Group Homes & Developmental Disability

Talk to Our Group Home Lawyer at The Law Offices of Roger S. Weinberg

When you place your loved one in a group home, you expect that they will receive exceptional care. The decision to do this was likely difficult, and the facility carefully chosen. These homes are supposed to provide great service. Developmentally disabled individuals often reside in these group homes or small residential homes along with a caregiver and other staff and sometimes a few other individuals.

Maryland State Law [Health General § 7-101(e)] defines developmental disability as a severe chronic disability that:

1. is attributable to a physical or mental impairment, other than the sole diagnosis of mental illness, or to a combination of mental and physical impairments;
2. is manifested before the individual attains the age of 22;
3. is likely to continue indefinitely;
4. results in the inability to live independently without external support or continuing and regular assistance; and
5. reflects the need for a combination and sequence of special, interdisciplinary, or generic care, treatment, or other services that are planned and coordinated for that individual.

Once a developmentally disabled person reaches age 22, funding can be obtained through coordination of Developmental Disabilities Administration for a residential placement such as a “group” home. Many parents are unable to provide 24/7 skilled care due to their age, health, work, or other reasons. Also, the disabled person may have severe behavior problems which prevent them from living in the parents’ home.

Placement into a group home requires careful analysis of financial resources; the caregivers; the person’s preferences; living environment; legal, medical, social, employment and day services; and the short- and long-term needs. Placing a son or daughter into a group home can be a difficult decision for parents.

These homes are funded through Medicaid and coordinated between the Developmental Disability Administration, Resource or Service Coordination and the Provider.

In Maryland, group homes must comply with various laws in order to be licensed, including the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR), and the Health General Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland.

Unfortunately, these homes don’t always provide the quality care they should. If your family member has been injured or fallen ill, or worse lost their life, and you believe the cause was related to their care, you may be entitled to compensation. A reputable group home lawyer can review the situation and, if appropriate, file a lawsuit on your behalf.

Why Choose Our Firm

Our Towson Group Home Abuse and Neglect Lawyers Impact Change

When a loved one’s care has been compromised, the resulting illness, injury or death impacts your entire family financially and emotionally. These effects can be long-term, costly and even life-changing.

In Maryland, when negligent care results in injury, the facility and its employees can be held responsible and damages may be awarded. Our team understands and appreciates the seriousness of these cases; we are qualified and ready to go to work on your behalf. When you engage us we will put the following to work for you:

• Experience in Managing Group Home Care Cases: Our team of attorneys focus on healthcare facility safety. Led by founder Roger S. Weinberg, we represent those whose lives have been impacted by neglect, abuse and wrongful death in all care facilities, including group homes. Our firm is unique because of this specialization. We know Maryland and federal laws and regulations and are strategic negotiators and aggressive litigators. Because of his experience and knowledge, Mr. Weinberg is often called upon to inform and educate others on this area of the law. He consistently and successfully leverages his experience to benefit his clients and maximize their settlements.
• Client-Focused Approach: Family is everything; when someone you love is injured or falls ill because of the insufficient care they received, you are likely to feel a host of emotions. While our team sees countless cases like yours, our experience has taught us that no two are identical. Thus, we take the time to actively listen to your loved one’s experience and understand all of the facts. We are proud of the way we communicate and the fact that we are always available to address client concerns. You and your family have been through a great deal; our job is to make this process go as smoothly as possible.
• Proven Reputation: When pursuing justice for your family, you want to engage a firm with a record of success in cases similar to yours. The Law Offices of Roger S. Weinberg is the first choice in medical care facility cases. You can rest assured that we will leverage our past experience to maximize your settlement and provide you the services that our clients speak so highly of receiving.

Choosing the firm to represent you is a critical and personal decision. When you engage us, we begin work on your case right away, putting all of our energy and experience to work for you.

How Our Townson Group Home Lawyer Can Help

We Manage All Steps in the Legal Process

Learning that your loved one hasn’t received appropriate care and is suffering is beyond overwhelming. The trust you placed in the facility you carefully selected has been compromised. Making the decision to entrust your loved one to a group home takes strength and courage, and learning that the decision has resulted in illness, injury or death is devastating. Pursuing a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit, in addition to managing your emotions and caring for your family, may seem like simply too much to handle. This is where we can add value. Our team understands the pressure you are facing; we will take all of the legal work off your hands. As your group home lawyer, we will assume responsibility for:

• Conducting a thorough investigation: Determining exactly what happened is critical to proving your case. Our team will review the facts, examine documentation and medical reports, and interview witnesses to gain a clear picture of where things went wrong.
• Manage the paperwork: Group home personal injury cases require a significant amount of paperwork. We will complete everything necessary on your behalf and ensure all documents and forms are submitted correctly and in a timely fashion, in accordance with the statute of limitations.
• Document your losses: Identifying and quantifying the totality of your damages can be challenging. In addition to the physical injuries/illness and associated medical bills, the emotional effects can be considerable. Our experienced personal injury lawyers can help calculate your damages (those already incurred and those anticipated in the future).
• Oversee all communications: As you may imagine, the volume of messages (phone, email, text and regular mail) regarding a group home lawsuit is considerable. Managing them is overwhelming at best. Our team has the knowledge and experience to respond to them appropriately. Simply direct anyone who contacts you to our firm, we will handle the rest.
• Your representation: We will negotiate on your behalf for a reasonable settlement. If we are unable to reach an agreement, we will aggressively litigate to help maximize your compensation. Our team carefully conducts these interactions, always with an eye toward your best interests.

Clearly, we are a full-service firm.

When we handle your group home lawsuit, you can rest assured that we will assume complete responsibility for the entire legal process.

Not All Group Homes Provide Quality Care

Group Homes and the Risk for Injury

Unfortunately, placement into a group home is not without risks. Severe injury and death may occur due to neglect or abuse. Often, the caregivers are improperly hired, are not properly trained or are not giving their full attention to the needs of the disabled.

When severe injury and death occur, you should do the following:

1. Obtain immediate medical attention for any injury.
2. Contact the authorities, such as the police.
3. File a written complaint with the regulatory agency. In Maryland that would be the Office of Health Care Quality (OHCQ), which is a division of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH). They will conduct an investigation and can issue notices of deficiencies or impose other sanctions, including possible loss of the facility’s license.
4. Contact an attorney who has experience in handling injury and death claims against facilities which house the developmentally disabled. They will review any breaches of the standard of care, causation of injury or death, and whether the claim will produce sufficient damages to compensate the victim or family.

Your Legal Options in Maryland

Our Group Home Abuse and Neglect Lawyers Can Help You

Family members are naturally devastated by the loss of a child, especially in the hands of those entrusted to provide for their health and safety. Very few attorneys handle these types of cases, but Roger Weinberg has significant experience in representing victims and family members when abuse or neglect occurs in group homes. Often he gets referrals from other attorneys who haven’t handled developmental disability injuries and deaths.

At the Law Offices of Roger S. Weinberg, LLC, we pride ourselves on giving compassionate and competent representation to families suffering the injury or loss of a loved one.

Client Testimonial

”Mr. Weinberg was extremely professional and made sure I included all aspects of the case. He fought for me and my family and gave excellent sound advice when warranted. He is a confident lawyer that will do his best to ensure that your case is handled efficiently and to the beat of his ability.” – Darlene Fabrizio (Google Review)