CHAPTER 319y*
LONG-TERM CARE

      Sec. 17b-337. Long-term elderly care planning committee. Long-term care plan for elderly persons. Membership. (a) There shall be established a Long-Term Care Planning Committee for the purpose of exchanging information on long-term care issues, coordinating policy development and establishing a long-term care plan for all persons in need of long-term care. Such policy and plan shall provide that individuals with long-term care needs have the option to choose and receive long-term care and support in the least restrictive, appropriate setting. Such plan shall integrate the three components of a long-term care system including home and community-based services, supportive housing arrangements and nursing facilities. Such plan shall include: (1) A vision and mission statement for a long-term care system; (2) the current number of persons receiving services; (3) demographic data concerning such persons by service type; (4) the current aggregate cost of such system of services; (5) forecasts of future demand for services; (6) the type of services available and the amount of funds necessary to meet the demand; (7) projected costs for programs associated with such system; (8) strategies to promote the partnership for long-term care program; (9) resources necessary to accomplish goals for the future; (10) funding sources available; and (11) the number and types of providers needed to deliver services. The plan shall address how changes in one component of such long-term care system impact other components of such system.

      (b) The Long-Term Care Planning Committee shall, within available appropriations, study issues relative to long-term care including, but not limited to, the case-mix system of Medicaid reimbursement, community-based service options, access to long-term care and geriatric psychiatric services. The committee shall evaluate issues relative to long-term care in light of the United States Supreme Court decision, Olmstead v. L.C., 119 S. Ct. 2176 (1999), requiring states to place persons with disabilities in community settings rather than in institutions when such placement is appropriate, the transfer to a less restrictive setting is not opposed by such persons and such placement can be reasonably accommodated.

      (c) The Long-Term Care Planning Committee shall consist of: (1) The chairpersons and ranking members of the joint standing and select committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to human services, public health, elderly services and long-term care; (2) the Commissioner of Social Services, or the commissioner's designee; (3) one member of the Office of Policy and Management appointed by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management; (4) one member from the Department of Social Services appointed by the Commissioner of Social Services; (5) one member from the Department of Public Health appointed by the Commissioner of Public Health; (6) one member from the Department of Economic and Community Development appointed by the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development; (7) one member from the Office of Health Care Access appointed by the Commissioner of Health Care Access; (8) one member from the Department of Mental Retardation appointed by the Commissioner of Mental Retardation; (9) one member from the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services appointed by the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services; (10) one member from the Department of Transportation appointed by the Commissioner of Transportation; (11) one member from the Department of Children and Families appointed by the Commissioner of Children and Families; and (12) the executive director of the Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities or the executive director's designee. The committee shall convene no later than ninety days after June 4, 1998. Any vacancy shall be filled by the appointing authority. The chairperson shall be elected from among the members of the committee. The committee shall seek the advice and participation of any person, organization or state or federal agency it deems necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.

      (d) Not later than January 1, 1999, and every three years thereafter, the Long-Term Care Planning Committee shall submit a long-term care plan pursuant to subsection (a) of this section to the joint standing and select committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to human services, public health, elderly services and long-term care, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, and such plan shall serve as a guide for the actions of state agencies in developing and modifying programs that serve persons in need of long-term care.

      (e) Any state agency, when developing or modifying any program that, in whole or in part, provides assistance or support to persons with long-term care needs, shall, to the maximum extent feasible, include provisions that support care-giving provided by family members and other informal caregivers and promote consumer-directed care.

      (P.A. 98-175, S. 1, 2; 98-239, S. 27, 35; P.A. 99-28, S. 1, 2; P.A. 01-119, S. 1, 2; P.A. 03-19, S. 44; P.A. 05-14, S. 1.)

      History: P.A. 98-175 effective June 4, 1998; P.A. 98-239 inserted new language in Subsec. (b), requiring committee to study issues relative to long-term care and renumbered remaining Subsecs. accordingly, and amended Subsec. (c) to authorize committee to seek the advice and participation of any person, organization or state or federal agency it deems necessary to carry out the provisions of this section, effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 99-28 amended Subsec. (c) to add Subdivs. (8), (9) and (10) re members appointed by the Commissioners of Mental Retardation, Mental Health and Addiction Services, and Transportation, and substituted "the commissioner's" for "his", effective May 27, 1999; P.A. 01-119 amended Subsec. (a) to extend long-term care plan to include all persons in need of long-term care, amended Subsec. (b) to require long-term care committee to evaluate long-term care issues in light of the requirement to place persons with disabilities in community settings, amended Subsec. (c) to expand membership of committee to include one member from the Department of Children and Families and the executive director of the Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities, amended Subsec. (d) to require committee to submit plan to the General Assembly every three years and require state agencies to use the long-term care plan as a guide and added Subsec. (e) re modifying or developing program providing assistance to person with long-term care needs to include provisions that support care giving by family members, effective July 1, 2001; P.A. 03-19 made a technical change in Subsec. (b), effective May 12, 2003; P.A. 05-14 amended Subsec. (a) to require that state long-term care policy and plan provide that individuals with long-term care needs have the option to choose and receive long-term care and support in the least restrictive, appropriate setting.

