Report critical of NY's care for disabled

ALBANY -- Weaknesses in New York's $17.9 billion system for providing care to people with a wide range of disabilities and a lack of consistent standards for preventing abuse and neglect is putting thousands of people at risk, according to a draft report on a review of the problems.

The New York Times reported yesterday that the review found a lack of consistent policies, record-keeping and prevention efforts at the six agencies responsible for the care of almost 300,000 people with disabilities or mental illness.

The 105-page report commissioned by the Cuomo administration and obtained by the newspaper is titled "The Measure of a Society: Protection of Vulnerable Persons in Residential Facilities Against Abuse and Neglect." Among its findings are differing policies on when law enforcement is called in after abuse claims and whether internal investigators are trained or not. The review found varied definitions of abuse and neglect at the agencies.

The report said residential schools run by state Department of Education didn't track abuse claims and had weak oversight of its programs for the disabled.

A spokesman told the newspaper the report points to changes the education department believes are needed to protect people under the care of the state.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's administration said it plans to announce changes to address the problems documented in the report. Two agency leaders have been ousted in the past year and the administration is moving to fire 130 workers accused in cases of abuse or neglect.

Advocates have been frustrated by what they say is the slow pace of reform and the Cuomo administration's refusal since December to publicly release the report.