Texas' Department of Aging and Disability Services Announces "Blitz" of Nursing Home Investigations in Response to Recent Media Scrutiny

On Friday, February 12, 2010, the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services ("DADS") issued a press release heralding the agency's intention to launch a self-described "blitz" of investigations of 1,550 nursing homes across the state beginning later this month. DADS also announced that it will begin hiring 35 new investigators in March as part of an "aggressive" new campaign to improve the agency's response time to complaints and incidents involving nursing facility residents. DADS is the state agency charged with regulating licensed long-term care facilities in Texas. As such, it is responsible for conducting on-site visits of facilities to ensure that they are in compliance with state law and Medicare conditions of participation.