FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kerri Michael
Phone: (501) 492-5768
Email: kmichael@disabilityrightsAR.org
Today, the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit struck down Arkansas’s Medicaid work requirements. Disability Rights Arkansas congratulates all who continue to fight to ensure healthcare to those who need it, notably Legal Aid of Arkansas and the National Health Law Program (NHeLP).
The court’s decision to end work requirements highlights the importance of public comment on executive agency rulemaking. Often, DRA will provide public comment regarding proposed action from Medicaid and other state agencies when those actions adversely impact the individuals we serve. In striking down Arkansas’s work requirement, the court criticized an all too common practice we see in our own state and federal rulemaking process: “Nodding to concerns raised by commenters only to dismiss them in a conclusory manner is not a hallmark of reasoned decision-making.” Public comments matter.
About Disability Rights Arkansas
Disability Rights Arkansas (DRA) is a private, nonprofit agency with offices in Little Rock, Arkansas. Since 1977, the Governor of Arkansas has designated DRA the independent Protection and Advocacy system for persons with disabilities in Arkansas. We work with other disability rights and civil rights organizations and agencies, the private bar, and legal services to protect the rights of people with disabilities.
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