January 21, 2010
Filing a Formal Nursing Home Complaint in the State of Texas
In the state of Texas, D.A.D.S. stands for Department of Aging and Disability Services. This is the agency with which you would file a nursing home complaint.
When filing a complaint with D.A.D.S., there is some basic information that they will need from you and there are certain steps to follow to be sure that your complaint is filed properly. D.A.D.S. will need the following basic information from the person filing the nursing home complaint: your complete name, address, phone number, the name of the facility where the abuse is taking place, the address of the facility, the phone number of the facility, details of the event or issue you wish to make a complaint about.
Specific information about the date, day of the week, and time of day when the problem was observed, as well as the names of the individuals involved, will assist investigators. Reports can be made anonymously, but if you file it anonymously you will not be able to find about the result of the report, so it is a good idea to leave this basic information so that you will know the progress of your report. Your identity is protected by law, so there is no need to fear any about giving your personal information.
You should file the report as soon as you learn about the abuse. Do not waste time in trying to resolve the abuse or neglect by yourself. It is best to allow the D.A.D.S. program to handle the case.
Once you file the report, D.A.D.S. will investigate the nursing home abuse case. They will send out an unannounced investigator to the facility to see what is actually going on with the victim. This visit is unannounced and can occur anytime.
Once the D.A.D.S. have fully investigated the report and the facility, they will determine if abuse is evident. They will also notify the person who placed the report and let them know the results of the investigation. If it is, the facility could lose funding and licensure and you will have grounds for a nursing home abuse lawsuit.
If you or a loved one has been the victim of nursing home abuse or neglect and D.A.D.S. has determined that there was abuse to you or your loved one, you could have the grounds for a strong lawsuit. If this has happened to you, you should call an attorney that deals with nursing home abuse and neglect as soon as possible.
