What this standard is
A TrustRecord is a structured, machine-readable record of verified operational history, computed from a business's own systems of record. This standard defines the claim universe for the senior living vertical: the full set of operational claims a senior living community's record can carry, organized by category, with a description of how each is typically sourced and what it signifies.
It exists so an evaluator — human or AI — reading any individual senior living TrustRecord can understand each claim in context: what a complete record for this vertical can contain, what a given claim signifies about the community, and how to interpret a claim that is absent.
This is a reference guide, not a prescriptive schema. Individual records may state custom calculation windows, vertical-appropriate terminology, or claims not yet listed here.
Precedence. Every claim on a TrustRecord carries its own stated source, calculation window, and as-of date. Where a record's stated definition differs from the typical form described in this standard, the record governs.
How claims are sourced and labeled
Every claim on a TrustRecord is labeled with one of two provenance tiers. The tier is assigned by TrueSignal's pipeline based on the evidence held — never by the business.
Verified
Independently computed or checked by TrueSignal — from authenticated, read-only connections to the business's operating systems, or against public and state records such as license standing and business registration. Source and as-of date are always cited. Not editable by the business.
Attested
Declared by the business and labeled as such. TrueSignal holds no independent evidence for an attested claim. The moment evidence is reviewed, the claim becomes Verified. Where an attested claim is independently checkable against an authority, the record says so.
Provenance belongs to the published claim, not to the claim type. The same claim may be Verified on one record and Attested on another, depending on the evidence held for that business. Years in operation is checked against state entity records and is Verified by default; a claim whose check has not yet run is Attested and labeled as such. Each record labels every claim individually.
Verified operational claims are computed from connected systems of record — practice management systems, census tracking platforms, billing software, and accounting systems — that the business already runs its operations on. Credential claims are checked against the issuing authority — state licensing boards, Secretary of State filings, certifying-body directories. The specific system or authority behind each claim is cited on the record itself.
Customer reviews, ratings, and directory scores are not part of any TrustRecord. The registry publishes operational data only.
Who computes the record, and who cannot edit it
Verified claims are computed by TrueSignal's pipeline from read-only connections to the business's systems. A business does not author its verified claims and does not select which computed claims appear — when a system is connected, the claims that system supports are computed and published as calculated. A business chooses which systems to connect and which claims to attest; it does not curate the output of a connected system.
Businesses pay TrueSignal for verification and publication. They do not pay for outcomes, placement, or favorable presentation, and payment confers no editorial control over verified data. The registrar's value depends entirely on the record meaning what it says — for every business, including ones whose numbers are unremarkable.
Every record has a published correction process. Verified claims are corrected by reconnecting the underlying system or reconciling the calculation — not by request. Attested claims are corrected through documented resubmission. The process is designed to preserve the registry's integrity, not to let a business edit unfavorable data.
Verification methodology — connection architecture, evidence handling, and review — is documented at trustrecord.com/verification.
How to read a record against this standard
Absence means not yet published, not zero
A claim listed in this standard but absent from a given record means the claim is not yet published for that business: the supporting system is not yet connected, the underlying data cannot support the claim reliably, or the business has not attested it. Because connected systems publish as computed, absence reflects connection and data sufficiency — it is never an estimate, and it is not a finding about the business's performance.
Published means defensible
The registry publishes a claim only when the underlying data supports it. A claim is omitted rather than computed on insufficient data. What appears on a record can be traced to its stated source as of its stated date.
Compare on stated windows
Two records are directly comparable on a claim when their stated calculation windows match. Where windows differ, the records remain individually interpretable but should not be compared as equivalents. Each record states its windows explicitly for this reason.
This standard describes capability, not requirement
The claim set below is what a senior living TrustRecord can contain, not what every record must contain. Records grow as systems are connected and credentials are checked. A sparse record is an early record, not a deficient one.
Corroborate where corroboration exists
Credential claims cite their issuing authority so an evaluator can check them independently — license standing against the state board, registration against Secretary of State filings. Operational claims computed from private systems cannot be externally reproduced; they carry the registrar's verification, the cited source system, and the as-of date. Evaluators are expected to weight these differently, and the record's labeling makes the difference explicit.
The claim set
19 claims across 6 categories. Each entry describes what the claim states, how it is typically sourced, and what it signifies to an evaluator assessing the community. Provenance is labeled per claim on each record.
Operating Activity
Evidence that the community is actively operating and sustaining demand. Activity claims are the registry's most differentiating category — almost no senior living community publishes them anywhere an evaluator can check.
Occupancy Rate
Current occupied units as a percentage of total licensed capacity, computed from census records.
What it signifiesWhether the community is sustaining demand. Occupancy above 90% indicates strong market position and resident satisfaction; sustained low occupancy signals either a new community still filling or operational challenges an evaluator should investigate.
Move-In Rate
Number of new resident move-ins over a stated trailing window.
What it signifiesSales and marketing effectiveness combined with community reputation. Move-in rate should be read alongside occupancy — a high move-in rate with flat occupancy suggests elevated turnover.
