CW: Abuse, Neglect, Rape & Death
In New Hampshire, organizations that serve
disabled people are sounding the alarm: the state’s investigative system for abuse and neglect is failing the very people it should protect. The system is understaffed, overwhelmed, and incredibly slow. When an allegation is made, agencies must quickly “safeguard the situation,” which often results in a disabled person’s relocation.
Staff members can find themselves in professional limbo for weeks or months as they wait for an investigator to start reviewing a case. One provider mentioned filing a complaint in early February and not hearing back from the state until late March. Such delays are not just inefficient; they are unacceptable.
Between 2023 and 2025, New Hampshire reported 548 founded cases of abuse, neglect, or exploitation, along with 144 deaths within the disability services system. Even accounting for some duplicate entries, the scale of harm is staggering. Providers believe the solutions are clear: hire more investigators, update the reporting system, and respond to allegations with the urgency they require.
A major weakness is the lack of a centralized registry to track workers with records of abuse or neglect. Without this, individuals dismissed from one agency can quietly move to another, endangering more residents. Senate Bill 670 tries to address this gap by placing people on the registry during investigations and reevaluating the current seven-year expiration for founded cases. However, this proposal highlights how outdated the system has become.
New Hampshire is not alone. What is happening here reflects a broader national issue that has been going on for years.
In May 2025, New Jersey’s former disability ombudsman released a devastating 79-page report that revealed widespread abuse and neglect in group homes. Despite nearly $3 billion spent each year, investigators found residents in soiled clothing, denied medical care, physically harmed, and living in degrading conditions. The report made one thing painfully clear: money means little without accountability.
Massachusetts also faced its own reckoning in 2023 when a Boston Globe investigation uncovered systemic abuse in state-funded group homes. Reporters documented staff hitting, restraining, and verbally abusing residents. The state’s Disabled Persons Protection Commission received over 10,000 allegations of abuse in just one year, with many going uninvestigated or unresolved for months. This backlog was not just a bureaucratic failure; it was a moral one.
Iowa’s oversight system collapsed to such an extent that a 2022 state audit revealed inspectors routinely failed to follow up on serious complaints. In one particularly tragic case, a 30-year-old resident of the former Glenwood Resource Center died from acute dehydration because his fluid intake was not monitored. His death was preventable.
Arizona’s system faced national scrutiny in 2019 when a woman in a long-term care facility gave birth, revealing she had been sexually assaulted while in a vegetative state. This case exposed shocking security lapses and sparked outrage and calls for reform. It also showed how easily abuse can go unnoticed when oversight systems are weak, understaffed, or simply neglectful.
These failures together create a troubling national pattern. Across the country, disability care systems are stretched thin. New Hampshire’s providers are not outliers; they are part of a chorus warning that the system is cracking under pressure.
The message is clear: America’s care systems are broken. The evidence points to a national crisis that needs federal attention. Each state’s failures may differ on the surface, but the underlying issues are strikingly similar—understaffed investigative units, inconsistent oversight, insufficient training, and a lack of accountability.
Advocates argue that stronger oversight, consistent national standards, and a renewed commitment to person-centered care are crucial to ensure dignity, safety, and justice for disabled people. Without systemic reform, these tragedies will keep happening, and the nation will fail those who need protection the most.
Sources:
Kauffman, Clark. “State-Run Glenwood Resource Center Fined for Resident Death.” Iowa Capital Dispatch, States Newsroom, 9 June 2022, https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2022/06/07/state-run-glenwood-resource-center-fined-for-resident-death.
Kowalczyk, Liz. “There Are No Words.” The Boston Globe, Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC, 27 Sept. 2023, http://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/09/27/metro/there-are-no-words/.
Livio, Susan K. “This N.J. Official Drove 148,000 Miles to Help Families with Disabled Loved Ones. What He Found Was Heartbreaking.” NJ.com, Advance Local Media LLC, 30 Jan. 2026, https://www.nj.com/politics/2026/01/this-nj-official-drove-148000-miles-to-help-families-with-disabled-loved-ones-what-he-found-was-heartbreaking.html.
Myers, Gene. “NJ’s Disability Watchdog Warns That Next Governor Will Inherit Group Home System in Crisis.” NorthJersey.com, USA Today Co., 8 July 2025, http://www.northjersey.com/story/news/new-jersey/2025/07/08/nj-disability-watchdog-group-homes-neglect-abuse/84497515007/.
Romo, Vanessa. “Nursing Home Launches New Investigation after Woman in Vegetative State Gives Birth.” NPR, 15 Jan. 2019, http://www.npr.org/2019/01/14/685377950/nursing-home-launches-new-investigation-after-woman-in-vegetative-state-gives-bi.
Skipworth, William. “A Series of Tragedies Exposes Patterns of Abuse and Neglect in New Hampshire’s Disability System.” New Hampshire Bulletin, States Newsroom, 10 Nov. 2025, https://newhampshirebulletin.com/2025/11/10/a-series-of-tragedies-exposes-patterns-of-abuse-and-neglect-in-new-hampshires-disability-system/.
Skipworth, William. “Disability Care Providers: New Hampshire Needs More Abuse and Neglect Investigators.” New Hampshire Bulletin, States Newsroom, 1 Apr. 2026, https://newhampshirebulletin.com/2026/04/01/disability-care-providers-new-hampshire-needs-more-abuse-and-neglect-investigators/.