In March 2012, the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Department of Justice reached a settlement agreement. The settlement agreement terms were designed to shift Virginia away from a system of institutionalization into a system of civil rights protections and community-based care for all individuals with developmental disabilities.
Twice a year and independent reviewer for the settlement agreement releases a report detailing progress towards meeting the terms of the settlement deal. The most recent report covers the period of March through September 2016 and was made public last week. Though the report is long, the executive summary and final recommendations give you a good sense of how things are going. Virginia continues to be out of compliance with provisions for better quality and data management, integrated employment, integrated housing, and crisis services. Virginia has done well discharging individuals from state training centers and has been allocating at least the minimum number of Medicaid Waiver slots stipulated in the agreement.
