On August 24, 2026, the New York State Department of Health issued a new DAL which announced the release of the long-awaited revised Incident Reporting Manual. We know a lot of facilities who haven’t let go on the 2016 Manual, but now is the time to toss it in the trash. The new DOH Incident Reporting Manual is dated July 2026.
The Manual includes a significant amount of information that was in prior versions of the Manual, along with current federal regulation information, including key definitions. New York nursing homes should pay special attention to the first section of reporting requirements related to physical plant issues or loss of service. These areas were not specifically identified in the federal regulations and therefore some providers felt this was a grey area for reporting issues such as loss of phone service to DOH. The reporting criteria are clearly set out and should look familiar from the prior Manual.
The Manual also includes a section on time-bound reporting – multiple definitions are laid out related to reporting timeframes, including those for:
- Federal Requirements (F609)
- Elder Justice Act
- PHL Patient Abuse Reporting Law
- Safe Medical Devices Act
The second section includes a variety of incident categories and reporting scenarios/ samples to help facilities determine if something is reportable. This section addresses:
- Abuse, Mistreatment, Neglect, Misappropriation
- Quality of Care – Medication Errors, Drug Diversion, Injury of Unknown Origin, Burns, Attempted Suicide or Death/ Injury related to Suicide, Restraints, Equipment or Death Related to Fall, Accidents/ Choking, Residents in Non-Resident Area, Administration of Life-Saving Care, Elopement
The third section, Investigations, addresses existing requirements for the facility’s Investigation Summary Report which is submitted to DOH. Remember, the investigation is to be submitted no later than five (5) business days after the incident or accident and sufficient information must be provided to describe the results of the investigation and correction actions(s) taken if the allegation was verified.
The final section provides additional instructions regarding submission of Facility-Reported Incidents, including the Initial Report and the Investigative Summary Report.
Resources:
View DAL DRS 26-05 “Updated Incident Reporting Manual” (August 24, 2026) for more information (or visit this link on the DOH website)
Download the July 2026 Nursing Home Incident Reporting Manual here (or visit this link on the DOH website)
