Virginia wastes millions of dollars providing deeply flawed services to the state’s mentally handicapped residents, according to a scathing critique issued by the U.S. Department of Justice. The state’s insufficient services put it in violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act, the report said. Virginia has about 50 days to show signs of reform, or it could face a federal lawsuit. Some 1,100 people with mental disabilities live in state-run institutions at the cost of nearly $200,000 per person per year. Virginia is one of only five states that still operate such facilities.

About 8,600 people in the state receive support in their home communities — the preferred setting under law — using Medicaid waivers worth an average of $76,400 each. An additional 6,400 people are on a waiting list for aid.