COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2025

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Regulatory Matters - The Company provides services in complex and highly regulated industries. The Company’s compliance with applicable U.S. federal, state and local laws and regulations governing these industries may be subject to governmental review and adverse findings may result in significant regulatory action, which could include sanctions, damages, fines, penalties (many of which may not be covered by insurance), and even exclusion from government programs. The Company is a party to various regulatory and other governmental audits and investigations in the ordinary course of business and cannot predict the ultimate outcome of any federal or state regulatory survey, audit or investigation. While governmental audits and investigations are the subject of administrative appeals, the appeals process, even if successful, may take several years to resolve and penalties subject to appeal may remain in place during such appeals. The Department of Justice, CMS, or other federal and state enforcement and regulatory agencies may conduct additional investigations related to the Company's businesses. The Company believes it is presently in compliance in all material respects with all applicable laws and regulations.

Cost-Containment Measures - Government and third-party payors have instituted cost-containment measures designed to limit payments made to providers of healthcare services, may propose future cost-containment measures, and there can be no assurance that future measures designed to limit payments made to providers will not adversely affect the Company.

Indemnities - From time to time, the Company enters into certain types of contracts that contingently require the Company to indemnify parties against third-party claims. These contracts primarily include (i) certain real estate leases, under which the Company may be required to indemnify property owners or prior operators for post-transfer environmental or other liabilities and other claims arising from the Company’s use of the applicable premises, (ii) operations transfer agreements, in which the Company agrees to indemnify past operators of agencies and communities the Company acquires against certain liabilities arising from the transfer of the operation and/or the operation thereof after the transfer, (iii) certain Ensign lending agreements, and (iv) certain agreements with management, directors and employees, under which the subsidiaries of the Company may be required to indemnify such persons for liabilities arising out of their employment relationships. The terms of such obligations vary by contract and, in most instances, a specific or maximum dollar amount is not explicitly stated therein. Generally, amounts under these contracts cannot be reasonably estimated until a specific claim is asserted. Consequently, because no claims have been asserted, no liabilities have been recorded for these obligations on the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets for any of the periods presented.

Litigation - The Company’s businesses involve a significant risk of liability given the age and health of the patients and residents served by its independent operating subsidiaries. The Company, its operating subsidiaries, and others in the industry may be subject to a number of claims and lawsuits, including professional liability claims, alleging that services provided have resulted in personal injury, elder abuse, wrongful death or other related claims. Healthcare litigation (including class action litigation) is common and is filed based upon a wide variety of claims and theories, and the Company is routinely subjected to these claims in the ordinary course of business, including potential claims related to patient care and treatment, and professional negligence. The Company may also face employment related claims, including wage and hour class actions, which are common in our industry. If there were a significant increase in the number of these claims or an increase in amounts owing should plaintiffs be successful in their prosecution of these claims, this could materially adversely affect the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, the defense of these lawsuits may result in significant legal costs, regardless of the outcome, and may result in large settlement amounts or damage awards.

In addition to the potential lawsuits and claims described above, the Company also is subject to potential lawsuits under the False Claims Act (the “FCA”) and comparable state laws alleging submission of fraudulent claims for services to any healthcare program (such as Medicare) or payor. A violation may provide the basis for exclusion from federally funded healthcare programs. Such exclusions could have a correlative negative impact on the Company’s financial performance. Some states, including California, Arizona and Texas, have enacted similar whistleblower and false claims laws and regulations. In addition, the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 created incentives for states to enact anti-fraud legislation modeled on the FCA, for which 18 states have qualified, including California and Texas, where we conduct business. As such, the Company could face scrutiny, potential liability and legal expenses and costs based on claims under state false claims acts in markets in which it conducts business.

