Adult Home Settlement Has Implications Across the Continuum

After many years in court, an agreement has been reached in the Disability Advocates (DAI) case, which had claimed that the state had discriminated against mentally ill people in New York City who live in adult homes. DAI argued that the state, in administering the mental health service system, violated the “integration mandate” of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act by housing mentally ill people in adult homes, as opposed to the most integrated setting possible. Click here for background and history on this issue.

The settlement outlines and reinforces the steps that the state has already taken to make it possible to move seriously mentally ill people into the community including the transitional adult home regulations and the development of “care management for all” approaches and additional investments into supportive housing. The agreement further commits the state to further invest in supported housing to enable those seriously mentally ill individuals living in adult homes the opportunity to move into the community if they so desire. At a minimum, the state must fund 2,000 supported housing units. Click here to view the settlement. 

Managed Long Term Care (MLTC) plans and health homes will have a critical role in the transition, assessing individuals and working with the adult homes and housing providers to facilitate transitions. The state will be providing training to health homes and MLTCs to help prepare for their role in this endeavor.

LeadingAge New York’s Diane Darbyshire is on an Advisory Group to provide input on this transition.

Contact: Diane Darbyshire, ddarbyshire@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8828