F685: Assist a resident in gaining access to vision and hearing services
F685 is one of the federal requirements every Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing home must meet. CMS describes it as: Assist a resident in gaining access to vision and hearing services.
It sits in CMS's quality of life and care 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). 9.9% of F685 citations came from a complaint visit rather than a routine inspection.
By letter: B 2, C 1, D 1,107, E 68, F 1, G 8, H 1.
What inspectors wrote
Three recent F685 citations from different states, quoted from the inspectors' statements of deficiencies (CMS form 2567). Names are removed by CMS.
Inspectors wrote, July 31, 2026, scope and severity DBased on observations, record reviews, Nurse Practitioner (NP), staff, and resident interviews, the facility failed to follow through with the eye physician's recommendations for an Ophthalmology consult for cataract surgery. This practice occurred for 1 of 1 resident reviewed for care and treatment to maintain vision (Resident #57).
Biltmore Haven Nursing and Rehabilitation, Arden, NC
Inspectors wrote, July 29, 2026, scope and severity DBased on record review, staff interview, and resident interview, the facility failed to ensure residents received the proper treatment to maintain vision and hearing abilities. This affected three residents (#3, #11, and #22) of three residents reviewed for vision and hearing. The facility census was 37.
Muskingum Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation, Beverly, OH
Inspectors wrote, July 24, 2026, scope and severity DBased on clinical record review and family and staff interview it was determined that the facility failed to assist a resident to replace lost glasses for one of two residents reviewed for vision/hearing concerns (Resident 14).
Sweden Valley Manor, Coudersport, PA
Most recent F685 citations at the harm or jeopardy level
Newest first, all 9 in the current files. Each home's page shows the citation in full context, with its correction status.
| Inspection | Home | Town | Letter | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 29, 2026 | Lourdes Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center | Waterford, MI | G | Complaint |
| June 18, 2026 | Beach Street Health and Rehabilitation Center | Daytona Beach, FL | G | Standard |
| February 24, 2026 | Medilodge of Gaylord | Gaylord, MI | G | Complaint |
| July 3, 2025 | Adventist Health Delano | Delano, CA | G | Complaint |
| March 6, 2025 | Avir at San Angelo | San Angelo, TX | H | Standard |
| June 10, 2024 | Cornerstone Care Center | Sanger, CA | G | Standard |
| March 6, 2024 | Maple Grove Health and Rehabilitation Center | Greensboro, NC | G | Standard |
| February 9, 2024 | College Oak Nursing and Rehabilitation Center | Sacramento, CA | G | Standard |
| September 21, 2021 | Napa Valley Care Center | Napa, CA | G | Standard |
Most recent F685 citations
F685 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.
By inspection year: 2018 5, 2019 52, 2020 19, 2021 50, 2022 78, 2023 193, 2024 346, 2025 263, 2026 182.
Common questions
- What is F685 in a nursing home inspection?
- F685 is the federal requirement to "assist a resident in gaining access to vision and hearing services". CMS files it under quality of life and care. A home cited under F685 did not meet that requirement at the inspection.
- How often is F685 cited?
- The CMS files as of September 1, 2026 list 1,188 F685 citations at 1,100 nursing homes, 240 of them in the 12 months to that date. 0.8% were rated as actual harm or immediate jeopardy.
- Is a F685 citation serious?
- It depends on the letter. Most F685 citations (99.0%) 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