May 16, 2025
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.
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.
Media Contacts
Alex Murphy, Iowa HHS, alex.murphy@hhs.iowa.gov
Katelynn Schultz, Disability Rights Iowa, kschultz@driowa.org
Andrew DiAntonio, National Health Law Program, diantonio@healthlaw.org
Camilla Jenkins, Children’s Rights, cjenkins@childrensrights.org
Amanda Howard, Ropes & Gray, amanda.howard@ropesgray.com
About National Health Law Program
National Health Law Program (NHeLP) protects and advances the health rights of low-income and underserved individuals and families. NHeLP advocates, educates and litigates at the federal and state levels. Our lawyers and policy analysts stand up for the rights of the millions of people who struggle to access affordable, quality health care. We are guided by the belief – a challenge – that each generation should live better than the last. For more information, please visit www.healthlaw.org.
About Disability Rights Iowa
Disability Rights Iowa is part of a nationwide network of protection and advocacy systems established in the 1970s by the U.S. Congress to respond to abuse and neglect of Iowans with disabilities. DRI defends and promotes the human and legal rights of Iowans who have disabilities. We promote safety, opportunity, access, and self-determination for all Iowans. For more information, please visit www.disabilityrightsiowa.org.
About Children’s Rights
Children’s Rights is a national advocacy organization dedicated to improving the lives of children living in or impacted by America’s child welfare, juvenile legal, immigration, education, and healthcare systems. We use civil rights impact litigation, advocacy, and policy expertise, and public education to hold governments accountable for keeping kids safe and healthy. Our work centers on creating lasting systemic change that will advance the rights of children for generations. For more information, please visit childrensrights.org.
About Ropes & Gray, LLC
Ropes & Gray is a preeminent global law firm with approximately 1,400 lawyers and legal professionals serving clients in major centers of business, finance, technology and government. The firm has offices in Chicago, New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Silicon Valley, London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo and Seoul, and has consistently been recognized for its leading practices in many areas, including private equity, M&A, finance, asset management, real estate, tax, antitrust, life sciences, health care, intellectual property, litigation & enforcement, privacy & cybersecurity, and business restructuring.
Ropes & Gray’s public service commitment is a hallmark of the firm, rooted in the example set by the firm’s founders more than a century and a half ago. From securing asylum for endangered immigrants, to helping people keep their homes, to winning the release of the wrongly convicted, Ropes & Gray strives to provide the highest level of pro bono legal advice and support to those who need it most. For more information, please visit www.ropesgray.com.
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