The Problem
Why this matters for your facility
Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) reporting is one of the most consequential compliance requirements for nursing homes. Your PBJ data directly determines your CMS Five-Star staffing rating — which impacts reimbursement, referrals, and reputation. Yet most facilities treat PBJ submission as a last-minute scramble, pulling data from disconnected systems without validation. The result: inaccurate data, understated staffing levels, and star ratings that don't reflect your actual care quality.
The Solution
What this template gives you
Our PBJ Submission Checklist breaks the quarterly submission process into a systematic, repeatable workflow. Starting 30 days before the deadline, the checklist guides you through data collection, validation, common error checks, submission, and confirmation — ensuring nothing falls through the cracks and your star rating reflects your real staffing levels.
What's Inside
Here's exactly what you get when you download the PBJ Submission Checklist.
30-day pre-submission timeline with weekly milestones and responsible parties
Data source checklist: payroll exports, agency/contract hours, census data, employee roster reconciliation
10 most common PBJ errors with specific validation steps to catch each one
File format and upload verification steps for the CMS CASPER system
Post-submission confirmation and error resolution workflow
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Who Is This For?
This template was built for:
SNF administrators who submit PBJ data quarterly and want to eliminate errors
Payroll managers responsible for generating staffing data for PBJ reporting
Compliance officers overseeing CMS reporting requirements
Facilities that have experienced star rating drops due to PBJ data quality issues
PBJ Submission Checklist FAQs
Common questions about the PBJ Submission Checklist