How to read a DSHS inspection report

Where to find them

Every Wayvo listing links to the home’s DSHS reports. For Adult Family Homes, DSHS keeps a page per license listing the home’s documents. For assisted living and nursing homes, search the DSHS lookup by the license number shown on the listing.

The kinds of documents

• Inspections. Routine full visits. DSHS inspects Adult Family Homes every 9 to 18 months, about every 15 months on average, and a new home within 9 months of its license. A home with no citations across three full inspections may go up to 24 months.
• Investigations. Visits in response to a complaint or a reported concern. A complaint being investigated does not mean it was found to be true.
• Enforcement letters. Actions DSHS takes to make a home fix problems, such as fines, conditions on the license, or stopping new admissions.
• Limitations. Limits on the kinds of residents a home may care for, sometimes in one part of the home.

Reading a report

When an inspector finds a rule was not met, the report lists a deficiency (sometimes called a citation), the rule it relates to, and what the inspector saw. The home then sends a plan of correction saying how it fixed the problem. DSHS may follow up to check.

Read the description, not just the count. A missing signature on a form is very different from a resident not getting medication or being left without help.

Some details are blacked out to protect residents’ privacy. That is normal.

What DSHS cites most often

The rules Adult Family Homes miss most often are mostly about records, medications and safety routines. These were the five most cited in the second quarter of 2025, the latest DSHS report we have read:

• Medication system: cited 203 times
• License annual fee: cited 145 times
• Medical devices: cited 145 times
• Emergency evacuation drills: cited 134 times
• Notice of resident rights and services: cited 131 times

So a citation on its own does not tell you much. Many are paperwork, and a few are serious. That is why the description matters more than the count.

Reassuring signs

• Few or minor deficiencies, fixed quickly
• The same problem does not come back on the next inspection
• The owner talks openly with you about past findings

Red flags

• Repeat deficiencies in the same area across inspections
• Findings about harm, neglect, medications or not enough staff
• Enforcement actions, especially a stop on new admissions, fines or license conditions
• A pattern of investigations with findings

Ask the home about it

• “I read your last inspection. Can you tell me what happened and what changed?”
• “Has DSHS ever limited admissions or fined the home?”
• “Who on your team handles medications now?”

A good home will answer plainly. If something worries you, you can also call DSHS, or ask a Wayvo guide to help you read a report.