OLMSTEAD Efforts in California
Please note the toll-free call-in number for the Olmstead Advisory Committee Meeting on July 11th has been changed to accommodate broader participation.
The new number is 888-296-1938, passcode 108476.
Promoting Home and Community-Based Alternatives to Institutionalization
Background: Olmstead v. L.C.
On June 22, 1999, the United States Supreme Court issued a decision in the case of Olmstead v. L.C., finding that the unjustified institutional isolation of people with disabilities is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The court found that under certain circumstances, regulations implementing Title II of the ADA require the placement of persons with disabilities in community settings rather than institutions. The decision challenged federal, state and local governments to develop cost-effective community-based services to prevent or delay institutionalization.
Olmstead Advisory Committee
The Governor's Executive Order S-18-04 directed the Health and Human Services Agency to establish the Olmstead Advisory Committee to inform the Administration's understanding of the current system of care and provide leadership in developing future initiatives
Agency Secretary Kim Belshé appointed Advisory Committee Members who represent consumers, family members, providers and advocates. Members of the committee serve on a volunteer basis without compensation. Brenda Premo, director of the Center for Disability Issues and the Health Professions at Western University of Health Sciences and a former director of the California Department of Rehabilitation, serves as chair of the committee. If you are interested in applying to serve on the committee, please complete and submit the California Olmstead Advisory Committee Application.
The committee is responsible for providing input to Agency on its efforts to implement the California Olmstead Plan, recommending actions to improve California's long-term care system and creating opportunities to fund expanded or new activities to support individuals with disabilities in their community. The committee meets as a full committee every three months. In the interim, the committee operates under three Work Groups charged with formulating policy recommendations in the areas of diversion, assessment/transition and data.
Additional Information: