How to Check an RCFE License in California

Assisted living communities and board and care homes, licensed in California as RCFEs, are overseen by the Community Care Licensing Division of the California Department of Social Services. The division keeps a public lookup it calls the Community Care Facility search.

To reach it, go to the Department of Social Services website, open the Community Care Licensing section and choose the link to find licensed care or the facility search. A welcome page explains what the site holds and has a button to search for a facility.

The state's own consumer guide says a license matters because some people try to provide care without one, and that licensees must post the license where the public can see it. If you are unsure how the license types fit together, start with RCFE vs. assisted living.

1. 1

   Choose the senior care group

   On the search home page, pick the facility group named Elderly Assisted Living. Small board and care homes and large communities are both in this group.

2. 2

   Search by name, address or number

   The form lets you search by facility name, street, city, zip code or county. If the home has given you its nine-digit facility number, you can search by that directly, which avoids mix-ups between homes with similar names.

3. 3

   Read the Facility Detail page

   It shows the status, the date licensed, the licensee's name, the facility number, the facility type and the licensed capacity. Check that the name and address match the home you were told about.

4. 4

   Open each tab

   The record is split into All Visits, Citations, Inspections, Complaints, Other Visits and Reports. The Reports tab holds the written documents, which tell you far more than the counts do.

5. 5

   Call the regional office with questions

   Each detail page lists the State Licensing Regional Office responsible for that home, with its phone number. The site says that office has more information, including details of violations and when they occurred.

Status is the first thing to read. The site's own FAQ defines the terms you may see:

• Pending: the state is processing an application, and the facility is not yet licensed.
• Probation: the facility must comply with specific terms and conditions to prevent revocation of its license.
• Revocation Action Pending: the state has filed a legal action to revoke the license. The facility may stay open while that is decided.
• License Suspended: the state has closed the facility because of an imminent risk of harm.

Capacity is the number of residents the home is licensed for. If a six-bed home appears to have more people living in it than that, ask why.

Two kinds of report appear most often. The Facility Evaluation Report is the inspection report written by the state's Licensing Program Analyst. It records the type of visit, whether it was announced or unannounced, who the analyst met with, and a narrative. The Complaint Investigation Report records the allegation, the date it was received, the findings and the outcome.

Complaint findings use three words. The Department of Social Services explains that substantiated means the evidence shows the allegation is more likely than not true, unsubstantiated means there was not enough evidence to prove a violation occurred, and unfounded means the allegation could not have happened or had no reasonable basis.

The site holds reports for the most recent 60 months, and its FAQ says completed reports are uploaded weekly. Older records are kept at the facility and at the regional licensing office. The state's consumer guide says that office's public file contains the citations, civil penalties and administrative actions issued to the home.

You can also ask the home directly. California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform notes that a facility must, on request, show you its most recent inspection report and any substantiated complaints from the past year.

The facility search defines both types in its FAQ. The table below gives the state's wording.

A citation count alone does not tell you whether a home is right for your mother or father. A large community has many more residents than a six-bed home, so raw numbers are hard to compare. Read what each citation was for, how recent it was, whether the same problem came back, and what the report says the home did about it.

Then ask the administrator about anything that concerns you. How a home explains a past citation is useful information in itself. Our assisted living tour checklist has more questions to bring.

If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. Complaints about a licensed home, including concerns about neglect or unsafe conditions, go to California's Community Care Licensing Division at 1-844-538-8766. The division also takes complaints by email and through an online complaint page.

The Department of Social Services says your name stays anonymous unless you give permission to use it, and that the local licensing office will make an unannounced visit to the home within 10 days of receiving the complaint. If you leave contact details, you are told the findings in writing. It also says that if you believe physical or sexual abuse is involved, you should report it to local law enforcement as well.

The Long-Term Care Ombudsman is a second, independent route. The California Department of Aging says Ombudsman representatives help residents of long-term care facilities with problems involving care, safety, residents' rights, and improper transfer or discharge. Its services are free and complaints are confidential. The statewide Ombudsman hotline is 1-800-231-4024 and is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Hamssa Benrekia is a senior living placement specialist in Torrance who holds an RCFE Administrator Certificate. She refers families only to homes licensed by the State of California, and she goes on tours with the families she works with. She does not replace the state's record, so read it yourself for every home on your list, whether it is a board and care home or a memory care home. To talk through a short list, contact Hamssa.