The new agency responsible for protecting disabled New Yorkers in state care reports 571 cases of abuse or neglect confirmed in its first year of investigations.
The state Justice Center, which operates a 24-hour hotline, says it took about 84,000 reports concerning the nearly 3,000 facilities or programs operated, licensed or certified by six state agencies, though about 40 percent concerned incidents outside its jurisdiction or requested information.
Its first annual report shows 15,412 reports were classified as alleged abuse or neglect that required investigation, which included multiple reports of single cases.
The reports shows 571 completed cases found evidence to "substantiate" at least one allegation of abuse or neglect, about 20 percent of the cases.
Center staff investigate themselves and also review findings by the six agencies.
