F940: Develop, implement, and/or maintain an effective training program for all new and existing staff members
F940 is one of the federal requirements every Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing home must meet. CMS describes it as: Develop, implement, and/or maintain an effective training program for all new and existing staff members.
It sits in CMS's administration 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). 34.5% of F940 citations came from a complaint visit rather than a routine inspection.
By letter: B 1, C 5, D 117, E 132, F 71, G 2, K 2.
What inspectors wrote
Three recent F940 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 EBased on a review of clinical records, employee records, the facility assessment, facility policies and procedures, and staff interviews, it was determined the facility failed to develop, implement, and maintain an effective training program, based on the facility assessment, to ensure licensed nursing staff demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and documented competencies necessary to provide care for a resident with a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) line for one of 23 residents reviewed (Resident 6).
Gardens at Orangeville, the, Orangeville, PA
Inspectors wrote, July 17, 2026, scope and severity FBased on interview and record review, the facility failed to develop and implement a comprehensive, competency-based nursing orientation program, failed to maintain required competency records in newly hired employee files. This failure resulted in a new graduate nurse working independently without verified competencies, leading to a widespread medication error incident. This deficient practice had the potential to impact all residents who received nursing care at the facility.
Edenbrook Pine Haven, Pine Island, MN
Inspectors wrote, July 16, 2026, scope and severity DBased on record review and interview, it was determined that the facility failed to implement and maintain an effective training program regarding nephrostomy tube care. This was evident during staff interviews while reviewing complaint #3067494 regarding nephrostomy tube flushing.
Elkton Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Elkton, MD
Most recent F940 citations at the harm or jeopardy level
Newest first, all 4 in the current files. Each home's page shows the citation in full context, with its correction status.
| Inspection | Home | Town | Letter | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 16, 2026 | West Woods of Bridgman | Bridgman, MI | G | Complaint |
| August 11, 2024 | Woods at Sparta of Journey LLC, the | Sparta, GA | G | Standard |
| November 7, 2023 | Adviniacare Newburyport | Newburyport, MA | K | Standard |
| November 14, 2022 | Sandtown Health and Rehabilitation | Marietta, GA | K | Standard |
Most recent F940 citations
F940 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: 2022 2, 2023 54, 2024 112, 2025 106, 2026 56.
Common questions
- What is F940 in a nursing home inspection?
- F940 is the federal requirement to "develop, implement, and/or maintain an effective training program for all new and existing staff members". CMS files it under administration. A home cited under F940 did not meet that requirement at the inspection.
- How often is F940 cited?
- The CMS files as of September 1, 2026 list 330 F940 citations at 322 nursing homes, 78 of them in the 12 months to that date. 1.2% were rated as actual harm or immediate jeopardy.
- Is a F940 citation serious?
- It depends on the letter. Most F940 citations (97.0%) were rated as potential for more than minimal harm, D to F. 2 were immediate jeopardy, the most serious 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