Quick answer: Nursing home neglect in Tulare County is the failure to provide the care a resident needs to stay safe: repositioning, feeding, hydration, hygiene, supervision, and medical care. Under California's Elder Abuse Act (Welfare and Institutions Code 15610.57), serious neglect can carry attorney's fees and enhanced damages. Document what you see, request the chart, and call (888) 999-0169 or send us a message for a free review. Neglect shows up slowly, as a pressure sore, weight loss, a fall, or a repeat infection, and by the time a family notices, the pattern is already in the records. In Tulare County, six of the 16 skilled nursing facilities carry an overall CMS rating of one or two stars, and the county's homes average 4.57 nursing hours per resident per day. Understaffing is the engine of nearly every neglect case.
If your loved one was neglected in a Visalia, Tulare, or Porterville nursing home, you may have a claim under California's Elder Abuse Act. Call (888) 999-0169 for a free, confidential case review. We spent years defending nursing homes, so we know exactly how these cases are fought, and you pay nothing unless we win.
Nursing home records in Tulare County
Tulare County has 16 federally certified nursing facilities with 1,552 licensed beds. Since 1997, state inspectors have issued 158 citations against Tulare County facilities, including 45 class A citations. Facilities in the county have been assessed $1,174,775 in state penalties over that period.
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.
7 of those enforcement actions were connected to a resident's death.
The county's facilities average 3.1 of 5 stars on the federal rating system. 6 of 16 facilities hold a 1 or 2 star overall rating.
Tulare County facilities have been assessed $361,948 in federal fines.
The most cited nursing homes in Tulare County
- Visalia Post Acute (29 citations)
- Tulare Healthcare & Wellness Center, LP (17 citations)
- Sierra Valley Rehab Center (15 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 record shows across Tulare County
Neglect surfaces as the specific injuries we handle: bedsores, falls and fractures, dehydration and malnutrition, sepsis and infections, medication errors, and wandering and elopement. The enforcement record shows where the risk concentrates.
The CMS file puts the county's lowest overall ratings at these homes. Orchards at Tulare in Tulare holds a 1 star overall rating and a 1 star health inspection rating, with a 3 star staffing rating. Its record also shows 4.96 nursing hours per resident per day and $68,938 in federal fines across 1 federal penalty. Sequoia Vista in Visalia holds a 1 star overall rating and a 1 star health inspection rating, with a 2 star staffing rating. It carries 4.91 nursing hours per resident per day and $46,078 in federal fines across 2 federal penalties as well. In Visalia, Visalia Post Acute holds a 1 star overall rating and a 1 star health inspection rating, with a 3 star staffing rating. It carries 3.76 nursing hours per resident per day and $13,870 in federal fines across 1 federal penalty as well. Countywide, 6 of 16 homes hold a 1 or 2 star overall rating.
Countywide, eight facilities carry federal fines totaling $361,948.
You can review any home's full history in our Tulare County nursing home directory. For how California defines and proves neglect, see our California nursing home neglect page.
How Tulare County families can respond
Write down what you see, with dates and photos, and request the complete chart in writing, including care plans, weight logs, intake records, and repositioning sheets. File a complaint with the California Department of Public Health through Cal Health Find, or contact the Tulare County Long-Term Care Ombudsman (Kings/Tulare Area Agency on Aging) at (559) 852-2828 or (800) 293-9714, or the state crisis line at (800) 231-4024 after hours. If your loved one is in immediate danger, contact Tulare County Adult Protective Services or call 911. Our full guide is here: how to report nursing home abuse in California.
Not sure whether what happened crosses the line into neglect? A short, free call can tell you. Call (888) 999-0169.
Why work with us
Michael Young and Thomas Wallin spent years defending nursing homes before switching sides. They have since recovered millions of dollars for families in elder abuse cases across California. We know how understaffing hides in a chart that says "care provided" on a shift with no one to provide it, and how a facility's fine and penalty history exposes a problem that predates any one family's harm. As Tulare County nursing home abuse lawyers, we handle neglect cases across Visalia and the county and throughout California.
Talk to a Tulare County nursing home neglect lawyer today
The records that prove neglect are easiest to obtain early. Call (888) 999-0169 or send us a message for a free case evaluation. We serve families throughout Tulare County and all of California, 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.
- Neglect defined under California law, Welfare and Institutions Code section 15610.57: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=WIC§ionNum=15610.57.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as nursing home neglect in California?
Neglect is the failure to provide the care a resident needs to stay safe and healthy: repositioning, feeding, hydration, hygiene, mobility, supervision, and medical care. Under California's Elder Abuse Act, serious neglect can carry attorney's fees and enhanced damages where it was reckless.
Does a facility's fine history help my case?
It can. Fines are imposed for serious violations, so a home with a heavy fine record has a documented history of problems, which can support the argument that harm to your loved one was foreseeable.
How many nursing homes are in Tulare County?
Tulare County has 16 federally certified nursing facilities with 1,552 licensed beds. Every one of them is listed in our Tulare County nursing home directory with its ratings, staffing, citations and fines.
Do Tulare County nursing homes have citations for neglect?
State inspectors have issued 158 citations against Tulare 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 Tulare County nursing home directory with its ratings, staffing, citations and fines.
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Disclaimer: facility ratings, fines, and penalties 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.