Quick answer: A serious bedsore (stage 3 or 4) in a Los Angeles County nursing home can support a claim under California's Elder Abuse Act, because federal rules (42 CFR 483.25) treat advanced pressure ulcers as preventable unless a documented medical condition made them unavoidable. Request the wound care and repositioning records and check the home's CMS inspection rating, then have a lawyer review it for free at (888) 999-0169 or send us a message. Los Angeles County has more nursing homes than most states, roughly 350, and the quality gap between them is enormous. That gap runs on staffing, and staffing is exactly what determines whether a bedridden resident gets turned every two hours or develops a pressure ulcer that reaches the bone. The county's homes average 4.60 nursing hours per resident per day, but that average hides a wide bottom: 210 of the county's 369 skilled nursing facilities carry an overall CMS rating of just one or two stars.
If your loved one developed a bedsore in an LA County nursing home, you may have a claim under California's Elder Abuse Act. Call (888) 999-0169 for a free, confidential consultation. You work directly with former defense attorneys, and you owe nothing unless we win.
Nursing home records in Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County has 369 federally certified nursing facilities with 37,526 licensed beds. Since 1997, state inspectors have issued 4,162 citations against Los Angeles County facilities, including 73 class AA citations and 1,096 class A citations. Facilities in the county have been assessed $39,883,387 in state penalties over that period.
A class AA citation is a class A violation that the Department of Public Health determined was a direct proximate cause of a resident's death. A class A citation is a violation the Department determined presented an imminent danger of death or serious harm to residents, or a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm would result.
272 of those enforcement actions were connected to a resident's death.
48 Los Angeles County facilities currently carry the federal abuse warning icon.
The county's facilities average 2.5 of 5 stars on the federal rating system. 210 of 369 facilities hold a 1 or 2 star overall rating.
Los Angeles County facilities have been assessed $16,092,884 in federal fines.
The most cited nursing homes in Los Angeles County
- Western Convalescent Hospital (76 citations)
- Artesia Palms Care Center (61 citations)
- Lakewood Healthcare Center (52 citations)
See every facility in the county, with its full record, in the nursing home directory.
Citation data covers July 1, 1997 through June 30, 2024. Ratings and fines are current as of the CMS processing date shown above.
What the staffing record shows in Los Angeles County
A serious bedsore is a repositioning failure, and repositioning fails where staff are stretched thinnest. Some of the county's homes with the lowest overall CMS ratings carry heavy enforcement histories.
The CMS file puts the county's thinnest nurse staffing at these homes. In Los Angeles, Garden Crest Rehabilitation Center reports 3.26 nursing hours per resident per day, where the state average is 4.52, with a 2 star overall rating and a 3 star health inspection rating. It also carries a 1 star staffing rating. Staffing at Penn Mar Healthcare Center in El Monte is 3.35 nursing hours per resident per day against 4.52 statewide, with a 2 star overall rating and a 2 star health inspection rating. It also carries a 1 star staffing rating and $4,893 in federal fines across 1 federal penalty. In Pomona, Landmark Medical Center reports 3.36 nursing hours per resident per day, where the state average is 4.52, with a 2 star overall rating and a 1 star health inspection rating. It also carries a 3 star staffing rating and the federal abuse warning icon. Countywide, 210 of 369 homes hold a 1 or 2 star overall rating.
These are not isolated. Across the county, 207 facilities carry federal fines totaling $16,092,884, and 48 display the abuse icon. Before you accept a facility's explanation for a bedsore, check its record in our Los Angeles County nursing home directory, which shows each home's staffing, ratings, citations, and fines. A stage 4 wound at a one-star, thinly staffed home is a pattern, not bad luck. Left untreated, that wound can reach the bone and turn into a fatal infection.
Why a bedsore is a legal matter
Preventing pressure ulcers is routine care: risk assessment, a turning schedule, pressure-relieving mattresses, skin checks, and nutrition. A wound that reaches stage 3 or 4 raises two questions: whether the care plan was followed, and whether the facility was staffed to follow it. For the four stages, the medical detail, and the specific California statutes, see our California bedsore page.
How Los Angeles County families can respond
Photograph the wound and date the photos, and request the complete chart in writing, including wound care notes and repositioning logs. Get an independent medical evaluation. File a complaint with the California Department of Public Health through Cal Health Find, which routes to the LA district office, or contact the Los Angeles County Long-Term Care Ombudsman (WISE & Healthy Aging) at (800) 334-9473, or (800) 231-4024 after hours. In an emergency, contact Los Angeles County Adult Protective Services at (877) 477-3646 or call 911. Our full guide is here: how to report nursing home abuse in California.
If you are weighing whether to look into this, talking it through costs nothing. Call (888) 999-0169.
Why work with us
Michael Young and Thomas Wallin spent years defending LA County nursing homes before switching sides. We go straight for the repositioning logs and the payroll-based staffing records, because the gap between "turned every two hours" in the chart and the aides actually working that shift is where these cases are won. As Los Angeles County nursing home abuse lawyers, we handle these cases across the county and throughout California.
Talk to a Los Angeles bedsore lawyer today
Wound photos and repositioning logs get harder to obtain every week. Call (888) 999-0169 or send us a message for a free case evaluation. We represent families across Los Angeles County and all of California, we have recovered millions in elder abuse cases, and you pay nothing unless we win.
Sources and authoritative references
- CMS Care Compare, the federal nursing home rating and inspection database: https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/
- California Department of Public Health, Cal Health Find, to look up a facility or file a complaint: https://calhealthfind.cdph.ca.gov/
- California Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act, Welfare and Institutions Code section 15600: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=WIC§ionNum=15600.
- Federal quality-of-care and pressure-ulcer standard, 42 CFR 483.25: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/part-483/section-483.25
Frequently asked questions
Is a bedsore automatically the nursing home's fault?
Not automatically, but federal rules treat advanced pressure ulcers as preventable except where a documented medical condition makes them unavoidable. At a low-rated, understaffed home, the "unavoidable" defense rarely survives a look at the repositioning and staffing records.
What should I do first if my parent has a stage 4 bedsore?
Photograph the wound, request the complete chart in writing, and get an independent medical evaluation. Then talk to a lawyer before accepting the facility's explanation, because the version families are given rarely matches the records.
How many nursing homes are in Los Angeles County?
Los Angeles County has 369 federally certified nursing facilities with 37,526 licensed beds. Every one of them is listed in our Los Angeles County nursing home directory with its ratings, staffing, citations and fines.
Do Los Angeles County nursing homes have citations for bedsores and pressure ulcers?
State inspectors have issued 4,162 citations against Los Angeles County nursing homes since 1997, across the full range of care failures rather than any single one. We do not publish a citation count by injury type, because the state does not categorize them that way. Check the specific home's own record instead. Every one of them is listed in our Los Angeles County nursing home directory with its ratings, staffing, citations and fines.
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Disclaimer: facility ratings, staffing figures, fines, and the CMS abuse icon above are drawn from public CMS data (medicare.gov) as of the August 2026 processing date and are reported as published. They may not reflect the most current findings, and inclusion of any facility is not an allegation of wrongdoing. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome in any future case. This page is attorney advertising and not legal advice.