PETITION TO THE CONNECTICUT GENERAL ASSEMBLY, GOVERNOR, AND THE DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES (DDS)
Support "The Lexi Law"
Close Connecticut's DDS Service Gap for Adults with Developmental Disabilities
We, the undersigned, respectfully urge the Connecticut General Assembly, the Governor of Connecticut, and the Connecticut Department of Developmental Services (DDS) to enact "The Lexi Law," legislation designed to eliminate the dangerous gap in services that many young adults with developmental disabilities experience when they turn 22 years old.

Today, many Connecticut families discover that although their loved one has been determined eligible for DDS services, those services do not begin immediately. Instead, families are often forced to wait months after their child reaches adulthood before receiving the support they desperately need.

For families caring for individuals with autism, intellectual disabilities, serious mental illness, or other developmental disabilities, this delay can create a devastating crisis.

My daughter, Lexi, is one of those individuals.

Lexi has autism and an intellectual disability. She worked incredibly hard throughout her childhood to build a meaningful life filled with school, therapy, community activities, and family support. Then everything changed. She developed severe psychiatric symptoms that led to repeated hospitalizations and a diagnosis of schizophrenia. She now requires constant supervision and cannot safely live independently.

Despite her significant needs, our family was informed that DDS services—including case management and residential support—would not begin until a later administrative date, leaving families like ours without the assistance they urgently need during one of the most difficult times of our lives.

No family should have to face this alone.

The current system leaves parents to navigate crises without the coordinated services they were promised. Delays increase emotional stress, financial hardship, caregiver burnout, unnecessary hospitalizations, and the risk that individuals will deteriorate while waiting for help.

The Lexi Law would ensure that eligible individuals receive support when they need it—not months later because of administrative timelines.

We respectfully ask Connecticut leaders to:
Begin DDS services immediately once an eligible individual reaches age 22.
Eliminate unnecessary administrative waiting periods after eligibility has been established.
Allow DDS services to overlap with school transition services when necessary to ensure continuity of care.
Begin case management as soon as eligibility is confirmed so families have guidance before a crisis occurs.
Create an emergency pathway for individuals experiencing psychiatric or behavioral crises who cannot safely wait for services.
Strengthen coordination between DDS, DMHAS, schools, hospitals, and community providers during the transition to adulthood.
Expand access to residential supports and crisis services for individuals with urgent needs.
Ensure that no Connecticut family is left without support because of delays in the current system.
Every individual with developmental disabilities deserves dignity, safety, and timely access to services.

Every caregiver deserves support before reaching the point of exhaustion.

Every family deserves hope.

By signing this petition, we ask Connecticut's elected officials to make these changes and protect some of our state's most vulnerable residents.

Support The Lexi Law.

Because no family should have to wait for help when help already exists.

Thank you for standing with Connecticut familie