$110M settlement in disability lawsuit

The National Center for Law and Economic Justice and Disability Rights Michigan has announced the settlement of a federal civil rights action that will, over the next five years, secure more than $110 million in additional state and federal Medicaid expenditures for Michiganders with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) who rely on Medicaid Community Living Support (CLS) services to live at home and participate in their communities. Subject to legislative appropriations and various other approvals, the settlement will provide self-determination CLS recipients on Michigan’s Habilitation Supports Waiver with an hourly service rate increase. “Our lawsuit was about preventing institutionalization and empowering folks living with I/DD to thrive in their communities,” Edward Krugman, Senior Attorney at the National Center for Law and Economic Justice, said in a statement about the settlement.