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PUB 475: RCFE Complaint Poster

By Sevana Care · Checked against cdss.ca.gov and Title 22 on

When it is due
No number of days.Section 87468(c) says licensees "shall prominently post" complaint information, and HSC § 1569.33(i)(2) says each RCFE "shall post this poster in the main entryway of its facility" [2][3]. Neither text gives a deadline [2][3].
Who fills it out
Nobody.The poster has no blanks or signature lines [1]. The licensee prints and posts it, or develops its own poster with the same content [2].
Where it is kept
Posted in the main entryway.The rule says the poster "shall be 20″ x 26″ in size and be posted in the main entryway of the facility" [2].
How long to keep
Neither § 87468 nor the poster gives a period [2][1].CDSS's list of records an RCFE keeps (LIC 311F, 4/05) does not name PUB 475 [6].

PUB 475 is the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE) Complaint Poster. It tells people how to report a complaint or concern about a licensed care facility [1]. Title 22 § 87468(c)(2)(A) says licensees "may use" PUB 475 "or may develop their own poster" [2]. A home that makes its own poster must give it "the same content as the PUB 475" [2]. CDSS calls PUB 475 a courtesy to licensees [4].

Who fills it out

Nobody fills it out. The poster is one page of fixed text, with no blanks and no signature lines [1].

The licensee does the posting. Section 87468(c): "Licensees shall prominently post personal rights, nondiscrimination notice, and complaint information in areas accessible to residents, representatives, and the public" [2]. Subparagraph (c)(2) says what the posting must carry: "Information on the appropriate reporting agency in case of a complaint or emergency, including procedures for filing confidential complaints, shall be posted as follows" [2]. Subparagraph (c)(2)(A) adds that "PUB 475 may be accessed, downloaded, and printed from the www.ccld.ca.gov website" [2].

When it is due

The rule sets no number of days. Section 87468(c) says licensees "shall prominently post" complaint information, and HSC § 1569.33(i)(2) says "Each residential care facility for the elderly shall post this poster in the main entryway of its facility" [2][3]. Neither text sets a deadline or ties the posting to an event [2][3].

The statute does not name PUB 475. HSC § 1569.33(i)(1) says the department "shall design, or cause to be designed, a poster that contains information on the appropriate reporting agency in case of a complaint or emergency" [3]. Section 87468 is the text that names PUB 475 [2].

Where it is kept

The rule says to post it. Section 87468(c)(2)(A): "The poster that is posted shall be 20″ x 26″ in size and be posted in the main entryway of the facility" [2].

Size. The PUB 475 PDF page measures 11 by 17 inches [1]. The rule's size is 20 by 26 inches [2]. The rule says nothing about scaling the PDF to that size.

Language. Section 87468(d): licensees "shall post the personal rights, nondiscrimination notice, and complaint information specified above in English, and, in any other language in which at least five (5) percent of the residents can only read that other language" [2]. CDSS lists a Spanish version, "PUB 475 (10/18)" [8].

How long to keep it. Section 87468 sets no retention time for the poster [2]. The poster gives none [1]. LIC 311F does not name PUB 475 [6].

What the poster says

The poster is one page [1]:

  • Headline: "If You SEE Something, SAY Something"
  • "To report a complaint or concern regarding any licensed care facility, contact the Hotline at: 1-844-LET-US-NO (1-844-538-8766)"
  • "IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY CALL 9-1-1"
  • Email: LetUsNo@dss.ca.gov
  • Mail: California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division, Centralized Complaint and Information Bureau, 744 P Street, Sacramento, CA 95814

The phone number and email match the CDSS complaint page [7].

Questions

Does an RCFE have to use PUB 475?

The posting itself is required [2][3]. Section 87468(c)(2)(A) says licensees "may use" PUB 475 "or may develop their own poster," with "the same content as the PUB 475" [2]. HSC § 1569.33(i)(2) says each RCFE "shall post this poster," the one the department designs under (i)(1) [3].

Which version is current?

PUB 475 (10/18) is the version on CDSS's forms list [5]. CDSS's Provider Information Notice (PIN) 19-04-ASC says the update added the form title at the bottom of the page. It adds: "Otherwise, the poster remains the same" [4]. An older copy, PUB 475 (1/15), is still online at an old CDSS address [9].

Does PUB 475 also cover the personal rights and nondiscrimination postings?

No. Section 87468(c) lists personal rights, the nondiscrimination notice and complaint information as three postings [2]. The PUB 475 text covers only how to report a complaint or an emergency [1].

Does PUB 475 list the Long-Term Care Ombudsman?

No. Its text gives the CDSS hotline, 9-1-1, an email and a mail address. It does not mention the ombudsman [1]. Section 87468.2(a)(10) separately says a privately operated home posts "the telephone numbers and addresses for the local offices of the State Department of Social Services and ombudsman program" in a place such as the foyer or lobby [10]. Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) § 9718 applies to every "long-term care facility, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 9701," and § 9701(b)(2) names "Any residential care facility for the elderly" [12][13]. It says such a facility "shall post in a conspicuous location a notice of the name, address, and phone number of the office and the nearest approved organization, and a brief description of the services provided by the office and the approved organization" [12]. LIC 9242 item 10 asks for "Posting of Long-Term Care Ombudsman poster" [11].

What counts as the "main entryway"?

Section 87468 does not define it [2].

How Sevana Care keeps this record

Still got the complaint poster up in the entryway? The required postings section of Sevana Care's inspection checklist has an item for the PUB 475 complaint poster, 20″×26″, in the main entryway. You mark it checked, and the row shows the date of the next check. We don't print or supply the poster. The PUB 475 poster item is under Required postings in the sample home.

More in Postings, records and inspections

  • LIC 311F: CDSS's 2005 list of the records an RCFE keeps, and what has changed since then

Sources

  1. CDSS, PUB 475 (10/18), Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE) Complaint Poster (PDF)
  2. California Code of Regulations, Title 22, § 87468, Personal Rights of Residents (Westlaw)
  3. California Health and Safety Code § 1569.33 (leginfo)
  4. CDSS, PIN 19-04-ASC, Update Regarding Personal Rights Forms, Nondiscrimination Notice, and Complaint Poster for Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (PDF)
  5. CDSS, Forms and Publications (M-P)
  6. CDSS, LIC 311F (4/05), Records To Be Maintained At The Facility, Residential Care Facility For The Elderly (PDF)
  7. CDSS, CCLD Complaints
  8. CDSS, Translated Spanish Forms
  9. CDSS, PUB 475 (1/15), older copy (PDF)
  10. California Code of Regulations, Title 22, § 87468.2, Additional Personal Rights of Residents In Privately Operated Facilities (Westlaw)
  11. CDSS, LIC 9242 (9/19), Entrance Checklist Residential Care Facilities For The Elderly (PDF)
  12. California Welfare and Institutions Code § 9718 (leginfo)
  13. California Welfare and Institutions Code § 9701 (leginfo)