Maine Reaches Settlement to Expand Community-Based Support for Children with Disabilities

The agreement with the Justice Department aims to reduce institutionalization and improve access to in-home behavioral health services.

The U.S. Department of Justice and Maine have settled a lawsuit addressing the state's treatment of children with behavioral health disabilities.
The Justice Department alleged Maine violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by unnecessarily segregating children in institutions and limiting access to community-based care.
The settlement requires Maine to expand in-home and community-based behavioral health services, helping children remain with families or foster families rather than being institutionalized.
Key provisions include reducing waitlists, addressing workforce shortages for community service providers, and ensuring timely crisis intervention services.
Maine officials highlighted significant prior investments in children’s behavioral health services, reducing the number of institutionalized children and shrinking waitlists for care.