Lawsuit Claims State is Denying Mental Health Services to Medicaid-Eligible Children

‘The state’s current approach is not only a serious violation of federal law, it is very poor public policy,’ Steven Brown, Executive Director of the ACLU of Rhode Island

The lawsuit says the state is in violation of the Medicaid Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Rehabilitation Act.
The lawsuit says the state is in violation of the Medicaid Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Rehabilitation Act.
cmh2315fl / Flickr
Share
The lawsuit says the state is in violation of the Medicaid Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Rehabilitation Act.
The lawsuit says the state is in violation of the Medicaid Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Rehabilitation Act.
cmh2315fl / Flickr
Lawsuit Claims State is Denying Mental Health Services to Medicaid-Eligible Children
Copy

A group of advocacy organizations filed a class action lawsuit yesterday against the state of Rhode Island for denying Medicaid-eligible children access to mental health care. The 68-page federal lawsuit, brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island and advocacy groups Disability Rights Rhode Island and New York-based Children’s Rights, says this puts children at higher risk of being unnecessarily institutionalized.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court, was brought on behalf of Medicaid-eligible children under 21 years old who require intensive home and community-based services. The complaint says the state is in violation of the Medicaid Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act.

This story was reported by The Public’s Radio. You can read the entire story here.

Ocean State Media’s statewide listening tour stopped in Bristol, where residents met up over coffee and on a nature walk to talk about the issues shaping their community
As Providence prepares to take control of its school district for the first time since 2019, questions remain about whether local officials are up to the task
Is the General Assembly set to change this election year?
Scott Wolf, executive director of Grow Smart RI, says the state’s lack of action on transportation and housing could threaten its ability to stave off projected population loss
All 73 of the unionized food and beverage workers at T.F. Green Airport refused to work on Thursday, saying they haven’t received a pay raise in two years from Grove Bay Concessations, which operates the airport’s restaurants and bars
The Rhode Island string band is playing a pair of shows at Myrtle on Sunday, showcasing their many unique cover songs as well as originals spanning the swing, bluegrass and folk genres, with a few curveballs thrown in