State probe: 9 group homes terminated by AHCCCS

Tonight on Fox 10 Investigates, new details uncovered on a group home operator entrusted to care for vulnerable Arizonans. We told you about Legend DDD services when several nurses said that they just were not being paid amid an ongoing state investigation. And now we're learning what the state has been looking into for months. Fox 10 investigator Justin Lum with the exclusive report. The Department of Economic Security's Division of Developmental Disabilities has been well aware of quality of care concerns at Legend DDD since November 2025. We'll tell you more about those alleged issues in our report. But first, a family who trusted Legend DDD to care for their disabled brother is now demanding accountability. 65-year-old Mark Johnson was the eldest to his sisters, Kimberly Harlan and Alison Hoffman. But they will tell you how protective they were of their big brother. Oh, my God. Mark lived with Down syndrome and Alzheimer's, but loved ones say he was full of life. Mark was not just because he was disabled put on the shelf. Mark was the center of our family. He was what our family revolved around, and he will be forever missed. Mark lived at a South Phoenix group home near Dobbins Road and 19th Street since 2020. The facility is one of 10 state-licensed nursing-supported group homes. Operated by Legend DDD Services. Back on August 2nd, Allison visited Mark, but says she quickly realized how hot it was. He was in sweatpants and a t-shirt, and I found him very distressed to me, especially compared to our previous visit. He looked very lethargic. His head was hanging. I tried to feed him a little bit of lunch. He could not hold his head up. It was so awfully hot in there. She took a photo of the thermostat. When I approached the thermostat in their home, it was 88 degrees and fluctuated from 88 to 90 in the hours that I spent there with Mark that day. Multiple former employees of Legend DDD confirmed to Fox 10 that the group home was without air conditioning in early August. Mark's family says they learned that on the day of the visit, the A.C. had been out for five days. They reached out to Adult Protective Services. Learning officials were aware the day before. My question is, if an APS investigator was there on Saturday, already knew that they'd been without AC since Wednesday, why didn't he call me? Why didn't somebody from the state call me to alert me that my brother was in severe distress? Because I will tell you this, from the time he was in that home without AC to the time he passed, it was 25 days. Mark was not at the end of his life. He was dying. But we had 60 to 90 days left with him. He didn't have to suffer in that kind of heat, stress. The way he did. Loved ones say Mark was also put on an oxygen tank, which was new. And the family removed him from the group home. Mark's health deteriorated and he passed away at the end of the month. There's more to the story than the fact that that home didn't have AC for five days. And there's more to the story about my brother losing his life. There is a bigger story before he even became a part of it. When we first visited Legend DDD's office in September, it was closed after several nurses told us they had not been paid. We received no response from the owners, Carrie Massengale and Dr. Ferris Al-Dawood. But through a source, we did obtain the first page of this letter, issued from the state to Legend DDD Services, dated August 31st, terminating the provider participation agreement for the group home that Mark lived at. The termination came via Access, the state's Medicaid agency, and the letter reveals a months-long investigation. What's your reaction knowing now that DES had been investigating Legend since November 2025? Well, that was news to me. I had no idea that they had been under investigation. The notice of termination says the state's Division of Developmental Disabilities started monitoring all Legend DDD facilities last November due to ongoing concerns with the quality of care being provided in Legend DDD group homes. We learned there was a sustained pattern of deficiencies that included insufficient training of nursing staff on caring for members With complex medical issues and failing to maintain minimum staffing ratios, Legend DDD was put on a corrective action plan back in March of 2026. But it was ultimately terminated by the end of August. We wanted to know what else Legend DDD was accused of and found out that Access had sent termination notices to nine of their group homes. So we filed the public records request and after waiting weeks, here's what are in these letters. They are heavily redacted. What the documents do reveal is that upon termination, Legend DDD must provide a smooth transition of care for members. But if it's broader than just one individual and we're noticing these systemic patterns, that's when... When we. We potentially could issue a stop work order, which would ensure that all of the services that the vendor is providing are not occurring anymore, and that we're working to transition the members being served by that vendor to an alternate vendor. Zane Garcia-Ramadan is the assistant director of the Division of Developmental Disabilities under the Department of Economic Security. He cannot speak to Fox 10 about specific cases, but says a termination indicates a serious situation for health officials. If it is... Something that has a significant impact to the member, we would try to notify their family members and responsible persons as quickly as possible. In the case of Legend DDD, the decision came weeks after the reported lack of air conditioning. Mark Johnson's sisters are adamant that the state never notified them about the AC. Legend DDD's owner has still not responded to our request for comment. Meanwhile, Kimberly and Allison feel ignored by state officials and the group home operator months after saying goodbye to Mark. We miss him dearly. Ready? Woo! We all agree that Mark was our angel on earth. He had eight nieces and nephews who adored him, and they all expressed that Mark taught them love, kindness, and most of all, compassion. Again, these records were heavily redacted. On one page, even the access website link was redacted. A spokesperson says the records contain confidential details leading to the amount of content redacted under Arizona law. I'm Fox 10 investigator Justin Lum. You can watch all of our Fox 10 investigations and continuing coverage by scanning the QR code right there. You can also submit tips to fox10investigates at fox.com.