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Interim Settlement in Iowa Children’s Behavioral Health Case

Des Moines, Iowa – Today, the State of Iowa agreed to an interim settlement in a lawsuit brought on behalf of Medicaid-eligible children with serious mental and behavioral health needs, which asserted that Iowa administers an inadequate mental health system that does not provide children and youth with legally required services. To address these decades long issues, the State of Iowa has launched major transformations through the Mental Health and Disability Regional structure to provide core services to children in Iowa and will continue to improve the state’s mental health system specifically for all Iowans. The terms of this agreement will strengthen the work already underway and shift to increase oversight in the behavioral health system to ensure adequate access to services for families and children.

Advocates Sue the State of Iowa over Failure to Provide Mental Health Care for Medicaid-Eligible Children

Des Moines, IA — Iowa is denying Medicaid-eligible children their legal right to mental health care, according to a class action lawsuit filed today by Disability Rights Iowa, Children’s Rights, National Health Law Program, and Ropes & Gray, LLP. The filing comes as children in the U.S. face unprecedented mental health challenges, and the need for mental health services among Iowa’s children has reached crisis levels. Iowa is ranked 41^st worst in the nation for number of children suffering from at least one major depressive episode in the last year.