Welfare (DPW) is using to finalize the regulations.

• DPW is reviewing the comments received from all interested parties on the proposed regulations to determine what amendments will be made in the final regulation package. A final draft of the regulations will be ready by the end of February 2009.

• DPW will disseminate the final draft to the Assisted Living Residence workgroup for its review and comment.

• The workgroup will have a 30-day period for comment and review.

• DPW then will review the comments received from the Assisted Living Residence workgroup members and make amendments to the package.

• The final regulation package will then be prepared and submitted into the formal regulatory review process.

• Based on the submission of the regulation package into the review process by the end of May 2009, the DPW will submit the regulations to the IRRC by the end of August 2009.

• The expected publication date of the final regulations is mid-November 2009.

September 15 Deadline for Public Comment

The public has until September 15 to comment on the proposed assisted living regulations before the state agency's final review. 

People can email their comments to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or mail their written comments about the proposed regulations to: 

Gail Weidman, Department of Public Welfare, Office of Long-Term Care Living, P.O. Box 2675, Harrisburg, PA 17105.

NOTE:  If you choose to email your comments to DPW, please also mail a hard copy of your comments to the address above.

Persons with a disability may use the AT&T Relay Service, (800) 654-5984 (TDD users) or (800) 654-5988 (voice users).

Please reference Regulation No. 14-514 when submitting comments.

All comments must be postmarked by Sept. 15, 2008.  

Read the proposed regulations here

Public Hearing on Assisted Living Regulations Scheduled for September 18

The House Health and Human Services Committee will hold a Public Hearing on the Proposed Assisted Living Regulations on September 18, 2008, at 9:30 a.m. The hearing will be held in Room 205 of the Ryan Office Building in Harrisburg, PA.  The hearing will be held after the deadline for public comment but during the 30 day period for the Independent Regulatory Review Commission and the General Assembly Standing Committees to produce their comments.

The proposed regulations were originally released in the weekly PA Bulletin on August 9, beginning the official 30 day comment period – which would put the deadline at September 8.  Please note, however, that the state did not identify a mailing address for submitting comments in that bulletin.  The bulletin issued on Saturday, August 16 provided the new, correct deadline of Monday, September 15 for submitting comments.

PALCA’s Overview of the Proposed Assisted Living Regulations

While PALCA is pleased that some critical requirements were included in the proposed regulations, crucial pieces have been omitted.  It is essential that public comments be submitted raising both the good and the bad about the proposed regulations:  the good, because we want to ensure that the Department and IRRC and public know how critical the additions were, so that they are not removed in the final draft, and the bad because the crucial missing pieces are fundamentally imperative for consumers and their families.

For example, as proposed, a consumer would have to move in, sign a contract for residency and services, and begin payment to the facility weeks before the facility would be required to identify the consumer’s care needs and explain to the consumer and her family how they proposed to meet those needs or even how much it would cost.  As proposed, direct care staff would not have to complete a minimum amount of training hours and not all direct care staff would have to have any training in first aid or CPR.  As proposed, facilities that exist as of the day the regulations take effect would not have to meet the best available standards or practices for fire safety or even wheelchair accessibility.

Some other ways in which the proposed regulations fall short include:

• They propose far too few staff members on duty to meet residents’ needs

• They call for resident living space to be far too small

• They omit essential residents’ rights that should be afforded to all consumers.

• They provide consumers with no right to challenge a facility’s decision to kick them out

• They take away a resident’s right to continue to use or otherwise choose their own healthcare providers, such as their doctor or psychiatrist.

• They call for annual instead of quarterly needs assessments and support planning.

August 9, 2008:  Dept. of Public Welfare Issues Proposed Regulations for Assisted Living Facilities

Proposed rules to cover assisted living facilities fall far short of what is needed to ensure that Pennsylvania’s elderly and those with disabilities receive adequate care in safe surroundings, according to the Pennsylvania Assisted Living Consumer Alliance (PALCA).

The PA Assisted Living Consumer Alliance wants to make sure the proposed assisted living regulations will provide quality care for elderly and disabled residents. They need to have a solid enforcement mechanism so that people will be safe and adequately cared for. The proposed regulations will spell out detailed policies that assisted living facilities must follow or risk state sanctions. Until now, state regulations did not have a separate licensing requirement for assisted living facilities. They were lumped together with a wide range of homes for the elderly and disabled. 

Please continue to check back here for updates.