Title 42

SECTION 488.442

488.442 Civil money penalties: Due date for payment of penalty.

§ 488.442 Civil money penalties: Due date for payment of penalty.

(a) When payments are due for a civil money penalty. (1) Payment for a civil money penalty is due in accordance with § 488.431 of this chapter for CMS-imposed penalties and 15 days after the State initiates collection pursuant to § 488.432 of this chapter for State-imposed penalties, except as provided in paragraphs (a)(2) and (3) of this section.

(2) After a request to waive a hearing or when a hearing was not requested. Except as provided for in § 488.431, a civil money penalty is due 15 days after receipt of a written request to waive a hearing in accordance with § 488.436 or 15 days after the time period for requesting a hearing has expired and a hearing request was not received when:

(i) The facility achieved substantial compliance before the hearing request was due; or

(ii) The effective date of termination occurs before the hearing request was due.

(3) After the effective date of termination. A civil money penalty payment is due 15 days after the effective date of termination, if that date is earlier than the date specified in paragraph (a)(1)of this section.

(b) [Reserved]

(c) Deduction of penalty from amount owed. The amount of the penalty, when determined, may be deducted from any sum then or later owing by CMS or the State to the facility.

(d) Interest - (1) Assessment. Interest is assessed on the unpaid balance of the penalty, beginning on the due date.

(2) Medicare interest. Medicare rate of interest is the higher of -

(i) The rate fixed by the Secretary of the Treasury after taking into consideration private consumer rates of interest prevailing on the date of the notice of the penalty amount due (published quarterly in the Federal Register by HHS under 45 CFR 30.13(a)); or

(ii) The current value of funds (published annually in the Federal Register by the Secretary of the Treasury, subject to quarterly revisions).

(3) Medicaid interest. The interest rate for Medicaid is determined by the State.

(e) Penalties collected by CMS. Civil money penalties and corresponding interest collected by CMS from -

(1) Medicare-participating facilities are deposited and disbursed in accordance with § 488.433; and

(2) Medicaid-participating facilities are returned to the State.

(f) Collection from dually participating facilities. Civil money penalties collected from dually participating facilities are deposited and disbursed in accordance with § 488.433 and returned to the State in proportion commensurate with the relative proportions of Medicare and Medicaid beds at the facility actually in use by residents covered by the respective programs on the date the civil money penalty begins to accrue.

(g) Penalties collected by the State. Civil money penalties collected by the State must be applied to the protection of the health or property of residents of facilities that the State or CMS finds noncompliant, such as -

(1) Payment for the cost of relocating residents to other facilities;

(2) State costs related to the operation of a facility pending correction of deficiencies or closure; and

(3) Reimbursement of residents for personal funds or property lost at a facility as a result of actions by the facility or by individuals used by the facility to provide services to residents.

[59 FR 56243, Nov. 10, 1994; 60 FR 50119, Sept. 28, 1995, as amended at 64 FR 13361, Mar. 18, 1999; 76 FR 15128, Mar. 18, 2011]