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A lawsuit filed last week in California accuses the Department of Health Services of failing to investigate most complaints about nursing homes within the 10-day period required by law.

California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, which brought the suit, is seeking an injunction compelling state inspectors to respond to complaints within the mandated time frame.

Investigators in California are expected to visit facilities whenever complaints arise. Their deadline for responding is 24 hours for the most urgent complaints and 10 days for less serious complaints.

Last year, inspectors found that nearly three-fourths of 15,500 reports of problems at nursing homes were unsubstantiated. The lawsuit alleges that evidence is disappearing before inspectors arrive.