Lawmakers press DDS officials about 'disturbing' report on abuse, neglect in CT's disability system

HARTFORD — The head of the state agency responsible for Connecticut’s 14,000 individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities told state lawmakers that a recent report on more than 4,200 instances of neglect and abuse and 15 deaths in 2024 was slightly misleading about the potential severity of the various cases. But Jordan Scheff, commissioner of the Department of Developmental Services, said Tuesday there is a need for better training and more concise ways to keep track of annual data on incidents. Advertisement Article continues below this ad “These types of reports are concerning,” Scheff told state lawmakers at a forum in the Legislative Office Building. “I think I’m less startled, but that’s partly because I have some insight into how we got to the report before you today.” Some of the reports are the result of the reopening of the state after the COVID pandemic, Scheff said. “I think I was startled by the decrease in abuse and neglect reports during COVID more than I was by the increase of cases out of COVID,” Scheff said, saying that systems have improved with support from the federal government in training and detection. “I am pleased to see higher numbers in reporting abuse and neglect. It means I have more eyes and ears from people who have been trained to see something and say something.” Advertisement Article continues below this ad Want more New Haven Register? Nearly half, or 43%, of the 4,246 allegations reported, were substantiated through investigations, the report said. The number of substantiated individual cases has actually decreased, Scheff said. But members of the legislative Human Services Committee and the Government Oversight Committee said the findings of the report — required by a 2025 law — were upsetting. “It was telling,” said state Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, D-West Hartford, co-chair on the Human Services Committee. “It was disturbing.” Advertisement Article continues below this ad The lawmakers discussed the findings with DDS officials before about 20 family members of DDS clients who attended the forum. “To be honest, I was shocked that we had so many allegations there, over 4,000, with almost half being substantiated,” said state Rep. Lucy Dathan, D-New Canaan, co-chair of the Government Oversight Committee. “For too long, I think, people were not asking tough questions about the care of people with disabilities in this state,” said Sen. Matt Lesser, D-Middletown, co-chair of the Human Services Committee. “We believe that every single person in this state is entitled to dignity, to bodily autonomy and to safety.” Lesser pointed out the details of the report: 15 people died under DDS supervision last year while there were 61 allegations of sexual abuse; 446 reports of physical abuse; 256 reports of financial abuse; and 193 reports of psychological abuse. Advertisement Article continues below this ad “I think we need to acknowledge a problem we want to get a handle on,” Lesser said. “We want to make the system better,” Scheff said. Kathryn Rock-Burns, chief operating officer for the DDS, said that of the 15 deaths, 10 were confirmed to be related to neglect. “None were substantiated for any type of abuse,” Rock-Burns said. “None of the 15 were referred for criminal investigation by police.” Advertisement Article continues below this ad Sarah Eagan, Connecticut's former child advocate who is now the executive director of the Center for Children’s Advocacy, said DDS is doing a better job of identifying cases of neglect and abuse. But she said there is still a long way for the department, with an annual budget of $1.5 billion, to go in taking care of adults in a variety of living environments. The clients live in private homes, privately run nonprofits, 35 public group homes, three regional centers and the Southbury Training School, where last year there were 100 residents. Many workers in DDS facilities do “heroic work for less than a living wage,” Eagan said. Scheff, accompanied by two top departmental deputies, said Connecticut has become a national model in incident reporting through cooperation with the Department of Social Services, which provides data to DDS through the Medicaid system. Advertisement Article continues below this ad “Neglect is a very board term in our system,” Scheff said. “So when you see reports of neglect, some of them are indeed the kinds of horrific things that terrify all of us at night about what may go on in an institutional system.” Others are systemic neglect issues, failures to follow supervision guidelines and lapses in licensing, he said. Scheff said that of the 4,246 reported instances of abuse and neglect, an average case could have been the result of a single perpetrator and multiple victims. He acknowledged that the current system of reporting allows providers to report findings on their own staff. “I think we do need a system in which providers can be trusted,” Scheff said. “Where we have concerns: providers who have a history of lots of reporting.” “So key data such as corrective actions, licensing violations, quality assurance findings are not consistently published by DDS,” Lesser said. “Will you commit right now to greater transparency?” Advertisement Article continues below this ad Scheff he would promise to provide additional data without violating the privacy of individuals, especially clients such as those with autism who are more prone to injuries. The Department of Developmental Services is not trying to hide anything, but it's providing a necessary service at a time of low wages for workers, Eagan said. “There is no glossing the narrative,” she said. “In my opinion this is not a safe system,” Eagan said. “There have been improvements made. There has been a good-faith effort to address the concerns of families and federal and state auditors. Advertisement Article continues below this ad "But we are not at a place where I think one can reasonably conclude with confidence that throughout the state, on a daily basis, a highly vulnerable population in a system that is still dramatically under-funded and dramatically under-overseen, is providing consistent reliable, safe care to a population, many of whom are communication impaired,” she said.