CURRENT LITIGATION

OFFICE of PROTECTION and ADVOCACY v. STATE of CONNECTICUT

Office of Protection and Advocacy v. State of Connecticut alleges that more than 200 people with mental illnesses are “needlessly segregated and inappropriately warehoused” in three Connecticut nursing homes, and asks the court to order state agencies to develop suitable community-living alternatives for them.

The lawsuit challenges Connecticut’s failure to comply with the United States Supreme Court’s 1999 Olmstead decision, requiring states to develop and implement a “comprehensive and effectively working plan” to identify people with disabilities who are unnecessarily confined in segregated settings, such as nursing homes, and help them move to more integrated living arrangements.

Under a July 2014 settlement agreement, people with mental illnesses residing in the two nursing homes still open will have the opportunity over the next four years to live in their own homes and communities, and receive appropriate services so that they can maintain independent and integrated lives.

Connecticut nursing home residents.

RESOURCES