Seattle, Washington – In November 2009, the TR lawsuit was brought on behalf of a class of Medicaid eligible children under age 21 in Washington State who have a mental illness or condition and need intensive home and community based services to treat that condition. In 2013, the parties entered into a settlement agreement, which was approved by the federal court. The parties subsequently spent the next 8 years ensuring the commitments of that agreement came to fruition so that children and youth in Washington would benefit from the services and mental health system changes that were made. On September 8, 2021, pursuant to an agreement between the parties that the exit terms of the settlement were substantially satisfied by the State, the Court dismissed the lawsuit.
As counsel in this case, the National Health Law Program appreciates the commitment of the State to the needs of its children and families who rely on Medicaid services to meet their mental health needs
“As a result of the TR lawsuit, Washington established the Wraparound with Intensive Services (WISe), a statewide program that provides intensive mental health services and supports to thousands of children and youth, and their families, in their homes and communities each year. These services have resulted in positive outcomes for many children and their families and prevented the placement of these youth in intuitional settings,” said Kim Lewis, Managing Attorney of NHeLP’s Los Angeles office. “Over the past 8 years, the State of Washington has demonstrated a strong commitment to building a lasting system of care that promotes intensive community-based mental health services and values a family centered treatment team model, while addressing systemic challenges from data collection to workforce shortages and a global pandemic.”
“As counsel in this case, the National Health Law Program appreciates the commitment of the State to the needs of its children and families who rely on Medicaid services to meet their mental health needs, and the hard work and commitment of our co-counsel in this case, in particular Disability Rights Washington and the National Center for Youth Law.”
