Stop the Push to Re-Institutionalize Disabled People

Hi, my name is [YOUR NAME] and I'm a constituent from [YOUR TOWN, ZIP].

I'm calling about the Justice Department's June 18 legal opinion that claims states aren't required to serve disabled people in their communities instead of institutions.

I'm asking [SENATOR / REPRESENTATIVE LAST NAME] to publicly oppose this opinion and any move to rescind or weaken the integration mandate, the rule that keeps disabled people living in their own communities.

Optional, and this line matters more than anything else here: [My son is autistic and relies on Medicaid and community based services. This is about whether he gets to keep a life outside an institution.]

Can you tell me where [SENATOR / REPRESENTATIVE LAST NAME] stands on protecting community living for disabled people? Thank you for your time.

Subject: Please oppose the June 18 DOJ opinion and protect community living for disabled people

Dear [SENATOR / REPRESENTATIVE LAST NAME],

I'm a constituent from [YOUR TOWN, ZIP], and I'm writing about something that affects disabled people and the families who love them all across our state.

On June 18, 2026, the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel issued an opinion claiming that federal law never required states to serve disabled people in their communities rather than in institutions, and that the rule requiring it can be canceled. That rule is the integration mandate. It's backed by the Supreme Court's Olmstead decision, and it's the floor under group homes, Medicaid waivers, and community living.

Here's what worries me. If this opinion becomes action, a state could place a disabled person in an institution and just say it ran out of community funding. Almost every state already has years-long waiting lists. That turns the most common problem our families face into a legal excuse to institutionalize.

Optional, and worth adding: [My son is disabled and relies on exactly the kind of community based support this rule protects.]

I'm asking you to publicly oppose this opinion, to oppose any move to rescind the integration mandate, and to use your oversight role to protect the right of disabled people to live in their own communities.

Please tell me where you stand. I'd appreciate a written response.

Thank you,
[YOUR NAME]
[YOUR TOWN, ZIP]

Hi, my name is [YOUR NAME] and I'm a constituent from [YOUR TOWN, ZIP].

I'm calling about a new federal legal opinion that could let states institutionalize disabled people by claiming they ran out of community funding.

I want [STATE LEGISLATOR / GOVERNOR LAST NAME] to commit publicly that our state will protect and fund home and community based services, and that we'll never use this opinion as a reason to put disabled people in institutions.

Optional: [My daughter is disabled and depends on a Medicaid waiver and community services to live here at home with us.]

Where does [STATE LEGISLATOR / GOVERNOR LAST NAME] stand on keeping disabled people in their communities? Thank you.

Subject: Protect home and community based services for disabled residents of our state

Dear [TITLE AND LAST NAME],

I'm a constituent from [YOUR TOWN, ZIP], writing about the future of disability services in our state.

On June 18, 2026, the U.S. Justice Department issued a legal opinion claiming states aren't required to serve disabled people in the community instead of in institutions, and federal officials may move to cancel the rule that protects community living. If that happens, the decision lands right here, with our state.

Home and community based services, including Medicaid waivers, are what let disabled people live in their own homes instead of institutions. Our state already has waiting lists for these services. I don't want our state to ever treat a funding shortfall as a reason to institutionalize someone who could live in the community.

Optional, and worth adding: [My daughter is disabled and relies on a Medicaid waiver and community based support to live at home with us.]

I'm asking you to publicly commit to protecting and fully funding home and community based services, to reject institutionalization as a response to budget pressure, and to defend community living for disabled residents no matter what changes at the federal level.

Please tell me where you stand. I'd appreciate a written response.

Thank you,
[YOUR NAME]
[YOUR TOWN, ZIP]

Heads up. On June 18 the Justice Department issued a legal opinion that could let states put disabled people back in institutions by claiming they ran out of community funding. It's not law yet, but it's step one. Please call your senators and representative at the U.S. Capitol switchboard, 202-224-3121, and ask them to oppose any rollback of the integration mandate, the rule that protects community living. Two minutes, and it really matters.