Washington DD Ombuds Recommend State Expand Community-Based Services To Youth To Prevent Out Of State School Placements

The Washington State Developmental Disabilities (DD) Ombuds recommended that the state’s Department of Social and Health Services' Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) provide comprehensive community services to youth with intellectually or developmental disabilities (I/DD). This would prevent long hospital stays caused by lack of emergency options for disabled youth in crisis situations and would prevent out-of-state school placements for these youth. Currently the state spends $13 million per year on out-of-state placements for youth with I/DD.

The DD Ombuds offered the recommendation in a review of services and the experiences of families of children . . .