Five individuals with disabilities and the Mississippi Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities filed this class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi on May 17, 2002. The plaintiffs argued that they were unnecessarily institutionalized (or at risk of unnecessary institutionalization) due to a lack of adequate community-based habilitation and support services. Plaintiffs claim that Mississippi's policy of only providing certain necessary services in institutional settings violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, the federal Medicaid Act, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

The parties entered a period of discovery, and the court (Judge Henry T. Wingate) certified the class on September 30, 2003. Ultimately, the parties entered a settlement in June 2005. The settlement will allow the class to receive services in their communities through a Medicaid waiver. It will also create opportunities for individuals residing in nursing homes to transition to the community. The Defendants generally agreed to increase funding for Waiver programs and to create additional support services that will allow recipients to access what they need to remain in the community. The agreement set up a series of implementation deadlines, with the latest in 2008.

Beth Kurtz - 04/26/2013


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