Thomas B. York is the founding partner of the York Legal Group, LLC. Mr. York concentrates his practice around defending states in lawsuits involving Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 1983 civil rights, and overall requirements, including Medicaid regulations and Waiver services there under, for statewide systems of care for persons with intellectual disabilities or with mental health concerns.
His practice is principally dedicated to the defense of state-operated facilities, nursing homes, group homes, community placements, and statewide support systems for those individuals with intellectual disabilities or with mental health concerns. He has extensive experience defending against federal investigations initiated by the United States Department of Justice (USDOJ) and the United States Department of Health And Human Services, including matters related to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). He assists both states and private entities with compliance issues under the ICF/MR regulations, including CMS surveys resulting in alleged deficiencies and findings of Immediate Jeopardy. He provides critical review and advice on Home and Community Based Waivers and other systems for placements outside Developmental Centers and State Hospitals. He assists states with compliance with the ADA and the related Olmstead decision.
Mr. York has been involved in state and federal litigation in numerous jurisdictions across the country. He has extensive experience advising state clients in the implementation of the CRIPA, the ADA, the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA), the Rehabilitation Act. He has assisted states in reaching favorable settlement agreements with the USDOJ and with private advocacy groups, and has assisted states in exiting unfavorable settlements.
Mr. York served as Deputy Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (where he defended many state agencies including the Department of Public Welfare and the Department of Health) and as Chief of Litigation with the Department of Public Welfare (the agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with authority over all state hospitals and developmental centers, and which agency administers the Medicaid program). Mr. York has decades of experience in legal practice which includes negotiation and litigation involving civil rights, constitutional law, health care reimbursement, federal and state statutory requirements, federal and state regulations, and many other areas.
Mr. York is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania and received a Juris Doctor degree, Cum Laude, from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where he was a published member of the Law Review. Mr. York has been formally admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and North Carolina, and has been admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, various United States Courts of Appeals, and multiple United States District Courts around the country. Because of his experience in federal courts, Mr. York has been able to obtain admission in any federal court that has been necessary to defend his nationwide clients.
