News
ABC NEWS: Judge blocks Trump administration's Medicaid rule forcing sick recipients to prove frailty
By SD Network, 2026-10-30
A federal judge in Boston partially blocked a Trump administration Medicaid rule that required chronically ill individuals to prove their conditions "significantly impair" their ability to meet new work requirements in order to qualify for "medically frail" exemptions. Ruling in a lawsuit brought by 25 states and the District of Columbia, U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns found that the stricter rule would cause irreparable harm by forcing states to alter eligibility verification systems, though he upheld other provisions regarding medical documentation limits.
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WISCONSIN WATCH: Outreach, education key to voting accessibility, Wisconsin advocates say
By SD Network, 2026-10-30
A recent article explores the ongoing challenges surrounding voting accessibility for individuals with disabilities in Wisconsin. While the state boasts robust accessibility requirements—such as curbside voting, accessible polling places, and electronic ballot-marking equipment—advocates note a significant turnout gap and hurdles regarding implementation and awareness. Experts emphasize that greater outreach, education, and proper support for both voters and municipal clerks are essential to ensuring that the hundreds of thousands of voting-eligible residents with disabilities can fully exercise their right to vote.
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TIME: I've Been Disabled Since I Was a Child. Co-Writing Being Heumann Still Taught Me So Much
By SD Network, 2026-10-30
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WISCONSIN BOARD FOR PEOPLE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES: legislative policy priorities
By SD Network, 2026-10-30
The Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities (BPDD) released legislative policy priorities that focus on upholding the rights of people with disabilities to receive care at home, get an education, and live and work in their communities.
People with disabilities fought for decades for laws that ensure that we cannot be set aside and locked away in institutions. A recent U.S. Department of Justice memo says these laws do not give people the right to live in their own homes and communities. Medicaid cuts and federal actions targeting home care funding threaten the care infrastructure Wisconsin has built to prevent people with disabilities and older adults from unnecessarily ending up in costly Medicaid-funded nursing homes and other institutional settings.
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MCKNIGHT: States go above and beyond to prevent Medicaid home care fraud, KFF survey finds
By SD Network, 2026-10-23
Based on a 2026 KFF survey of state Medicaid home care programs, nearly all responding states exceed federal electronic visit verification (EVV) requirements and use a multifaceted approach to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse. Most states analyze claims by provider and enrollee, update care plans annually or more frequently, require in-person assessments, and verify claims against authorizations prior to payment, with a vast majority implementing all eight key program integrity strategies. Furthermore, states are increasingly adopting artificial intelligence tools—such as predictive algorithms and aggregated grievance monitoring—to enhance data oversight and program integrity, particularly across waiver programs for older adults, individuals with physical disabilities, and those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
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The National MLTSS Health Plan Association announced the release of a new brief titled Self-Direction 2.0 Framework: Advancing Self-Direction in a Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) Ecosystem, which provides actionable recommendations to improve person-centered and sustainable self-direction programs. Developed in partnership with the Self-Direction Center and the association's Self-Direction Workgroup—consisting of health plan experts and partnership program participants—this publication is the first in a series of briefs scheduled for release.
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CENTER ON BUDGET AND POLICY PRIORITIES: Outdated SSI Asset Limits Pose Real Problem for Children With Disabilities Hoping to Benefit From Trump Accounts
By SD Network, 2026-10-23
Starting this month, families can open Trump Accounts for babies born between 2025 and 2028, which include a $1,000 federal contribution. However, once these children reach adulthood, the money saved in these accounts will count against the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program's strict $2,000 asset limit. Because SSI asset limits have been frozen for nearly 40 years without adjusting for inflation, the growth of these accounts threatens to disqualify low-income disabled young adults from essential SSI benefits and Medicaid coverage unless they transfer the funds into ABLE accounts by age 17 or Congress raises the limits.
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NBC NEWS : How Trump’s homelessness crackdown became a sweeping retreat from disability rights
By SD Network, 2026-10-23
This NBC News report examines how a Trump administration policy memo, which makes it easier for states to institutionalize homeless individuals with mental health issues, has coincided with the Justice Department backing away from civil rights cases protecting disabled Americans. Advocates and disabled individuals are raising alarms that these combined actions threaten long-standing community-living protections under the Olmstead decision, potentially triggering a nationwide rollback of disability rights and an increase in forced institutionalization.
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