New Jersey Ombudsman For I/DD Exposes Chronic Abuse & Neglect In Disability Services

New Jersey’s services for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) fail to protect consumers from chronic abuse and neglect, according to the state’s Office of the Ombudsman for Individuals With Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities & Their Families. The ombudsman’s office reported that the systemic problems resulting in abuse and neglect include untrained staff, a lack of New Jersey Department of Human Services (DHS) investigations into reported abuse and neglect, and a lack of DHS accountability related to these issues.

In response to these findings, the ombudsman recommended:

Mandatory spending by home provider organizations on care staff . . .