[blindlaw] HHS Secretary Statement on Olmstead Anniversary

[Prows, Bennett (HHS/OCR)]

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:  HHS Press Office

Monday, June 22, 2009
(202) 690-6343

 

Statement by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius

On the 10th Anniversary of the 

U.S. Supreme Court Decision Olmstead v. L.C.

 

 

HHS joins President Obama in commemorating a significant anniversary in
the civil rights movement for persons with disabilities.  Ten years ago
today, the United States Supreme Court issued its landmark decision in
Olmstead v. L.C. recognizing that "unjustified institutional isolation
of persons with disabilities is a form of discrimination" under the
Americans with Disabilities Act.  

 

To underscore the importance of the Olmstead decision and continue to
affirm our commitment to addressing isolation and discrimination against
people with disabilities that still exists today, President Obama has
designated this as a "Year of Community Living." I recognize that to put
an end to injustice and carry the directive of the Olmstead decision
into all programs of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS),
we must create new partnerships.  And so, today, we invite all of our
public and private partners -- other federal agencies, states,
consumers, advocates, providers and others to join us in embracing the
Supreme Court's vision of equal opportunity and an end to unjustified
institutionalization for people with disabilities and chronic illnesses
and older Americans. 

 

To begin this "Year of Community Living," agencies within my department
will undertake the task of aggressively addressing barriers that prevent
some Americans with disabilities from enjoying a meaningful life as part
of their community.  I have asked the Administration on Aging (AoA), the
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Office for Civil
Rights, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and
Evaluation, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration to form a HHS Coordinating Council, which will be led by
the Office on Disability. These agencies, with the support of the
department, will work together to put in place solutions that address
barriers to community living for individuals with disabilities and to
give people more control over their lives and the supports they need.  

 

As a first step, CMS will engage the public in making meaningful
regulatory reforms to the home and community-based waiver program.  An
"Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking" was published in the Federal
Register today inviting public input on proposed changes to current
regulations giving states greater flexibility to serve people based on
their individual needs rather than on diagnosis.  

 

In addition, CMS and AoA are making grant funds available to states to
strengthen and expand HHS' Aging and Disability Resource Center Programs
(ADRCs).  Under this Initiative, I am encouraging collaboration by
requiring that ADRCs partner with all state agencies involved in serving
populations with disabilities, as well as the Centers for Independent
Living.  The Centers for Independent Living have an important role to
play at the community level in promoting independent living skills
throughout ADRCs.

 

- More -

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HHS' Community Living Initiative will include partnerships with other
federal agencies and the public.  As the President announced earlier
today, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will make
1,000 housing vouchers available for individuals with disabilities
transitioning from institutions to the community targeting States
operating Money Follows the Person Demonstration programs.  HUD will
award an additional 3,000 housing vouchers to serve non-elderly people
with disabilities and encourage Public Housing Authorities to form
working relationships with state Medicaid agencies interested in
addressing community living needs of beneficiaries.  While this is a
good start, this announcement is only the beginning of the collaboration
between the HHS and HUD during the "Year of Community Living."   

 

The HHS Office for Civil Rights is enhancing its partnership with the
Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division to ensure vigorous
enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Olmstead
decision.  This partnership will maximize the effectiveness of federal
leadership in promoting the civil right of community living and setting
forth the Administration's position in federal courts.

 

To carry out the President's commitment to open government, we are
committed to giving Americans opportunities to participate in
policymaking to provide the benefit of collective expertise and
information.  In keeping with this mandate, we will reach out to the
public as partners in our Community Living Initiative. Throughout this
"Year of Community Living," HHS will hold listening sessions giving
stakeholders an opportunity to come together for a common purpose:
overcoming barriers to community-based living for people with
disabilities and the elderly. These forums will help us craft the agenda
to improve federal programs and better support the efforts of state and
local government. 

 

We look forward to this new era of partnership, innovation and
commitment to the Olmstead decision.  We are deeply committed to taking
bold new steps -- during this "Year of Community Living" and into the
future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are
available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

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