JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Disability Rights Mississippi (DRMS) announced that it would have to stop taking new cases as of May 1, 2025.

DRMS officials said promised federal funding for the 2025 fiscal year has yet to be delivered.

DRMS is the federally mandated protection and advocacy agency for people with disabilities in the state of Mississippi. The agency, which is a private, nonprofit corporation, provides free legal and advocacy services to individuals with disabilities whose rights have been violated and investigates instances of abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation.

As of May 1, DRMS has yet to receive the anticipated 2025 funding for five of its largest programs. Officials said the five programs with delayed funding come from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) and the Administration on Community Living (ACL) both of which are housed under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

“While we are deeply concerned about the cuts and reductions of our programs in 2026, we are also dealing with the immediate crisis of the delay of receiving our current year funding,” said Polly Tribble, DRMS Executive Director. “Our agency has been serving individuals with disabilities since the early 1980s, and this is the first time that we have had to cease taking new cases agency-wide. Congress has already approved allotted these monies for our agency—we just are waiting to receive it.”

According to officials, DRMS’s parent group, the National Disability Rights Network, is looking into all available challenges to the delay and the potential elimination of federal funding that supports Americans with disabilities. 

DRMS has also had to implement a hiring freeze amid the funding delay. Current DRMS clients will continue to be served as funding allows.