Iowa reaches final settlement in lawsuit alleging state hasn’t provided adequate mental health care for kids

Iowa will take steps to ensure Medicaid-eligible children with mental illness diagnoses receive the mental and behavioral health care services they need as part of a recently announced settlement agreement.

The lawsuit, filed in early 2023 by Disability Rights Iowa and other national health and law advocacy organizations, accused Iowa of “longstanding failure” to provide Medicaid-eligible children with legally required and medically necessary mental and behavioral health services.

The suit was filed against Iowa Department of Health and Human Services Director Kelly Garcia.

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