Nursing home worker fired after accepting $15,000 ‘gift’ from resident

An Iowa nursing home worker fired for allegedly accepting $15,000 from a resident of the home has been denied unemployment benefits.

According to state records, certified nursing assistant and medication aide Gregory Reid worked full time for Grandview Care Center in Oelwein from October 2023 until April 28, 2026, when he was fired. Reid then filed for unemployment benefits, which led to a hearing before Administrative Law Judge Jasmina Sarajlija.

According to Sarajlija’s findings in the case, Grandview Care Center is a nursing home tasked with protecting residents from dependent adult abuse, which includes financial exploitation. As a result, the home has a policy barring employees from accepting any gifts, tips or gratuities from residents of the home.

The policy, according to Sarajlija, also states if a resident insists on giving a gift to an employee, the employee is required to report it to the administrator to allow the facility to handle the situation with the resident.

According to Sarajlija’s findings, the administrator of the home received information from a resident’s friend on April 1, 2026, alleging the resident had told her Reid had accepted money from her.

A subsequent investigation allegedly confirmed the resident wrote three $5,000 checks to Reid between Feb. 27, 2026 and March 13, 2026. Reid allegedly deposited all three checks at a local credit union within a week of the checks being written.

Reid admitted accepting the money during the investigation, according to Sarajlija’s findings, and he was fired for violating the home’s gift policy.

At his unemployment hearing, Reid allegedly acknowledged accepting the money from the resident, and explained the resident knew he was struggling financially and offered to help him out, stating that she and her husband had helped others through school and she wanted to do the same for him.

According to Sarajlija’s findings, Reid said he did not solicit the gift or pressure the woman to give him the money, indicating he knew acceptance of it was against policy and he could lose his job over it.

Sarajlija recently ruled Reid’s conduct amounted to workplace misconduct that disqualified him from collecting unemployment benefits, pointing out that Reid was aware of the home’s policy.

“Despite this knowledge, (Reid) still accepted financial assistance from a resident that he was tasked with protecting from harm and abuse, including financial harm and abuse,” Sarajlija stated in her ruling. “Taking money from a resident on three separate occasions, a total of $15,000, is not an isolated mistake but a pattern that may have continued had the facility not received a report about it from the resident’s friend.”

Court records indicate no criminal charges were filed in the case and Grandview Care Center was not cited by state inspectors for dependent adult abuse.

The Iowa Capital Dispatch was not able to reach Reid for comment.