Company fined for employing unscreened caregivers, some with criminal records

(KRON) — On Wednesday, a Daly City caregiver company was fined $100,000 in civil penalties after being caught employing unscreened caregivers, some of them with criminal records, into the homes of elderly and disabled residents.

The investigation was launched after the company, Serving Seniors Care, received a complaint of an aide that stole thousands of dollars from an elderly Palo Alto man he was assigned to look after, Santa Clara District Attorney Jeff Rosen said.

In addition to the case in Palo Alto, which remains pending, the investigation showed a different aide that stole thousands of dollars from a client in another county, the complaint said.

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Despite marketing themselves as otherwise, the civil complaint alleges that Serving Senior Care did not obtain required clearances for dozens of its employees before they were placed with elderly and disabled clients.

“Families trust home care organizations to follow the law when they hire employees,” Rosen said. “Placing strangers into homes without a background check or screening puts elderly and disabled citizens in harm’s way.”

California state law requires licensed home care organizations to make sure employees are cleared on the home care aide registry of the California Department of Social Services before the aides are placed in a client’s home.

By law, those convicted of any crime are barred from serving as home aides.

The court ordered the company and its owner to pay the $100,000 penalty for unfair competition and false advertising. The court also ordered them to comply with the Home Care Services Protection Act and to maintain personnel records related to all clearances and placements.

The penalty was the result of a District Attorney’s Office consumer protection lawsuit, the first of its kind filed in Santa Clara County.

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