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sSB433 / File No. 707 1
General Assembly File No. 707
February Session, 2026 Substitute Senate Bill No. 433
Senate, April 21, 2026
The Committee on Appropriations reported through SEN.
OSTEN of the 19th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the
part of the Senate, that the substitute bill ought to pass.
AN ACT EXPANDING LONG-TERM CARE OPTIONS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsection (c) of section 17b -369 of the general statutes is 1
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof ( Effective from 2
passage): 3
(c) (1) The Commissioner of Social Services shall develop a strategic 4
plan, consistent with the long -term care plan established pursuant to 5
section 17b -337, as amended by this act, to rebalance Medicaid long -6
term care supports and services, including, but not limited to, those 7
supports and services provided in home, community-based settings and 8
institutional settings. The commissioner shall include home, 9
community-based and institutional providers in the development of the 10
strategic plan. In developing the strategic plan the commissioner shall 11
consider topics that include, but are not limited to: [(1)] (A) Regional 12
trends concerning the state's aging population; [(2)] (B) trends in the 13
demand for home, community-based and institutional services; [(3)] (C) 14
gaps in the provision of home and community -based services which 15
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prevent community placements; [(4)] (D) gaps in the provision of 16
institutional care; [(5)] (E) the quality of care provided by home, 17
community-based and institutional providers ; [(6)] (F) the condition of 18
institutional buildings; [(7)] (G) the state's regional supply of 19
institutional beds; [(8)] (H) the current rate structure applicable to home, 20
community-based and institutional services; [(9)] (I) the methods of 21
implementing adjustments to the bed capacity of individual nursing 22
facilities; and [(10)] (J) a review of the provisions of subsection (a) of 23
section 17b-354. 24
(2) On and after July 1, 2026, the Commissioner of Social Services shall 25
rebalance the strategic plan for long-term care supports and services to 26
increase opportunities for Medicaid beneficiaries and other persons 27
with limited income who do not qualify for Medicaid for aged, blind 28
and disabled persons to receive care in a home or community -based 29
setting. The rebalanced strategic plan shall include, but need not be 30
limited to, (A) increased outreach by the Department of Social Services 31
to Medicaid beneficiaries and other such persons who may be eligible 32
for the Connecticut home -care program for the elderly, established 33
pursuant to section 17b -342, and Medicaid waiver programs that 34
provide home or community-based care, and (B) assistance provided by 35
the department to such beneficiaries or other such persons in 36
completing applications for such programs. For purposes of this 37
subdivision, "limited income" means income not exceeding three 38
hundred per cent of the federal poverty level. 39
Sec. 2. Section 17b -337 of the general statutes is amended by adding 40
subsection (g) as follows (Effective from passage): 41
(NEW) (g) The Long -Term Care Planning Committee shall study 42
systems and methods to expand long -term care options for Medicaid 43
beneficiaries and other persons with limited income who do not qualify 44
for Medicaid for aged, blind and disabled persons, including, but not 45
limited to, allowing a greater number of such beneficiaries and persons 46
to receive care at home or in a community -based setting rather than in 47
skilled nursing facilities. Not later than December 1, 2027, the Long -48
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Term Care Planning Committee shall submit a report, in accordance 49
with the provisions of section 11-4a, to the joint standing committees of 50
the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to aging, 51
appropriations and the budgets of state agencies, human services and 52
public health on the study and any recommendations for appropriations 53
or legislation necessary to expand long -term care options. The report 54
shall include any estimated savings to the state related to reducing care 55
in skilled nursing facilities as a result of increasing options for care at 56
home or in a community-based setting. For purposes of this subsection, 57
"limited income" means income not exceeding three hundred per cent 58
of the federal poverty level. 59
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 from passage 17b-369(c)
Sec. 2 from passage 17b-337(g)
APP 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 at least
$100,000
See Below
Social Services, Dept.; Policy &
Mgmt., Off.
GF - Potential
Cost
See Below See Below
Note: GF=General Fund
Municipal Impact: None
Explanation
Section 1 of the bill requires the Department of Social Services (DSS)
to rebalance the strategic plan for long-term care supports and services.
