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A Lawrence nursing home's federal funding may be in jeopardy.

Lake View Manor, 3015 W. 31st St., has until March 9 to be in compliance with state and federal standards, said Karen Sipes, a spokeswoman for the Department on Aging.

"If they're not, there will be a denial of payment imposed at that time," she said.

That means the home would not be paid by Medicare or Medicaid for residents admitted after March 9, Sipes said. And if problems persist, Lake View Manor's contracts with Medicaid and Medicare would be terminated June 9.

Lake View Manor is paid about $120 a day for each resident eligible for Medicaid or Medicare. Almost all of the home's 35 residents are on Medicaid. Only a handful are private-pay clients.

Without Medicaid or Medicare payments, the nursing home would be forced to close.

"I think we'll be OK," said Dick Boswell, Lake View Manor administrator. "I think we'll pass."

In January, the home was cited for 28 violations of state and federal standards, and it was fined $5,000. A follow-up inspection Jan. 28 found only 14 of the violations had been corrected.

"We can get those (other 14) taken care of," Boswell said.

He said he expected state inspectors to return by Friday for a second follow-up survey. The inspections are not announced in advance.

If the home fails the second follow-up, it is not automatically entitled to a third.

"We'd have to get clearance from the feds for that," Sipes said, referring to the regional Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services office in Kansas City, Mo.

The next inspection is not expected to address issues surrounding allegations that one of the building's owners, Charles K. Pomeroy, was running the facility. Such a situation would be in violation of state law because Pomeroy is neither a nurse nor a licensed administrator.

"That's a legal issue that's being dealt with separate from the deficiencies," Sipes said. "That's still being looked at. Negotiations are going on, and at this point, no one knows how much longer it'll be."

Pomeroy, who maintains an office at Lake View Manor and often spends nights there, has told the Journal-World his role was confined to that of a "payroll clerk."

But several past employees told the newspaper they had been hired and fired by Pomeroy.