May 21, 2026
The Boost News
SPOTLIGHT: SUPREME COURT
The Supreme Court threw out a challenge by the state of Alabama to a judicial finding that a death row inmate convicted of a 1997 murder is intellectually disabled and thus ineligible for the death penalty.
The Guardian explains that “because of a major 2002 supreme court precedent that executing an intellectually disabled person violates the constitution’s eighth amendment ban on ‘cruel and unusual punishment’, Alabama could not execute Smith. But that landmark ruling left it to the states to set standards for eligibility.”
It also reports that Justice Sotomayor, in her concurring opinion, said that “’the court is not equipped to provide any meaningful guidance on how courts should assess multiple IQ scores. That is because the differences between methods used to assess multiple IQ scores raise complicated questions on which even experts may disagree.”
Or, as Disability Scoop‘s headline put it, the court Punts On Deciding How Intellectual Disability Is Defined (paywall).
STATES
NYC promises new scorecards and more efficient routes for dysfunctional school bus system Of the 145,000 students reliant on yellow bus service, roughly 43% are children with disabilities. (Chalkbeat)
Arizonans with disabilities depend on at-home services. Medicaid cuts could erode the program Another look at what can happen to people with disabilities when essential services are cut. (KJZZ.com)
‘Makeshift Fight Club’: Arkansas Private School Founder Punished for Abuse of Disabled Student (Disabled Journalists Association)
New bill requires autism awareness training for Florida law enforcement A mom got the whole ball rolling. (WESH.com)
Michigan’s use of AI to process SNAP applications draws concerns about past automation failures (Michigan Advance)
Minn. counties welcome state funds to overhaul old technology to administer SNAP, Medicaid (MPR News)
NC families with disabled children press lawmakers to maintain funding as federal Medicaid cuts loom (North Carolina Health News)
The Philadelphia school district will phase out a special ed program Intensive Learning Support is meant to boost students significantly academically behind their peers. The move is “an effort to educate more special education students alongside their peers.” (Chalkbeat)
MEDICAID
Families caring for disabled relatives face unthinkable choices as Medicaid cuts loom (NBC News)
Trump administration proposes crackdown on Medicaid state-directed payments (Healthcare Dive)
AHA STATMENT: CMS issues proposed rule on Medicaid supplemental payments Medicaid “is a lifeline for tens of millions of Americans — children, seniors, people with disabilities and hardworking individuals. [The] proposed rule raises important questions about how the statutory requirements will be implemented and the potential impact on providers’ ability to rely on critical Medicaid payments.” (American Hospital Assn.)
MEDICAID ‘FRAUD’
RFK Jr. announces ‘the largest autism fraud bust in American history’ The Dept. of Justice has arrested and indicted 15 people in Minnesota for alleged fraud schemes involving $90 million in Medicaid funds. James Clark, inspector general at Minnesota’s Department of Human Services, said his department stopped payments to some of the businesses connected to the charges more than a year ago and has already opened investigations and withheld payment to 11 of the 15 people charged. (Politico)
Vance takes his fight against fraud to red state Ohio (AP)
Ohio Gov. DeWine pushes back as GOP leaders blame administration for Medicaid fraud (Columbus Dispatch)
Calif. Condemns Federal Deferral of IHSS Funds CMS deferred $1.1 billion in federal funding tied to the state’s In-Home Supportive Services program, which serves some 905,000 seniors, children and people with disabilities with basic needs, citing fraud concerns. (Calif. Dept. of Health Care Services)
California Legislators Reject Cuts to In-Home Supportive Services in Proposed State Budget Some 31 Assemblymembers and Senators signed a letter rejecting proposed cuts to IHSS. (Sierra Sun Times)
CAREGIVERS
More states are offering caregiver tax credits for families — but they only offset a fraction of expenses Connecticut is poised to become the third state (after Oklahoma and Nebraska) offering the tax credit. (Marketwatch)
OPINION: The caregivers you’ve never heard of are in crisis (The Hill)
AUTISM
Leucovorin Scripts Surged Even Before White House Autism Push Well, not too much before. It apparently followed a February 2025 CBS News segment featuring a family who reported dramatic language improvements in a child after treatment. (MedPage Today)
HEALTH CARE
REPORTS & STUDIES
Risks and Priorities in Federal Disability Measurement Recent shifts in the approach to collecting and using data have raised concerns about how we measure and understand disabled people, their experiences and their protections. (Urban Institute)
2024-25 Data at a Glance: I/DD Family Surveys The data demonstrate how state Developmental Disability systems are impacting families. (NCI IDD)
ABLEISM
Mom’s Facebook plea may help son with disabilities walk at graduation A Texas mother’s now-viral Facebook post said school officials told her that her son would “take too long” to walk across the stage.(USA Today)
GOOD IDEAS
Fashion Celebrates Girls With Disabilities Fashion brand Alivia partners with a N.C. camp where participants work on every stage of the process, from initial design to marketing to walking in a fashion show. (Today.com)