State Administration of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Policies

There are several key issues for states in the administration of services for people with developmental disabilities. These issues involve defining the scope of responsibility; controlling the high costs of developmental services; determining whether to administer developmental services separately or, if not, under which alternative framework; designing substate mechanisms for managing a complex array of publicly and privately provided services; and dealing with federal court decisions affecting states' ability to limit access to Medicaid-funded services.