On December 2, 2022, after nearly a year of negotiations, Disability Rights Washington finalized a settlement agreement with the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services and Health Care Authority to address state hospital discharge delays, and better ensure that people are not confined in expensive, institutional settings longer than necessary.

As part of the settlement, the state will create new uniform policies governing civil discharge planning at both hospitals; implement several new requirements to better ensure timely discharge planning; and commit to a presumption in discharge planning that most civil patients leaving the state hospitals can live in their own home with appropriate supports.

DRW is committed to assuring that Washington State meets is obligation under the Olmstead decision and the Americans with Disabilities Act, and does not hold people unnecessarily in institutional settings. By reaching this settlement agreement, DRW continues to work to achieve that goal.

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