The National Health Law Program (NHeLP) works with state and national partners to secure Medicaid coverage of critical screenings, services, and supports for children and adults with disabilities.
For decades, NHeLP has enforced the rights of people with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act to live free from discrimination, including the right to receive services in integrated settings as set forth in the Supreme Court’s ruling in Olmstead v. L.C. ex rel. Zimring. Along with litigation that enforces the right to exit institutional settings, NHeLP has played a critical role in applying the ADA’s protections to people with disabilities who are at risk of unnecessary institutionalization or decreased community integration. NHeLP also uses the ADA, Section 504, and Section 1557 to address discrimination in the administration of state programs that limits access to coverage and services, such as eligibility systems and processes that screen out groups, failure to provide reasonable accommodations, or services that are not provided to all those who are eligible.
NHeLP co-counsels Medicaid Act, ADA, Rehabilitation Act, and Section 1557 lawsuits in federal and state courts throughout the country and supports other advocates by providing extensive technical assistance on the litigation of these claims. NHeLP further supports critical litigation on behalf of people with disabilities by actively participating as amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) to illuminate significant factual and legal issues nationwide. Complementing its litigation practice, NHeLP’s Litigation & Enforcement team maintains a robust administrative practice that includes filing administrative complaints with responsible agencies to vindicate a range of harms experienced by people with disabilities.
