Feds Say Louisiana’s Reliance On Nursing Homes For People With SMI Violates Civil Rights

The Louisiana Medicaid program unnecessarily relies on nursing facilities to provide services to people with serious mental illness (SMI) and violates their civil rights, according to the findings of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). The DOJ said the state violates the community integration mandate of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C.

The state does not make the existing supply of community-based supports adequately available to people with SMI, the DOJ charges. Further, the supply of community-based supports is insufficient to serve all . . .