CMS-HHS workgroup meeting on Olmstead

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is meeting with state officials and people with disabilities and will review relevant federal Medicaid regulations, policies, and previous guidance to ensure that they are compatible with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1999 decision in Olmstead v. L.C. The court decision requires states to administer services, programs, and activities "in the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs of qualified individuals with disabilities."

CMS has joined with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Office of Civil Rights to address continuing questions and issues involving implementation of the Olmstead decision and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The group invites states and stakeholders to submit policy questions and recommendations and promises that answers will be posted at a Medicaid Olmstead web site.

Written correspondence is to go to DHHS Working Group for Olmstead/ADA, c/o Center for Medicaid and State Operations, CMS, Room S2-14-26, DEHPG, 7500 Security Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21244-1850.