The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services allocated $31 million in grants to 31 states to help people with disabilities or long-term illnesses live in their homes and participate fully in community life. The grants promote the goal of community living for individuals with disabilities and long-term illnesses. Under this initiative, which began in 2001, 10 federal agencies work with states and community organizations to remove barriers to community living. The grants were awarded to help states and other eligible entities improve their home and community-based services programs.

The U.S. Department of Labor awarded a $1.5 million technical assistance grant to the Corporation for Supportive Housing to address chronic homelessness among persons with disabilities. The grant, known as the Chronic Homelessness Employment Technical Assistance (CHETA) Initiative, is a cooperative effort between the department's Office of Disability Employment Policy, the Employment and Training Administration, and the Veterans Employment and Training Service. The Corporation for Supportive Housing, with offices in ten states, is a national non-profit organization dedicated to helping local communities develop services that support the homeless.

A jury in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana has awarded a former employee of E.I. DuPont De Nemours & Co. (DuPont) $1.29 million in an employment discrimination case filed by the EEOC under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). DuPont, based in Wilmington, Delware, is an international science and chemical company operating in 70 countries with 55,000 employees worldwide and annual revenue of more than $20 billion. The jury awarded plaintiff Laura Barrios $1 million in punitive damages, $200,000 in front pay and $91,000 in back pay. EEOC's lawsuit, filed in June 2003, asserted that DuPont violated the ADA when it illegally required Ms. Barrios, who has severe physical impairments, to take a functional capacity exam (FCE) which was neither job-related nor consistent with business necessity. The FCE tested her performance of rigorous physical tasks such as climbing, standing for hours on end, lifting more than 20 pounds, straight leg lifts, and overhead work. Although Ms. Barrios passed the test, DuPont used the test results as a pretext to declare her as a direct threat to herself and others because DuPont believed Ms. Barrios could not safely evacuate the plant in case of an emergency. DuPont then forced Ms. Barrios onto short term disability leave and then total permanent disability retirement which terminated her employment.