Culver signs bill to protect dependent adults in wake of Atalissa case

DES MOINES - Gov. Chet Culver signed legislation Friday he said would help protect dependent adults in the wake of the alleged abuse of men with mental retardation in Atalissa.

Officials found 21 men considered to be dependent adults living in a bunkhouse with boarded up windows and no central heating system. Some of the men were found to be malnourished and had severe dental problems when they were moved to alternative housing.

Employer Henry's Turkey Service, where the men worked, operated the home for decades and provided the men with room and board in exchange for a portion of their wages.

A criminal probe into the matter by federal and Iowa officials is ongoing.

Culver said Henry's Turkey Service mistreated dozens of Iowa's most vulnerable citizens for years.

"The men were housed in a substandard, unsafe residence and they were paid next to nothing in wages. No one deserves to be treated in such a way - not ever," Culver said. "People with disabilities are first and foremost people who should be treated with the dignity and respect they deserve."

Culver said Senate File 484 will improve the quality of life for vulnerable adults living in group settings by identifying homes that aren't providing adequate services or might be providing social services without the proper license.

The legislation includes recommendations from a task force convened by Culver to identify steps the state should take to protect the rights of people with disabilities. The measure passed the Legislature without opposition and goes into effect July 1.

It requires boarding homes to register, allowing state officials to keep data on these homes and monitor the types of services provided. Some of those facilities will be subject to state inspections and licensing requirements.

Culver said because the Atalissa facility was not required to register, it made it more challenging for state officials to track what was going on.

Other highlights of Senate File 484:

-- Requires a coordinated response by state agencies when investigating allegations of dependent adult abuse.

-- Sets up a database of Iowa employers who are authorized by the U.S. Department of Labor to pay people less than minimum wage, especially people with disabilities.

-- Extends the time the Iowa Department of Human Services keeps records of abuse allegations.

John McCalley, the director of the Iowa Department of Elder Affairs who led the task force said men who had lived in the Atalissa home are better off today.

"We don't think that this is the end of the response," McCalley said. The task force is scheduled to meet again next month.

McCalley said one of the issues they'll look at is the closing of Iowa residential care facilities at an "astonishingly fast" rate. In the last 3 ½ years, 33 have closed, McCalley said.

"A critical part of the infrastructure of long-term care in the state is starting to disappear," McCalley said.