BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — State officials say a southeast Nebraska center for the developmentally disabled may be getting close to the end of monitoring by the U.S. Justice Department.

Jodi Fenner with the state Department of Health and Human Services says a recent report from an independent expert shows that significant improvements have been made in Beatrice.

The Beatrice State Developmental Center has endured a long recovery since hundreds of cases of alleged patient abuse and neglect in 2006 and 2007 were uncovered by federal investigators.

Fenner says she’s hopeful the Justice Department will agree to end formal monitoring of the center sometime in the next few months. The monitoring was part of a 2008 settlement the state agreed to after the abuse was discovered.