On Monday, state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said that the state has taken nearly six years to fine nursing homes for violations because it possessed just a single part-time employee for processing the fines.

DiNapoli has come up with a sarcastic report on the state’s regulation for the 631 licensed nursing homes. DiNapoli partnered with some senior advocates to announce the findings.

The fines have been called ‘almost worthless’ by Jack Kupferman, president of the senior-citizen advocacy group the Gray Panthers New York City Network. He said that the fines, even if are imposed at all, will be negligible.

DiNapoli reported that the Health Department has conducted the surveys and inspections as per federal rules, but wasn’t able to use its enforcement powers during 85% of the time.

He said that from January 2014 to July 2015, the agency collected just 12 fines, totaling $152,000 in comparison to $628,000 in 2011. During that same period, over 8,429 violations were reported.

DiNapoli said that at one point, there was just a single part-time person who was given the duty to process the fines. Many cases took nearly six years, and during that time, serious flaws with the service were noticed.

Health Department spokesman James Plastiras spoke in defense of the Nursing Home Division. Plastiras said that it’s in obedience with federal regulations.

State Controller Thomas DiNapoli said that state regulators must get strict and fast when it comes to put fines on poorly run nursing homes.

DiNapoli's office found in an audit released Monday that the state Health Department has put fines on nursing homes in the most serious of cases where an infringement has led to harm an individual or has placed people in immediate danger.