Of the 40 clients files the State Auditor examined, 25 clients experienced problems group home operators took too long to address.
TRENTON -- One disabled client waited two years for a functioning wheelchair to arrive, missing at least dozens of opportunities to leave the house.
Another person repeatedly consumed milk products and hard pretzels, despite being lactose intolerant and prone to choking.
Both people were among the 204 profoundly disabled people the state Department of Human Services transferred to group homes when it closed the North Jersey Developmental Center in Totowa and the Woodbridge Developmental Center, Woodbridge in 2014.
The closures were part of the Christie administration's push to promote integration for people with disabilities, and to end the state's over-reliance on outdated and expensive institutional care.
But a state audit Wednesday examining the records 40 of the 204 people who moved into group homes found the majority of them encountered repeated problems, as documented by state case managers on follow-up visits. Still, group home operators took too long to fix these problems.
The leaders of two organizations that represent group home operators in New Jersey expressed concern the auditor's revelations and vowed improvements.
"Lessons will be learned from the auditor's findings," said Valerie Sellers, CEO of the New Jersey Association of Community Providers. "Poor quality of care is not defensible."
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The audit's focus was to determine whether the Department of Human Services made timely visits with relocated people and followed-up to make sure they were getting the proper care. The audit found that for the most part, the department did its job, but did not visit some residents as often as state rules said they should have.
In a written response to the audit, acting Human Services Commissioner Elizabeth Connolly noted some visits were rescheduled because clients were at the doctor's office or out on an excursion with housemates. From now on, case managers will document the reason for these delays, she said.
Some residents missed medical appointments, according to the report by the Office of the State Auditor in the nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services. Another client missed out on attending daily vocational and recreational problems because of unaddressed behavioral problems.
Joseph Young, executive director for Disability Rights New Jersey, a legal advocacy group that sued the state to require the transfer of people from institutions who want to leave them, called the delay in replacing the wheelchair "unconscionable."
The client "never should have left the developmental center without a functioning wheelchair," Young said.
The situation involving the person with critical dietary needs "is even more difficult to understand," Young said. "The risk of choking was identified. . .almost immediately as a point of emphasis during the discharge process. We were assured that the Division was making a serious effort to get out information about choking risks to all the agencies."
Sellers offers some explanations for the problems uncovered in the audit. The Medicaid insurance provider is responsible for replacing wheelchairs and other medical equipment and the state controls when clients were transferred to group homes, she said.
"The findings of this report will help focus on the continued need for the recruitment, training and retention of qualified and committed staff," Sellers added. "However, it should not ignore or dismiss the work of thousands of direct support professionals who provide quality care."
Daniel Keating, executive director for the Alliance for the Betterment of Citizens with Disabilities said the report was a "valuable...snapshot that causes the need for reflection upon practices."
Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.