F729: Verify that a nurse aide has been trained; and if they haven't worked as a nurse aide for 2 years, receive retraining
F729 is one of the federal requirements every Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing home must meet. CMS describes it as: Verify that a nurse aide has been trained; and if they haven't worked as a nurse aide for 2 years, receive retraining.
It sits in CMS's nursing and physician services 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). 44.8% of F729 citations came from a complaint visit rather than a routine inspection.
By letter: B 1, C 5, D 93, E 44, F 29.
What inspectors wrote
Three recent F729 citations from different states, quoted from the inspectors' statements of deficiencies (CMS form 2567). Names are removed by CMS.
Inspectors wrote, July 23, 2026, scope and severity DBased on interview and record review, the facility failed to ensure it received registry verification for 1 (CNA A) of 5 employees reviewed for registry verification prior to allowing an applicant to serve as a nurse aide. The facility failed to ensure CNA A had a current nurse aide certification while employed at the facility, while actively providing care for residents. This failure could result in residents being provided with care by staff who have not provided documentation of training and competency in providing care.
Mitchell County Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Colorado City, TX
Inspectors wrote, July 16, 2026, scope and severity DBased on personnel file review, facility policy review, and staff interview, the facility failed to assure all Certified Nursing Aides (CNA's) had a current, active certification prior to working in the facility for 1 of 7 employee's sampled. The facility identified a census of 59 residents.
Ivy at Davenport, Davenport, IA
Inspectors wrote, June 4, 2026, scope and severity DBased on interview and record review, the facility failed to follow up to ensure that 1 of 5 sampled staff members (unlicensed Nursing Assistant [NA] #1) who were hired as Licensed Nursing Assistants (LNAs) obtained actual licensure within 4 months of passing a training and competency evaluation program approved by the state.
Vernon Green Nursing Home, Vernon, VT
Most recent F729 citations
| Inspection | Home | Town | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 23, 2026 | Mitchell County Nursing and Rehabilitation Center | Colorado City, TX | D |
| July 16, 2026 | Ivy at Davenport | Davenport, IA | D |
| June 4, 2026 | Vernon Green Nursing Home | Vernon, VT | D |
| May 27, 2026 | St. Juanita Retirement and Rehab | San Angelo, TX | D |
| May 22, 2026 | Palolo Chinese Home | Honolulu, HI | D |
| May 7, 2026 | North Auburn Care | Auburn, WA | E |
| May 6, 2026 | Life Care Center of Richland | Richland, WA | D |
| May 1, 2026 | Crestwood Health Care Center | Florissant, MO | D |
| April 30, 2026 | Simpson Place | Dallas, TX | E |
| April 17, 2026 | Lake Ridge Center | Moses Lake, WA | D |
| March 18, 2026 | Onyx Care of Jena | Jena, LA | D |
| March 17, 2026 | The Villas at Robbinsdale | Robbinsdale, MN | C |
| March 12, 2026 | The Jefferson | Arlington, VA | D |
| March 12, 2026 | Palazzo Post Acute | Los Angeles, CA | D |
| March 12, 2026 | Tulare Healthcare & Wellness Center, LP | Tulare, CA | D |
| March 6, 2026 | Miller's Merry Manor | Portage, IN | C |
| February 27, 2026 | Riverside Health Services | Arkoma, OK | E |
| February 24, 2026 | Widows Home of Dayton | Dayton, OH | F |
| February 18, 2026 | Longwood at Oakmont | Verona, PA | D |
| February 5, 2026 | Stanley Healthcare Center | Westminster, CA | D |
| January 28, 2026 | Merit House LLC | Toledo, OH | F |
| January 22, 2026 | Spring Hill Rehabilitation and Nursing Center | Pittsburgh, PA | D |
| January 21, 2026 | Adira Medical Resort | Bossier City, LA | D |
| January 21, 2026 | The Haven of Bement. | Bement, IL | F |
| January 15, 2026 | Polaris Rehabilitation and Care Center | Cheyenne, WY | D |
F729 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: 2019 4, 2020 1, 2021 3, 2022 4, 2023 34, 2024 52, 2025 48, 2026 26.
Common questions
- What is F729 in a nursing home inspection?
- F729 is the federal requirement to "verify that a nurse aide has been trained; and if they haven't worked as a nurse aide for 2 years, receive retraining". CMS files it under nursing and physician services. A home cited under F729 did not meet that requirement at the inspection.
- How often is F729 cited?
- The CMS files as of September 1, 2026 list 172 F729 citations at 163 nursing homes, 35 of them in the 12 months to that date. 0.0% were rated as actual harm or immediate jeopardy.
- Is a F729 citation serious?
- It depends on the letter. Most F729 citations (96.5%) 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