F586: Not prohibit or in any way discourage a resident from communicating with federal, state, or local officials
F586 is one of the federal requirements every Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing home must meet. CMS describes it as: Not prohibit or in any way discourage a resident from communicating with federal, state, or local officials.
It sits in CMS's resident rights category.
CMS Health Deficiencies file, data as of September 1, 2026. The files hold each home's last three standard inspections and three years of complaint visits.
How seriously inspectors rate it
Every citation gets a letter for how much harm inspectors found and how many residents it touched (how to read the letters). 40.0% of F586 citations came from a complaint visit rather than a routine inspection.
By letter: B 1, D 7, E 4, F 3.
What inspectors wrote
Three recent F586 citations from different states, quoted from the inspectors' statements of deficiencies (CMS form 2567). Names are removed by CMS.
Inspectors wrote, February 12, 2026, scope and severity DBased on interviews and record review, it was determined that the facility failed to permit the resident's representative to speak directly with state surveyors. This was evident for 1 (Resident #14) out 1 resident in the recertification survey.
Lorien Nursing & Rehab Ctr - Elkridge, Elkridge, MD
Inspectors wrote, April 4, 2025, scope and severity EBased on observation, interview, and record review, the facility failed to ensure an unknown Liaison (a person who helps different groups communicate and work together) did not have access and retained the medical records for one of six residents (Resident 48). This failure resulted in a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA - is a federal law enacted in 1996 that aims to protect individuals' health information and ensure the continuity of their health insurance coverage) violation of medical records for Resident 48.
Westwood Post Acute Care, Los Angeles, CA
Inspectors wrote, February 5, 2025, scope and severity DBased on Observation, staff interviews, Resident interviews, clinical record reviews, and facility documentation review, the facility staff discouraged one Resident from communication with external local entities/police during an abuse allegation, and did not allow evidence from a police report of the abuse situation for 2 Residents (Residents #131, and #130) in a survey sample size of 63 residents.
Forest Hill Health & Rehabilitation, Richmond, VA
Most recent F586 citations
| Inspection | Home | Town | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 2026 | Heritage Care Center | Saint Louis, MO | D |
| February 12, 2026 | Lorien Nursing & Rehab Ctr - Elkridge | Elkridge, MD | D |
| April 4, 2025 | Westwood Post Acute Care | Los Angeles, CA | E |
| February 5, 2025 | Forest Hill Health & Rehabilitation | Richmond, VA | D |
| December 19, 2024 | Birchwood Park Rehabilitation | Virginia Beach, VA | D |
| November 18, 2024 | Wabasso Restorative Care Center | Wabasso, MN | D |
| October 2, 2024 | Centro De Cuidado Prolongado San Lucas | Rio Piedras, PR | F |
| September 25, 2024 | Multy Medical Skilled Nursing Facility | Rio Piedras, PR | F |
| September 12, 2024 | Hospital De La Concepcion Inc | San German, PR | F |
| January 30, 2024 | Aliya of Palos Park | Palos Park, IL | B |
| December 12, 2023 | Civita Care Center at Newington | Newington, CT | E |
| September 18, 2023 | Four Seasons Living Center | Sedalia, MO | E |
| July 28, 2023 | Four Seasons Living Center | Sedalia, MO | E |
| February 2, 2022 | Willowcreek Wellness & Rehabilitation | Florissant, MO | D |
| February 13, 2020 | Dockside Health & Rehab Center | Locust Hill, VA | D |
F586 citations by state
Counts depend on how many homes a state has and how often its inspectors visit, so a larger number is not by itself a worse record.
| State | Citations |
|---|---|
| Missouri | 4 |
| Puerto Rico | 3 |
| Virginia | 3 |
| California | 1 |
| Connecticut | 1 |
| Illinois | 1 |
| Maryland | 1 |
| Minnesota | 1 |
By inspection year: 2020 1, 2022 1, 2023 3, 2024 6, 2025 2, 2026 2.
Common questions
- What is F586 in a nursing home inspection?
- F586 is the federal requirement to "not prohibit or in any way discourage a resident from communicating with federal, state, or local officials". CMS files it under resident rights. A home cited under F586 did not meet that requirement at the inspection.
- How often is F586 cited?
- The CMS files as of September 1, 2026 list 15 F586 citations at 14 nursing homes, 2 of them in the 12 months to that date. 0.0% were rated as actual harm or immediate jeopardy.
- Is a F586 citation serious?
- It depends on the letter. Most F586 citations (93.3%) were rated as potential for more than minimal harm, D to F. None in the current files is at the immediate jeopardy level.
The interpretive guidance inspectors use for each F-tag is CMS's State Operations Manual, Appendix PP. NursingHomeClear reports the citations as CMS records them and is not affiliated with CMS. All F-tags · Methodology