Similar settlements, including some in Massachusetts, have expanded living options, but only for people with specific conditions or diagnoses. The settlement is unique in the nation, he said, because it applies to anyone living in a nursing facility. He described the settlement as a potential paradigm shift. “We have really tried to elevate the provisions in the settlement agreement to impact minority communities, particularly Black and brown communities,” Schwartz said. Residents would have access to culturally sensitive consultations in their native language. The plan would bring transition liaisons to nursing homes weekly to meet with residents and provide visits to alternative living arrangements in the community, giving them in-person experience with other residential options. In a key condition of the settlement, the state also committed to an education program to inform nursing home residents of their expanded living options and help those who want to move plan for their transitions. The state agreed to use an array of tools, including subsidized housing, expanded access to 24-hour residential care, and $100,000 dedicated to significant accessibility modifications to at least 120 residences, allowing some people to return to their homes. The reforms should allow at least 2,400 Medicaid recipients in nursing homes to transition to different residences over eight years, the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services said. Related : Disturbing conditions at a Worcester nursing home prompt questions of state oversight

The state’s obligations will be paid for through federal funds and money appropriated through the Legislature, according to the agreement. The state also agreed to pay $1.8 million for the plaintiffs’ legal fees. “Whether that means helping people find and access appropriate community-based care or housing opportunities, we want everyone to feel empowered in making their own most informed decision,” Kate Walsh, the state’s Secretary of Health and Human Services, said in a statement. Massachusetts officials framed the settlement agreement as a next step in the state’s commitment to more independent living. The settlement would apply to all nursing home residents on Medicaid, who make up the vast majority of those in long-term residential care, Schwartz said. “None of these things we think of as valued experiences in our life are available living in nursing homes.”

“Our very value as individual citizens from a set of community activities, working, voting, going to school, going to a baseball game,” Schwartz said in an interview.

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