Close up of nurse comforting older patient in wheelchair

Legislation introduced Wednesday will help people with disabilities choose the setting where they want to receive long-term care support services. 

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) reintroduced the Latonya Reeves Freedom Act with 16 other Senate colleagues. The legislation is named for a woman who fled a Tennessee nursing home in 1991 for Colorado so she could live independently, while still accessing the care she needed. Reeve passed away earlier this year and had strived until her death to ensure that people with disabilities could live independently within their own communities.

“Like too many other Americans with disabilities, Latonya Reeves was institutionalized for years and unable to exercise her constitutionally-protected freedom to live on her own, until she moved to Colorado,” Bennet said in a statement. “This bill honors Latonya’s legacy of fighting for others by ensuring that people with disabilities can live independently and still access the care they need.” 

The legislation establishes a comprehensive planning requirement that helps individuals with disabilities transition into the most integrated setting, if they choose. It also prevents states and insurers from discriminating against eligible individuals who choose to receive community-based long-term care services (LTSS). 

The bill would require the U.S. Attorney General to guarantee minimum requirements for LTSS. It would also mandate LTSS insurance providers and public entities to evaluate practices and policies to identify gaps in their systems that would be barriers to community-based care. 

Approximately, 1 in 4 adults (61 million) in the U.S. have a disability that affects major life activities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.