Des Moines, IA – A federal court has issued a final approval of a Settlement Agreement in a class action lawsuit brought against the Director of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (Iowa HHS).
The Settlement Agreement establishes necessary reforms to ensure that Iowa children with mental health conditions receive intensive home-and community-based behavioral health services in their homes and communities.
Through the settlement agreement process, Iowa HHS has agreed to develop a new array of services through the Responsive Excellent Care for Healthy youth initiative (Iowa REACH). The REACH initiative is a statewide service array aimed at ensuring youth remain in their communities, and will include care coordination, in-home mental health services, mobile crisis services, as well as a new screening and assessment process, ensuring children with mental health disabilities are screened for appropriate services. More about Iowa REACH can be found at this link.
The Agreement details specific strategies and timelines for rolling out these services, expanding provider capacity, and ensuring that services are delivered in the least restrictive environment possible. The Agreement further is supported by a robust framework for establishing effective quality management and accountability systems.
The court’s approval of the Settlement Agreement will significantly improve outcomes for Medicaid-eligible Iowa children and youth and make sure they receive legally required and medically necessary mental health services. The co-counsel organizations, Disability Rights Iowa, the National Health Law Program, Children’s Rights, and Ropes & Gray LLP, issued the following statement:
“This Settlement will help ensure that every eligible child receives essential home and community based mental health services and supports that enable them to grow up in the safety and support of their own home and community. This Settlement Agreement ensures children receive the support they need without unnecessary separation from their homes and loved ones.”
The class action lawsuit was filed in early 2023 on behalf of Medicaid-eligible children under age 21 with serious emotional and behavioral health conditions. The case challenged practices that denied children timely access to intensive community services, resulting in unnecessary institutionalization and harm.
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