In the strategic plan, DSS must address (1) increased home - and
community-based care opportunities for Medicaid enrollee s and those
with income up to 300% of the federal poverty level (FPL) who are
currently ineligible for HUSKY C; (2) increased outreach by DSS to
Medicaid beneficiaries and other such persons who may be eligible for
the Connecticut home -care program for the elderly; and (3) assistance
provided by the department to such beneficiaries or other such persons
in completing applications for such programs. This results in a cost of at
least $100,000 to DSS for additional support (staff or consultant) to
rebalance the strategic plan with these new components. Ongoing costs
are dependent on the frequency of such reporting and related data
monitoring.
To the extent DSS is required to implement the components of the
strategic plan, DSS will incur potentially significant costs related to
home- and community-based programs expansion, increased outreach
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activities, and department assistance in completing applications for
these programs.
Section 2 of the bill requires the Long -Term Planning Committee
within the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) to (1) study ways to
expand long -term care options for Medicaid beneficiaries and others
who meet certain requirements, and (2) submit a report by December 1,
2027. This results in a potential cost to OPM that is dependent on the
scope of the study report.
The Out Years
The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would
continue into the future subject to inflation.
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OLR Bill Analysis
sSB 433
AN ACT EXPANDING LONG-TERM CARE OPTIONS.
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Department of Social Services (DSS), starting
July 1, 2026, to rebalance the strategic plan for long -term care supports
and services (LTSS) (see BACKGROUND) to increase opportunities for
Medicaid beneficiaries and others with income up to 300% of the federal
poverty level (FPL) who do not qualify for HUSKY C to receive care at
home or in community-based settings. The bill requi res the rebalanced
strategic plan to include:
1. increased DSS outreach to Medicaid beneficiaries and others who
may be eligible for the Connecticut Home Care Program for
Elders and Medicaid waiver programs that provide home - and
community-based care, and
2. help provided by DSS for these beneficiaries and others to
complete program applications.
The bill also requires the Long -Term Care Planning Committee (see
BACKGROUND) to study ways to expand long -term care options for
Medicaid beneficiaries and others with income up to 300% of FPL who
do not qualify for HUSKY C, including allowing more of thes e
beneficiaries and others to receive care at home or in a community -
based setting rather than in nursing homes. The committee must report
by December 1, 202 7, to the Aging, Appropriations, Human Services,
and Public Health committees on the study and reco mmended
appropriations or legislation needed to expand these options. The report
must also include any estimated savings to the state related to reducing
care in nursing homes by increasing options for care at home or in
community-based settings.
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EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage
BACKGROUND
Strategic Plan to Rebalance Medicaid LTSS
Existing law requires DSS to develop this plan to rebalance Medicaid
LTSS with community -based and institutional providers and consider
various topics (for example, trends in demand for home, community -
based, and institutional services). The law requires the strategic plan to
be consistent with the Long-Term Care Planning Committee’s long-term
care plan.
Long-Term Care Planning Committee
The law establishes the Long -Term Care Planning Committee to
exchange information on long -term care issues, coordinate policies
development, and establish a long-term care plan for all people in need
of long-term care. The committee includes committee lead ership from
the Aging, Human Services, and Public Health committees and
appointments from various executive branch agencies, including DSS,
the Department of Aging and Disability Services, the Department of
Public Health, and the Department of Mental Healt h and Addiction
Services. Among other things, existing law requires the committee to
submit its long-term care plan to the Aging, Human Services, and Public
Health committees every three years. The plan must guide state
agencies in developing and making ch anges to programs that serve
people in need of long-term care.
Legislative History
The Senate referred the bill (File 364) to the Appropriations
Committee, which reported a substitute that extends the due date for
the Long -Term Care Planning Committee’s report by one year, to
December 1, 2027.
Related Bill
sSB 495 (File 484) , favorably reported by the Human Services
Committee, requires the Long-Term Care Planning Committee to study
certain topics, including state long -term care financing models, and
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makes changes to the committee’s membership.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Human Services Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea 23 Nay 0 (03/19/2026)
Appropriations Committee
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 50 Nay 0 (04/14/2026)