F731: Request a waiver if it can't meet the nurse staffing requirements
F731 is one of the federal requirements every Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing home must meet. CMS describes it as: Request a waiver if it can't meet the nurse staffing requirements.
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). 16.7% of F731 citations came from a complaint visit rather than a routine inspection.
By letter: C 1, E 1, F 4.
What inspectors wrote
Three recent F731 citations from different states, quoted from the inspectors' statements of deficiencies (CMS form 2567). Names are removed by CMS.
Inspectors wrote, January 8, 2026, scope and severity FBased on record review and staff interview the facility failed to ensure a new, current Registered Nurse waiver was completed. Resident Identifier: Facility:Facility. Facility Census:
Main Street Care, Hinton, WV
Inspectors wrote, November 17, 2025, scope and severity FBased on interview and record review, the facility did not request a waiver when unable to meet the requirements of recruiting appropriate personnel. This had the potential to affect all 48 residents in the facility. The facility did not request a waiver when unable to recruit a registered nurse for the Director of Nurse's position.
Careview Health and Rehab of Minocqua, Minocqua, WI
Inspectors wrote, January 8, 2025, scope and severity FBased on interview and record review, the facility failed to designate a registered nurse (RN) to serve as the DON on a full-time basis since 11/3/2024 The facility did not have a DON from 11/3/2024 to currant date. This failure could place residents at risk of lack of nursing oversight and a higher level of care.
Colonial Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Lindale, TX
Most recent F731 citations
| Inspection | Home | Town | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 8, 2026 | Main Street Care | Hinton, WV | F |
| November 17, 2025 | Careview Health and Rehab of Minocqua | Minocqua, WI | F |
| February 6, 2025 | Battle Mountain General Hospital | Battle Mountain, NV | C |
| January 8, 2025 | Colonial Nursing & Rehabilitation Center | Lindale, TX | F |
| October 24, 2024 | Plattsburgh Rehabilitation and Nursing Center | Plattsburgh, NY | E |
| May 16, 2024 | Heritage Manor | Chisholm, MN | F |
Common questions
- What is F731 in a nursing home inspection?
- F731 is the federal requirement to "request a waiver if it can't meet the nurse staffing requirements". CMS files it under nursing and physician services. A home cited under F731 did not meet that requirement at the inspection.
- How often is F731 cited?
- The CMS files as of September 1, 2026 list 6 F731 citations at 6 nursing homes, 2 of them in the 12 months to that date. 0.0% were rated as actual harm or immediate jeopardy.
- Is a F731 citation serious?
- It depends on the letter. Most F731 citations (83.3%) 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