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BRN enforcement staff report 13% projected rise in complaints; AG to prepare surrender stipulations
Summary
The California Board of Registered Nursing’s Enforcement, Investigations and Intervention Committee heard that complaint intake is projected to rise about 13% this fiscal year, that the Attorney General’s office will prepare surrender stipulations going forward, and that BRN is recruiting clinical expert consultants across specialties.
The Enforcement, Investigations and Intervention Committee of the California Board of Registered Nursing heard updates June 10 on enforcement workload, staffing and process changes.
Tim Buncher, deputy chief for discipline, citations and probation, told the committee the board projects roughly a 13% increase in public complaints this fiscal year and that current staff have absorbed the additional workload but are seeing higher caseloads per investigator. "We are projected to increase by approximately 13%," Buncher said, attributing much of the spike to continuing‑education audits and to filling a previously vacant enforcement position that restored full‑time review capacity.
Buncher also described BRN’s participation in a National Council of State Boards of Nursing five‑year pilot to test substance‑use‑disorder monitoring program guidelines and a recent survey of nurse support‑group facilitators used to inform next steps. He said the board is actively recruiting expert practice consultants in many clinical areas including cath lab, dermatology (nurse practitioner furnishing), dialysis, hospice, IV therapy, obstetrics, pediatrics, long‑term care, operating room and risk management.
In a process change announced to the committee, Buncher said that as of April 2026 the Attorney General’s office notified BRN that preparing surrender stipulations is an attorney task. Buncher said the AG’s office will prepare the documents, while BRN staff will retain responsibility for communicating with licensees, obtaining signatures and processing the paperwork. "They will be preparing the document for us, but all other steps of the process…stay with us," he said.
Committee members asked whether continuing education audits were the main driver of the citation spike; Buncher replied that audits are a primary factor and that restoring a previously vacant position has increased the division’s throughput. The committee voted to approve the EIIC minutes from February 11, 2026, and allowed staff to make non‑substantive corrections.
The committee did not take further action on enforcement items; members thanked staff for process improvements and for pursuing targeted hiring to manage rising caseloads. The board provided public guidance on contacting enforcement staff via the BRN website and staff directories when members of the public asked who to contact about case updates.
