RI DD Issues On Public Agenda Next Week

The Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court in Rhode Island will hold a remote-access public hearing Monday, Dec. 12 on the status of a 2014 consent decree addressing the rights of adults with developmental disabilities to work and enjoy various other activities in their communities.

Separately on Monday, and on Wednesday, Dec. 14, and Thursday, Dec. 15, the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) will host three remote-access public sessions to gather feedback on a draft plan to comply with a rule of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services established in 2014. That rule on “conflict-free case management” requires assessments of need and coordination of healthcare and social services to be separate from the actual delivery of those services.

The hearing on the consent decree, now in its ninth year of federal oversight, will begin at 2 p.m. Monday before Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr. Instructions for remote viewing or dialing in for audio are on the court’s public access page, which can be found here.

Scroll down the page to see the listing for USA vs. State of RI alongside Judge McConnell’s name, which includes the meeting ID and password.

The first of the three EOHHS public meetings on the state’s draft plan for so-called Conflict-Free Case Management will begin at 3 p.m. Dec. 12. There will be two other sessions, both at 3 p.m., on Wednesday, December 14, and Thursday, December 15.

Any proposed change in the system for coordinating federally-funded Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) will affect adults with developmental disabilities, as well as many others eligible for Medicaid-funded HCBS programs.

The way the state addresses conflict-free case management also will play a part in the state’s ultimate compliance with the consent decree. Both are drawn from the Olmstead decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, which held that the Integration Mandate of the Americans With Disabilities Act is intended to give people with disabilities the resources necessary for them to live regular lives in their communities.

Those interested in attending any of the EOHHS sessions must register in advance. The links for registration, as well as an explanation of the reasons for the plan and a copy of the draft document, are on the EOHHS Conflict-Free Case Management webpage here.