New Hampshire Disability System Records 21 Abuse Cases, 30 Deaths in First Half of 2026
State records show 21 confirmed cases of sexual, physical, or emotional abuse and 30 deaths occurred in New Hampshire's state-run intellectual and developmental disability care system from January through June 2026. The system, which contracts with private agencies to serve people with disabilities including autism and cerebral palsy, received 280 reports of abuse, neglect, or exploitation during this period; state investigators deemed 75 credible, with 88 investigations still incomplete. The data indicates continued systemic problems nine months after a media investigation documented widespread abuse and neglect in the program, which serves Medicaid-funded LTSS beneficiaries.
States operate HCBS waiver programs serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities under enhanced federal oversight following CMS's 2014 settings rule, making this pattern of abuse, neglect, and unexplained deaths a compliance and program integrity risk for New Hampshire's Medicaid agency.
LTSS
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