UCP: People With Disabilities Not Getting Adequate Support

A recent report released by United Cerebral Palsy indicates that not all states are providing Medicaid patients who have cerebral palsy and other intellectual and developmental disabilities with adequate community support.

“This report provides families and advocates a tool to compare how their state is performing in relation to the rest of the country. Despite much improvement over the last couple of decades, the report makes it clear that inclusion is not the reality for all Americans with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” said Tarren Bragdon, policy expert and author of the report.

The report—titled The Case for Inclusion 2007—evaluates and ranks the 50 states and the District of Columbia according to the level of community-based support offered to disabled patients served by Medicaid.

According to the report, the top five states include:

Arizona
Alaska
Vermont
Massachusetts
California

At the bottom of the list are Illinois, Ohio, the District of Columbia, Texas, and Mississippi.

“Every American wants the opportunity to live and work in their community. The top-performing states in our rankings do a better job promoting independence and productivity in safe, quality community settings, but we still have far too many people with disabilities not getting the service and supports they desperately want and need. We can and should do better,” said UCP President and CEO Stephen Bennett.

(Source: UCP website)

Does your child have cerebral palsy? If you suspect your child’s condition was caused by medical malpractice, contact us today to speak with a cerebral palsy attorney and learn more about your legal rights and options.