Federal Court Denies the District of Columbia’s Request to Limit the Injunction Requiring It to Assist D.C. Citizens with Disabilities to Transition from Nursing Facilities to the Community

On December 31, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a resounding judgment for the Plaintiff class in Brown v. District of Columbia, finding that the District of Columbia has violated the rights of D.C. residents with disabilities under the integration mandate of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act. The Court’s decision followed a trial in 2021, in which the Plaintiffs proved that D.C. failed to inform D.C. nursing facility residents who receive Medicaid that they could leave nursing facilities and receive home health services in their communities and failed to assist them to do so. The D.C. government also failed to help them access community-based services and housing options needed to transition back to the community.

The Court recognized that individuals living in nursing facilities often need help learning about and applying for available community services to help them transition out of the institution and into their own homes. Even when residents learn about services, navigating the complicated Medicaid-funded long-term care program can cause confusion and anxiety that sometimes causes facility residents to lose hope that they can live in their own homes again.

On January 28, 2025, the District of Columbia asked the Court to substantially limit the injunction, claiming that it was based on various errors. On August 15, 2025, the Court denied that request. As Kathleen L. Millian of TPM stated after the injunction issued, “Judge Friedman has let the District of Columbia know in clear terms that it cannot rely on nursing facilities, but rather, the District itself must provide effective transition assistance to help residents of nursing facilities move out of the institutions and receive their Medicaid services in the community.” The District of Columbia must now comply promptly with the injunction.