Have you heard about the Department of Medical Assistance Services’ (DMAS) proposed rule regarding “legally responsible individuals” as personal care aides? Under the proposed Medicaid rule, parents of minors and spouses are able to serve as personal care aides for their family member and be paid for their services. Check out dLCV’s fact sheet to learn more about the rule and how you can share your opinion on the rule with DMAS via “public comment.”
Press Releases
Press Releases
dLCV is always excited and honored to share with you all the newest updates in our organization and our latest efforts in disability rights advocacy
Virginia Department of Corrections Denies Equal Services to Visually Impaired People who are Incarcerated

Today the ACLU of Virginia, the disAbility Law Center of Virginia, and the law firm of Brown, Goldstein, and Levy filed a complaint in the Eastern District of Virginia against the Virginia Department of Corrections (VDOC), individual VDOC officials, and the Virginia Information Technologies Agency on behalf of the National Federation of the Blind of Virginia and seven incarcerated men who are blind or visually impaired and are being denied equal access to services and programs available to sighted incarcerated people.
Parents and State Settle Lawsuit on School Masking Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Today, the Commonwealth of Virginia affirmed that peer masking in Virginia public schools is a reasonable modification for students with disabilities that put them at severe risk if they contract COVID-19 as part of a settlement in the Seaman et al. vs. Commonwealth of Virginia et al. lawsuit.
Virginia Continues to Unnecessarily Hospitalize Over 200 Virginians

DBHDS reports that as of the end of July 2022, 210 individuals were on the Extraordinary Barriers to Discharge List (EBL). Thirty-one (31) individuals on the EBL have an ID/DD diagnosis. Some of these individuals have been waiting, needlessly, for months or even years to return home.
Report on Critical Incidents in Virginia’s State Operated Mental Health Facilities

During Federal Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) , dLCV received a total of 468 Critical Incident Reports from facilities operated by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS)
Honoring Advocates who Promote the Inclusion of People with Disabilities in the Arts

After reflecting upon the past few years of pandemic living, the disAbility Law Center of Virginia has witnessed the power of art in overcoming isolation and fear. That is why, in 2022, the organization is honoring individuals who have become a beacon of hope and inclusion through the arts.
The Insanity of Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity

“It’s a sad thing that I have been locked up for 10 years, all because of the NGRI process.” Emanuel VaShaun Key, a patient at Central State Hospital (CSH), has been deprived of a life outside a state psychiatric hospital due to the Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI) plea.
Seaman v. Virginia — Federal Court Issues Preliminary Injunction against Virginia in School Mask Mandate Case

On March 23, 2022, the federal District Court for the Western District of Virginia issued a legal opinion and order as relates to masking requirements in 10 Virginia school districts.
U.S. District Court Grants Preliminary Injunction for Immunocompromised Students

On Wednesday night, March 23, 2022, Senior Judge Norman K. Moon of the U.S. District Court of the Western District granted a preliminary injunction for the plaintiffs in Seaman, et al. v. Commonwealth of Virginia, et al.
Cracks in the System: An Investigation into a Death at Riverside Regional Jail

The disAbility Law Center of Virginia and the State Board of Local and Regional Jails investigated Riverside Regional Jail after the death of an inmate with disabilities
dLCV Co-Files Suit Against the No Mask Mandate

Parents of Students with Disabilities File Suit to Stop Youngkin’s No Mask Mandate
Protecting and Advocating for Youth with Disabilities in Residential Facilities

How the disAbility Law Center of Virginia monitors and investigates Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities throughout the Commonwealth