Shayne Nagel, right, comforts her daughter, Erin, who has autism. Erin lived at a state-run residential center for two years before moving into a triplex in the community with assistance from Washington state's Money Follows the Person program. (Bettina Hansen/The Seattle Times/TNS)

Congress is considering recently-introduced legislation that would fund Money Follows the Person, a Medicaid program providing support to individuals transitioning from institutional to home- and community-based care, for five years. In the last congressional session, the bill, which has bipartisan support, was overlooked during the contentious debate that led to the government shutdown.