ASSISTED LIVING DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMS AND FEDERAL ELDERLY HOUSING

You asked (1) for information on state assisted living demonstration programs established by PA 00-2, (2) whether an elderly housing complex assisted by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) would be eligible to participate, and (3) if any state rule says applications will not be accepted from HUD developments in towns that already have a state-assisted elderly congregate facility.

The state funds several types of assisted living demonstration programs. In all of them, the Department of Social Services’ Connecticut Home Care Program for Elders (CHCPE), to some extent, helps seniors who qualify financially and medically pay for the assisted living services.

The program you refer to was established by PA 00-2, June Special Session, and allows the state to pay for assisted living services in up to four federally funded elderly housing complexes. Services are already being provided in three locations in existing HUD complexes and a request for proposals (RFP) for a fourth has just been issued. A HUD-funded elderly facility could apply, but this new RFP states (as did prior

RFPs) that the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) will not accept applications from HUD facilities in towns that already have a state-assisted elderly congregate facility. DECD made this policy decision under its statutory authority to implement the program and to set criteria, including geographic criteria.

Legislation in 1998 first established an assisted living demonstration program for moderate and lower-income seniors and authorized construction of up to 300 units of state-subsidized affordable housing for the program. (CGS § 17b-347e, PA 98-239, PA 99-279). Currently there are four planned locations: The Retreat in Hartford, Herbert T. Clarke House in Glastonbury, Luther Ridge in Middletown, and Smith Street Assisted Living in Seymour. Herbert T. Clarke House will likely be the first of these to begin operating this summer. Originally, five locations were preliminarily approved, but one, Marian Glen in New Britain, has since withdrawn. These are all new construction projects, but an earlier RFP had allowed rehabilitations, even though none were ultimately chosen. So far, there are no plans to do another RFP.

Legislation in 2000 allowed all state-subsidized elderly congregate housing projects to offer assisted living to their residents and permits CHCPE to pay for the services for those who qualify. DECD pays for some services for residents who do not qualify for CHCPE (CGS §§ 8-119m, 17b-342(c), PA 00-2, June Special Session). Sixteen of the 24 elderly congregate housing projects in the state now offer assisted living services under this program.

Legislation in 2000 and 2001 required the DECD commissioner to establish a demonstration program in up to four federally funded elderly housing complexes to provide assisted living services (CGS § 8-206e (d), PA 00-2, June Special Session; PA 01-2, June Special Session). Three are already operational: Tower 1/Tower East in New Haven, Immanuel House in Hartford, and Juniper Hill in Mansfield. All are HUD elderly housing. This is the program that has issued the new RFP.

Two new pilot programs (one Medicaid, one purely state-funded) established in 2002 pay for assisted living services for some seniors in private assisted living facilities who have used up most of their own resources (CGS §§ 17b-365 & 17b-366, PA 02-7, May 9 Special Session). Originally, this law had set separate limits of 50 for the Medicaid pilot and 25 for the state-funded pilot, but a 2004 change sets a combined overall limit of 75 participants (PA 04-258).

A 2003 OLR report (enclosed) describes the various state-assisted living programs and their status as of September 2003: OLR Report No. 2003-R-0637.

DECD recently issued a new RFP, which we have enclosed, for federally assisted housing interested in providing assisted living services. The RFP (enclosed) is available at:

The RFP is for one federally assisted elderly housing complex to participate in the Assisted Living Services in Federal Facilities Program (ALFF). Three others are already participating as a result of prior RFPs. Through this program, residents in the federal complex can receive help paying for assisted living services through CHCPE.

This RFP, like the prior ones for ALFF, includes a restriction that applications will not be accepted from federal developments operating in a town or city that:

1. has a state-funded elderly congregate facility (which also can provide assisted living services, as 16 throughout the state already do);

2. has a federal development already operating under ALFF; or

3. has an approved project under the 300-unit moderate-income assisted living demonstration project, currently planned in four locations (page 3 of the RFP).

These restrictions appear not to be specifically required by the statute, but they result from a policy decision by DECD under its general statutory authority to implement the program. The purpose appears to be to offer assisted living in the largest number of towns possible given the available resources. The statute however does require the DECD commissioner to establish criteria for making disbursements and, among others, includes geographic location as one of them (CGS § 8-206d(e)).


June 16, 2004		2004-R-0469
ASSISTED LIVING DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMS AND FEDERAL ELDERLY HOUSING

By: Helga Niesz, Principal Analyst