WICS Live: Around the States

Washington: State Agrees to Restore In-Home Supports to Children with Disabilities Enrolled in Medicaid. According to a settlement agreement, the state has agreed to restore services to 4,000 children with disabilities. The settlement comes after a lawsuit was filed to prevent the state from cutting services as of July 1st; the cuts were directed by the Legislature to manage a budget deficit for the 2009-2011 biennium budget. The state is still in discussions with representatives of adults with disabilities. As of October 19th, plaintiffs and representatives from the Department of Social and Health Services in hopes of submitting a consent decree for Federal court approval. Another case involving Medicaid cuts has been appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit after a Federal District Court refused to grant a preliminary injunction for beneficiaries and family members providing in-home supports as employees of other agencies.