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sHB5480 / File No. 425 1
General Assembly File No. 425
February Session, 2026 Substitute House Bill No. 5480
House of Representatives, April 7, 2026
The Committee on Human Services reported through REP.
GILCHREST of the 18th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on
the part of the House, that the substitute bill ought to pass.
AN ACT CONCERNING PEER SUPPORT SERVICES UNDER THE
MEDICAID PROGRAM.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2026) (a) As used in this section, (1) 1
"peer support services" means recovery-focused behavioral health 2
services that allow an individual the opportunity to learn to manage 3
such individual's recovery with help from a peer support specialist; and 4
(2) "peer support specialist" means an individual who (A) has 5
experience recovering from mental illness or substance use disorder, 6
and (B) is certified to provide peer recovery support under a program 7
administered by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction 8
Services. 9
(b) The Commissioner of Social Services shall amend the Medicaid 10
state plan to integrate peer support services into care teams funded 11
under the medical assistance program and provide Medicaid 12
reimbursement to peer support specialists for such services. 13
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(c) Not later than August 1, 2027, the Commissioner of Social Services 14
shall file a report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11 -4a of 15
the general statutes, with the joint standing committees of the General 16
Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to human services and 17
public health on (1) the number of peer support specialists provided 18
Medicaid reimbursement, (2) the number of Medicaid enrollees such 19
specialists serve, and (3) any outcome data on treatment provided by 20
such specialists to such enrollees. 21
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2026 New section
Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
In Subsec. (c)(2), "they" was changed to "such specialists" for clarity.
HS Joint Favorable Subst.
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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 $
Social Services, Dept. GF - Cost See Below See Below
Note: GF=General Fund
Municipal Impact: None
Explanation
The bill results in a cost to the Department of Social Services (DSS)
associated with expanding Medicaid coverage for peer support services
(recovery-focused behavioral health services). The bill requires DSS to
amend the Medicaid state plan to integrate peer support services into
care teams funded under the medical assistance program and provide
Medicaid reimbursement to peer support specialists for such services. 1
The extent of the increased cost is dependent on utilization of the
expanded service coverage and rates established.
The Out Years
The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would
continue into the future subject to the Medicaid rates established and
service utilization.
1 For context, peer support services are current ly included under the substance use
disorder residential treatment per diem rate, which ranges from approximately $350 -
$500 and supports several levels of service.
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OLR Bill Analysis
sHB 5480
AN ACT CONCERNING PEER SUPPORT SERVICES UNDER THE
MEDICAID PROGRAM.
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Department of Social Services (DSS)
commissioner to amend the Medicaid state plan to (1) integrate peer
support services into care teams funded under the Connecticut Medical
Assistance Program and (2) provide Medicaid reimbursement to peer
support specialists for these services.
The bill requires the DSS commissioner to report by August 1, 2027,
to the Human Services and Public Health committees on (1) how many
peer support specialists received Medicaid reimbursement , (2) how
many Medicaid enrollees these specialists served, and (3) any outcome
data on the treatment the se peer specialists provided to Medicaid
enrollees.
Under the bill, “peer support services” are recovery -focused
behavioral health services that teach someone how to manage their
recovery with help from a “peer support specialist”. This specialist (1)
has experience recovering from mental illness or substance use disorder
and (2) is certified to provide peer recovery support under a Department
of Mental Health and Addiction Services program.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2026
COMMITTEE ACTION
Human Services Committee
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 23 Nay 0 (03/19/2026)