DOJ: South Dakota long-term care system violates federal law

Source: Associated Press

DOJ: South Dakota long-term care system violates federal law

James Nord, Associated Press

Updated 10:38 pm, Monday, May 2, 2016

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota's unnecessary reliance on nursing facilities to serve people with disabilities isolates those residents from their communities and violates federal law, according to the findings of a U.S. Department of Justice investigation released Monday.

The investigation discovered that thousands of people who depend on the state for services have to live in nursing facilities to receive them. But the Americans with Disabilities Act and a U.S. Supreme Court decision require states to provide services to people with disabilities in the most integrated setting that is appropriate for their needs, the Justice Department said.

Gov. Dennis Daugaard's administration is reviewing the results of the investigation.

The head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said people with disabilities deserve privacy, autonomy and dignity. South Dakota's long-term care system fails to give those individuals the choice to live in their own homes or communities, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta said in a statement.


Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/DOJ-South-Dakota-long-term-care-system-violates-7389170.php