Under the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act (“FERA”) and its associated rules, healthcare providers face significant penalties for the knowing retention of government overpayments, even if no false claim was involved. Under current regulations, providers have an obligation to return overpayments to CMS within 60 days of “identification” (i.e., a person has identified an overpayment when the person knowingly receives or retains an overpayment with the same knowledge standard under the FCA) or the date any corresponding cost report is due, whichever is later. This 60-day repayment obligation is

suspended, however, when a provider is conducting a good faith investigation to determine the existence of related overpayments that may arise from the same (or similar) cause as the originally identified overpayment, and the provider conducts a timely, good-faith investigation to determine whether related overpayments exist. Retention of overpayments beyond this period may create liability under the FCA. In addition, FERA protects whistleblowers (including employees, contractors, and agents) from retaliation.

The Company cannot predict or provide any assurance as to the possible outcome of any litigation. If any litigation were to proceed, and the Company and its operating companies are subjected to, alleged to be liable for, or agree to a settlement of, claims or obligations under federal Medicare statutes, the FCA, or similar state and federal statutes and related regulations, the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected. Among other things, any settlement or litigation could involve the payment of substantial sums to settle any alleged civil violations, and may also include the assumption of specific procedural and financial obligations by the Company or its independent operating subsidiaries going forward under a corporate integrity agreement and/or other arrangement with the government. The Company establishes reserves to cover the anticipated costs of such litigation, including legal fees and expected settlements, based on the Company’s historical litigation experience, current developments, and other factors.

Medicare Revenue Recoupments - The Company is subject to probe reviews relating to Medicare services, billings and potential overpayments by Unified Program Integrity Contractors (“UPIC”), Recovery Audit Contractors (“RAC”), Zone Program Integrity Contractors (“ZPIC”), Program Safeguard Contractors (“PSC”), Supplemental Medical Review Contractors (“SMRC”) and Medicaid Integrity Contributors (“MIC”) programs (each of the foregoing collectively referred to as “Reviews”).

As of September 30, 2025, 13 of the Company’s independent operating subsidiaries had Reviews scheduled, on appeal or in dispute resolution process, both pre- and post-payment. If an operation fails an initial or subsequent Review, the operation could then be subject to extended Review, suspension of payment, or extrapolation of the identified error rate to all billing in the same time period. The Company, from time to time, receives record requests in Reviews which have resulted in claim denials on paid claims. The Company has appealed substantially all denials arising from these Reviews using the applicable appeals process. As of September 30, 2025, and through the filing of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, the Company’s independent operating subsidiaries have responded to the Reviews that are currently ongoing, on appeal or in dispute resolution process. The Company cannot predict the ultimate outcome of any regulatory and other governmental Reviews. While such Reviews are the subject of administrative appeals, the appeals process, even if successful, may take several years to resolve. The costs to respond to and defend such Reviews may be significant and an adverse determination in such Reviews may subject the Company to sanctions, damages, extrapolation of damage findings, additional recoupments, fines, other penalties (some of which may not be covered by insurance), and termination from Medicare programs which may, either individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the Company's business and financial condition. However, pursuant to the federal government shutdown, CMS has advised that certain activities are prohibited to be performed. These include Medicare-funded recertification and initial surveys, certain revisit surveys, and complaint investigations (except those alleging immediate jeopardy or actual harm to individuals). Therefore, some of the Reviews may be delayed for the duration of the federal government shutdown beginning October 1, 2025.

Insurance - The Company retains risk for a substantial portion of potential claims for general and professional liability, workers’ compensation and automobile liability. The Company recognizes obligations associated with these costs, up to specified deductible limits in the period in which a claim is incurred, including with respect to both reported claims and claims incurred but not reported. The general and professional liability insurance has a retention limit of $250 per claim with a $500 corridor as an additional out-of-pocket retention the Company must satisfy for claims within the policy year before the carrier will reimburse losses. The workers’ compensation insurance has a retention limit of $250 per claim, except for policies held in Texas, Washington and Wyoming which are subject to state insurance and possess their own limits.

The Company is self-insured for claims related to employee health, dental, and vision care. To protect itself against loss exposure, the Company has purchased individual stop-loss insurance coverage that insures individual health claims that exceed $350 for each covered person for fiscal year 2025 and fiscal year 2024.