Monitoring & Investigations
Monitoring and investigating facilities, service providers, and programs serving people with disabilities is a primary job of a Protection and Advocacy Agency (P&A). P&As monitor and investigate to protect people with disabilities from abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
The Minnesota Disability Law Center (MDLC) at Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, is the designated P&A for the state of Minnesota. Under federal law, MDLC’s legal authority to monitor involves conducting site visits and interviewing people receiving services to ensure people with disabilities are free of abuse, neglect, and exploitation. MDLC investigates facilities to uncover and address systemic abuse, neglect, and exploitation when it has probable cause.
MDLC Access to Facilities, Service Providers, and Programs
Federal law empowers MDLC to reasonable access to service providers, facilities, or programs providing care and treatment to persons with disabilities. Some examples of sites covered by this access authority include, but are not limited to:
- Nursing homes
- Group homes
- Schools
- Jails
- Juvenile detention
- Children’s residential facilities
- Prisons
- Hospitals
- Day programs
- Employment service providers
MDLC’s access authority applies to state-run and privately owned settings.
Reporting Abuse and/or Neglect to MDLC
Allegations of abuse and/or neglect can be made to MDLC. Please note, MDLC focuses its investigations on systemic concerns impacting a group of people. MDLC encourages individuals to report allegations to all appropriate authorities.
To report abuse or neglect of a person with a disability, contact MDLC’s intake at 612-334-5970 or 800-292-4150.
Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities & Serious Occurrence Reports
Under federal law, MDLC receives serious occurrence reports from psychiatric residential treatment facilities.
Facilities can report serious occurrences to mdlcprtfreport@mylegalaid.org.