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HB5388 / File No. 102 1
General Assembly File No. 102
February Session, 2026 House Bill No. 5388
House of Representatives, March 19, 2026
The Committee on Labor and Public Employees reported
through REP. SANCHEZ, E. of the 24th Dist., Chairperson of
the Committee on the part of the House, that the bill ought to
pass.
AN ACT CONCERNING PROCESSING FEES FOR MEDICAL
RECORDS FOR APPLICATIONS FOR DISABILITY RETIREMENT.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsection (d) of section 20 -7c of the general statutes is 1
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 2
1, 2026): 3
(d) Upon a written request of a patient, a patient's attorney or 4
authorized representative, or pursuant to a written authorization, a 5
provider, except as provided in section 4-194, shall furnish to the person 6
making such request a copy of the patient's health record, including but 7
not limited to, bills, x-rays and copies of laboratory reports, contact lens 8
specifications based on examinations and final contact lens fittings 9
given within the preceding three months or such longer period of time 10
as determined by the provider but no longer than six months, records of 11
prescriptions and other technical information used in assessing the 12
patient's health condition. No provider shall refuse to return to a patient 13
HB5388 File No. 102
HB5388 / File No. 102 2
original records or copies of records that the patient has brought to the 14
provider from another provider. When returning records to a patient, a 15
provider may retain copies of such records for the provider's file, 16
provided such provider does not charge the patient for the costs 17
incurred in copying such records. No provider shall charge more than 18
sixty-five cents per page, including any research fees, handling fees or 19
related costs, and the cost of first class postage, if applicable, for 20
furnishing a health record pursuant to this subsection, except such 21
provider may charge a patient the amount necessary to cover the cost of 22
materials for furnishing a copy of an x -ray, provided no such charge 23
shall be made for furnishing a health record or part thereof to a patient, 24
a patient's attorney or authorized representative if the record or part 25
thereof is necessary for the purpose of supporting a claim or appeal 26
under any provision of the Social Security Act or a claim or appeal for 27
veterans' benefits under any provision of Title 38 of the United States 28
Code or chapter 506 or application for disability retirement benefits 29
under the state employees retirement system and the request is 30
accompanied by documentation of the claim or appeal or application. A 31
provider shall furnish a health record requested pursuant to this section 32
within thirty days of the request. No health care provider, who has 33
purchased or assumed the practice of a provider who is retiring or 34
deceased, may refuse to return original records or copied records to a 35
patient who decides not to seek care from the successor provider. When 36
returning records to a patient who has decided not to seek care from a 37
successor provider, such provider may not charge a patient for costs 38
incurred in copying the records of the retired or deceased provider. 39
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2026 20-7c(d)
LAB Joint Favorable
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HB5388 / File No. 102 3
The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of
the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not
represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose. In general,
fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional
knowledge. Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final
products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.
OFA Fiscal Note
State Impact:
Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 27 $ FY 28 $
UConn Health Ctr. OF - Revenue
Loss
Less than
750
Less than
1,000
Note: OF=UConn Health Operating Funds
Municipal Impact: None
Explanation
The bill results in a revenue loss of less than $750 in FY 27 and less
than $1,000 in FY 28 and annually thereafter to the UConn Health
Center. It does so by preventing health care providers from charging a
fee for copies of medical records requested in relation to an application
for state employee disability retirement benefits. The lower revenue loss
indicated in FY 27 is due to the bill's 10/1/26 effective date.
UConn Health charges one cent per page for such records and
receives about 12 requests per year.
The Out Years
The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would
continue into the future subject to the number of copies of such medical
records requested, and the fees UConn Health charges for those copies.
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OLR Bill Analysis
HB 5388
AN ACT CONCERNING PROCESSING FEES FOR MEDICAL
RECORDS FOR APPLICATIONS FOR DISABILITY RETIREMENT.
SUMMARY
This bill prohibits health care service providers from charging a
patient for furnishing part or all of the patient’s health record s to
support an application for disability retirement benefits from the state
employees retirement system, as long as the records request includes
documentation of the application.
Existing law, unchanged by the bill, prohibits providers from
charging fees for health records needed for a documented claim or
appeal for Social Security or state or federal veterans’ benefits.
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2026
BACKGROUND
Record Fees
Unless fees are prohibited, the law allows a health care provider to
charge up to 65 cents per page, including any applicable research or
handling fees, related costs, and first-class postage, to supply a patient’s
health record. Patients may also be charged an additional amount to
cover the cost of material for a copy of an x-ray.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Labor and Public Employees Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea 9 Nay 4 (03/05/2026)