Developmental services provides abuse investigation reports to representatives

The Department of Developmental Services gives certain representatives abuse or neglect reports and investigator evaluation reports when they ask. The reports concern alleged abuse or neglect of a person served by the department. The person asking must be the alleged victim’s parent, guardian, or other legal representative. The department does not provide the reports to a representative alleged or found to have committed abuse or neglect, or who lives with such a person. The original report and evaluation report are not public records. The reporter’s name stays private unless the reporter agrees to disclosure or a court proceeding results from the report. This section takes effect from passage.

The commissioner assesses certain individuals’ future need for residential funding or services and provides an abuse and neglect guide. This applies to individuals with intellectual disability who are eligible for department residential funding or services and have an individual plan. The assessment is done with each eligible individual who has an individual plan and, if applicable, the individual’s legal representative. It indicates when the individual would accept each support or service, based on information from the annual planning meeting. The department provides the latest version of its guide during that meeting. The text specifies assessments on or before August 1, 2018, and at least annually after that.

The commissioner reports each year on abuse and neglect complaints and investigations, and reviews department policies and procedures every five years. These duties concern the department’s abuse and neglect complaints, investigations, policies, and procedures. The report covers complaint and investigation counts, findings, department actions, complaint substantiations by perpetrator role and setting, investigation recommendations and follow-up, regulatory citations, and cases involving deaths. The commissioner posts the report online and files it with the legislature’s human services and public health committees. The committees hold an annual hearing and review. Policy reviews cover investigation practices, information sharing and confidentiality, screening systems and possible background-check improvements, and feedback from providers the commissioner qualifies. The text sets January 15, 2026, and each year after for the report, and February 1, 2026, and every five years after for the policy review.

The department’s commissioner ensures staff are trained on confidentiality and information sharing about abuse and neglect complaints. The training covers all department staff; the online materials concern people served by the department. The department also makes materials about preventing, experiencing, and responding to abuse and neglect easy to access online for families and people with disabilities. These provisions take effect July 1, 2026.