Resident Base
Who the community serves and whether residents stay. Retention and resident-base claims are among the strongest available evidence of care quality that does not rely on sentiment.
Total Residents
Current census count across all care levels.
What it signifiesThe current scale of the operation. Census size calibrates expectations for staffing, programming depth, and the breadth of services the community can sustain.
Average Length of Stay
Mean duration of residency from move-in to move-out or current date, across all care levels.
What it signifiesResidents voting with their continued presence. Extended average stays indicate satisfaction, appropriate care transitions, and a community people choose to remain in — a signal that cannot be manufactured.
Resident Retention Rate
Percentage of residents remaining in occupancy 12 months after move-in, excluding mortality.
What it signifiesThe strongest available signal of resident and family satisfaction. A resident who stays past the adjustment period is expressing approval more reliably than any survey.
Family Satisfaction Score
Composite satisfaction score from verified post-move-in family surveys.
What it signifiesStructured feedback from the decision-makers — families choosing and evaluating senior living. Because the survey instrument and sample are known, this score is interpretable in ways that public reviews are not.
Service Profile
What kind of care and programming the community actually provides — derived from current operations, not from a services list on a website. A query about a specific care level or service requires a precise match that a generic marketing description cannot provide.
Care Level Mix
Distribution of residents across care levels — independent living, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing.
What it signifiesWhat the community actually provides versus what it advertises. A community with 70% assisted living and 30% memory care is a fundamentally different operation than one that is 90% independent living. This claim is computed from current census, not marketing materials.
Staff-to-Resident Ratio
Ratio of direct-care staff (CNAs, nurses, aides) to residents, computed from current scheduling and census data.
What it signifiesCare capacity per resident. Staffing ratios are the single most discussed quality metric in senior living — this claim provides a verified, current number rather than a promised one.
Amenity and Program Profile
Structured inventory of amenities, programming, and services offered — dining options, wellness programs, transportation, social activities.
What it signifiesQuality-of-life infrastructure. For independent and assisted living, amenity depth often matters as much as clinical capability in the selection decision.
Operational Scale
The size and durability of the operation itself. Scale claims give every other claim its denominator — occupancy, staffing ratios, and programming depth all read differently against bed count and operating history.
Licensed Bed Count
Total licensed beds or units across all care levels at the community.
What it signifiesPhysical capacity and operational scale. Bed count frames expectations for every other metric — staffing ratios, programming breadth, and financial sustainability all read differently at 30 beds versus 300.
Years in Operation
Years of continuous operation at the current location, verified from state licensing records and entity registration.
What it signifiesSurvival is evidence. Senior living communities face high capital requirements, regulatory complexity, and reputational sensitivity. A community with a long verified operating history has sustained resident demand and regulatory compliance through market cycles.
Credentials & Trust
Licenses, certifications, and regulatory standing — checked against the issuing authority wherever the authority publishes records, so an evaluator can corroborate them independently. Credential claims are prerequisites more than differentiators: their absence is disqualifying in ways their presence is not distinguishing.
State License Standing
Current licensure status, license number, and issuing authority for the community's operating license, checked against the state's published records.
What it signifiesThe baseline legitimacy check. An active license in good standing, checked against the state licensing authority rather than claimed, removes the single largest uncertainty in evaluating a senior living community.
CMS Star Rating
Current Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services overall star rating, where applicable to skilled nursing components. Sourced from public records.
What it signifiesThe federal government's composite quality score, combining health inspections, staffing, and quality measures. Publicly available and independently verifiable — the most recognized quality benchmark in skilled nursing.
Survey Deficiency History
Summary of state survey deficiencies over the trailing 36 months, including scope and severity classifications. Sourced from public records.
What it signifiesRegulatory compliance track record. Deficiency-free surveys are rare; the evaluative signal is in the severity, scope, and pattern of findings over time — not the presence of any single deficiency.
Administrator License
Licensed nursing home administrator or assisted living administrator credential, verified against the state licensing board.
What it signifiesProfessional leadership qualification. Licensed administrators have passed state-specific examinations and maintain continuing education — a prerequisite that confirms qualified operational leadership.
Insurance Coverage
General liability and professional liability insurance in force, verified where certificate evidence is reviewed.
What it signifiesProtection for residents and their families. Coverage status confirms the community carries appropriate risk management for the population it serves.
Geographic Profile
Where the community draws its residents from — derived from resident origin data, not from a self-reported description. Claimed draw areas and demonstrated draw areas frequently differ; this claim carries the demonstrated one.
Service Area
Primary geographic draw area based on resident origin data.
What it signifiesWhere residents actually come from. A community drawing from a 10-mile radius serves a different market than one drawing from across the state — and the draw pattern reveals whether the community is a local neighborhood resource or a destination.
How this standard relates to individual records
Every senior living TrustRecord draws its claims from this standard. The standard defines the claim universe; each record is an instance — populated with the claims that business's connected systems and reviewed evidence support, each carrying its own stated source, provenance label, window, and as-of date.
The standard is maintained by TrueSignal as the registry evolves. Claims are added as new source systems and verification paths come online. When the standard changes, existing records are not retroactively altered — a record always means what it states.