The Words Matter Act of 2025 removes outdated terminology from federal law by replacing the terms "mentally retarded" and "mental retardation" with "intellectual disability" or "intellectual disabilities" throughout the U.S. Code. The bill affects numerous federal programs and services, including Medicare and Medicaid provisions, military family health care, criminal justice programs, nursing facilities, child nutrition programs, and developmental disability services. The changes are purely terminological and are not intended to alter coverage, eligibility, or rights under any affected programs—they simply update language to reflect current medical and respectful terminology. Federal agencies must update their regulations accordingly and clearly note in those regulations that "intellectual disability" was formerly called "mental retardation." The bill does not compel states to change their own state laws, only federal legislation and regulations.
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