November 13, 2024
Federal complaint hinges on accounts of 10 children institutionalized as means of treatment
A trio of advocacy organizations filed a class action lawsuit Wednesday accusing the state of Rhode Island of failing to provide federally mandated behavioral and mental health care for Rhode Island children who qualify for Medicaid.
The 68-page complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island relies on the experiences of 10 lead plaintiffs, all of whom are under 18 with mental or behavioral health needs whose care was coordinated by state agencies in charge of administering federal Medicaid and children’s health programs. Disability Rights Rhode Island, the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island, and Children’s Rights, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of the plaintiffs, names Rhode Island Health and Human Services Secretary Richard Charest, and Ashley Deckert, director of the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF), as plaintiffs.
“Despite the urgency and gravity of the crisis, the response has been woefully and consistently inadequate,” the lawsuit states. “As a result, hundreds of vulnerable young people continue to be denied timely access to the behavioral health services they desperately need and are entitled to under federal law.”