Company accused Virginia health inspector of 'bias' as nursing homes received serious violations

RICHMOND, Va. — Internal communications obtained by CBS 6 revealed allegations that a Virginia healthcare facility inspector was biased against a particular group of nursing homes that are linked through common management. The nursing home company sent a letter detailing the allegations as some of its affiliated facilities were cited with serious violations on inspections, some of which resulted in federal sanctions.

The communications date back to last summer. CBS 6 initially requested them from the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) in September 2025, but VDH withheld the records and referred the request to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which regulates nursing homes at the federal level. CMS released the records in January 2026.

WATCH: What inspections reveal about care and conditions at Henrico nursing home

'Concerning pattern of behavior'

In June 2025, the chief operating officer of Medical Facilities of America (MFA), Craig Neiswanger, sent a letter to leadership at VDH's licensing office detailing what he said was a "concerning pattern of behavior" from an inspector, also referred to as a surveyor. CMS redacted that person's name in the documents provided.

CMS identified MFA as a nursing home chain with multiple locations in Central Virginia, most of which have low overall quality and staffing ratings. CMS reports that those nursing homes are now under the chain "Lifeworks Rehab," which VDH said is a rehab vendor operating in MFA facilities.

In his letter, Neiswanger cited an inspection at Parham Health Care and Rehabilitation Center in April 2025, which resulted in serious violations that led to a fine and citations related to "repeated willful abuse" of residents.

During that inspection, Neiswanger claimed the surveyor in question made the following remarks to MFA staff:

• "We know the owners; it all runs in one family."
• "The facility reflects a lack of corporate investment."
• "If ownership continues not to invest in these buildings, you will continue to receive" high-level violations "and will be giving your money to CMS through" fines and "media exposure."
• "You know the heat is turned up on MFA and this is the tip of the spear."
• "Y'all know the elephant in the room (Assuming media about Colonial Heights) and we are here to poke the bear."

For context, a few months before the Parham inspection, staff at Colonial Heights Rehabilitation and Nursing Center had been arrested in an alleged elder abuse investigation, which received media coverage.

At the conclusion of an inspection at Colonial Heights in May 2025, Neiswanger claimed the surveyor again made a comment about the facility's ownership running "in one family," to which he stated the center was a "stand-alone entity" that receives management consultation from MFA, according to his letter.

Neiswanger further cited alleged behavior at another inspection at Virginia Beach Healthcare and Rehab Center in October 2024 that resulted in a fine and findings that residents received "substandard quality of care" due to "multi-system" failures in sanitation, infection control, and resident abuse.

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During this inspection, the same surveyor allegedly told MFA staff, "We are just going to start citing" high-level violations "everywhere to force your company into doing what we want."

Calling the inspector's alleged behavior "unprofessional," Neiswanger requested that the surveyor be temporarily prohibited from inspecting MFA nursing homes. His communications indicated that VDH met with him regarding his concerns, and he felt the meeting was "productive."

However, in August 2025, he sent another letter to VDH. This time, he said the surveyor was doing an inspection at Princess Anne Health and Rehab Center in August 2025, which resulted in high-level violations related to failing to supervise residents, leading to injuries in some cases.

CMS later terminated the facility from the Medicare and Medicaid programs, an extreme and rare regulatory action, for its failure to meet "basic health and safety requirements."

During this survey, Neiswanger claimed the inspector called the administrator a "toddler." Additionally, he said it was "asinine" that surveyors were interviewing nearby restaurant employees to prove a case against the facility. An inspection report said the facility failed to supervise a resident who routinely left to visit businesses and sometimes returned intoxicated.

Neiswanger said the interactions appeared to reflect a "bias" against MFA, and he asked VDH to remove this employee from the inspection at Princess Anne.

CBS 6 asked VDH whether it confirmed the inspector made the comments in question, whether the alleged behavior impacted the outcomes of the surveyors, and how it addressed Neiswanger's concerns.

In response, agency spokesperson Logan Anderson said, "We hold all VDH employees, regardless of office, to high standards. We do not discuss personnel matters publicly, per [state] policies. VDH is focused on ensuring that nursing facilities provide safe, quality care to Virginia’s most vulnerable residents."

CBS 6 also requested to speak with Neiswanger for this story. Spokesperson Mindie Barnett responded with a statement that said, "The communications and incidents you are inquiring about are more than six months old. On [January 17], the Commonwealth embarked on a new era with a new Governor and administration. We are looking forward, not backward, and would encourage CBS 6 to do the same."

This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.