A February report from the Government Accountability Office found significant shortcomings in the oversight of assisted living facilities across the country, according to an article on the Governing website.

Forty-eight states receive Medicaid funding for assisted living facilities, but 26 of those states do not report “critical incidents” — including unexplained deaths, abuse, neglect or financial exploitation — to the federal government.

According to Justice in Aging, the report “barely scratches the surface” of the lack of oversight and reporting requirements. The advocacy group claims that even for the 22 states that do collect data on serious infractions, the information isn’t easy enough for the public to obtain.

There are few federal standards around Medicaid-funded assisted living facilities, leaving states mostly in charge of regulating them.

Read the article.