      Sec. 17b-338. Long-Term Care Advisory Council. Membership. Duties. (a) There is established a Long-Term Care Advisory Council which shall consist of the following: (1) The executive director of the Commission on Aging, or the executive director's designee; (2) the State Nursing Home Ombudsman, or the ombudsman's designee; (3) the president of the Coalition of Presidents of Resident Councils, or the president's designee; (4) the executive director of the Legal Assistance Resource Center of Connecticut, or the executive director's designee; (5) the state president of AARP, or the president's designee; (6) one representative of a bargaining unit for health care employees, appointed by the president of the bargaining unit; (7) the president of the Connecticut Association of Not-For-Profit Providers for the Aging, or the president's designee; (8) the president of the Connecticut Association of Health Care Facilities, or the president's designee; (9) the president of the Connecticut Association of Residential Care Homes, or the president's designee; (10) the president of the Connecticut Hospital Association or the president's designee; (11) the executive director of the Connecticut Assisted Living Association or the executive director's designee; (12) the executive director of the Connecticut Association for Homecare or the executive director's designee; (13) the president of Connecticut Community Care, Inc. or the president's designee; (14) one member of the Connecticut Association of Area Agencies on Aging appointed by the agency; (15) the president of the Connecticut chapter of the Connecticut Alzheimer's Association; (16) one member of the Connecticut Association of Adult Day Centers appointed by the association; (17) the president of the Connecticut Chapter of the American College of Health Care Administrators, or the president's designee; (18) the president of the Connecticut Council for Persons with Disabilities, or the president's designee; (19) the president of the Connecticut Association of Community Action Agencies, or the president's designee; (20) a personal care attendant appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives; (21) the president of the Family Support Council, or the president's designee; (22) a person who, in a home setting, cares for a person with a disability and is appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate; (23) three persons with a disability appointed one each by the majority leader of the House of Representatives, the majority leader of the Senate and the minority leader of the House of Representatives; (24) a legislator who is a member of the Long-Term Care Planning Committee; and (25) one member who is a nonunion home health aide appointed by the minority leader of the Senate.

      (b) The council shall advise and make recommendations to the Long-Term Care Planning Committee established under section 17b-337.

      (c) The Long-Term Care Advisory Council shall seek recommendations from persons with disabilities or persons receiving long-term care services who reflect the socio-economic diversity of the state.

      (P.A. 98-239, S. 29, 35; P.A. 00-135, S. 20, 21; P.A. 02-100, S. 1, 2.)

      History: P.A. 98-239 effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 00-135 amended Subsec. (a) by making technical changes and adding new Subdivs. (10) to (19) re additional members of the council, effective May 26, 2000; P.A. 02-100 amended Subsec. (a) to reflect proper names of organizations in Subdivs. (5), (9), (12), (15) and (16), changing "president of the chapter" to "state president" and adding "or the president's designee" in Subdiv. (5) and changing "executive director" to "president" and deleting "or the executive director's designee" in Subdiv. (15), and to add Subdivs. (20) to (25) re additional members of the council and added new Subsec. (c) re recommendations from persons with disabilities or persons receiving long-term care services.

      Sec. 17b-339. Nursing Home Financial Advisory Committee. Duties. Membership. (a) There is established a Nursing Home Financial Advisory Committee to examine the financial solvency of nursing homes on an ongoing basis and to support the Departments of Social Services and Public Health in their mission to provide oversight to the nursing home industry which promotes the financial solvency of and quality of care provided by nursing homes. The committee shall consist of seven members: The Commissioner of Social Services, or his designee; the Commissioner of Public Health, or his designee; the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, or his designee; the director of the Office of Fiscal Analysis, or his designee; the executive director of the Connecticut Health and Education Facilities Authority, or his designee; and one representative of nonprofit nursing homes and one representative of for-profit nursing homes appointed by the Governor.

      (b) The Commissioner of Social Services and the Commissioner of Public Health shall be the chairpersons of the committee. Any vacancy shall be filled by the appointing authority.

      (c) The committee, upon receipt of a report relative to the financial solvency of and quality of care provided by nursing homes in the state, shall recommend appropriate action for improving the financial condition of any nursing home that is in financial distress to the Commissioner of Social Services.

      (d) Not later than January 1, 1999, and annually thereafter, the committee shall submit a report on its activities to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to human services and public health and to the select committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to aging, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a.

      (P.A. 98-239, S. 26, 35.)

      History: P.A. 98-239 effective July 1, 1998.

      Sec. 17b-340. (Formerly Sec. 17-314). Rates of payment to nursing homes, chronic disease hospitals associated with chronic and convalescent homes, rest homes with nursing supervision, residential care homes and residential facilities for the mentally retarded. (a) The rates to be paid by or for persons aided or cared for by the state or any town in this state to licensed chronic and convalescent nursing homes, to chronic disease hospitals associated with chronic and convalescent nursing homes, to rest homes with nursing supervision, to licensed residential care homes, as defined by section 19a-490, and to residential facilities for the mentally retarded which are licensed pursuant to section 17a-227 and certified to participate in the Title XIX Medicaid program as intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded, for room, board and services specified in licensing regulations issued by the licensing agency shall be determined annually, except as otherwise provided in this subsection, after a public hearing, by the Commissioner of Social Services, to be effective July first of each year except as otherwise provided in this subsection. Such rates shall be determined on a basis of a reasonable payment for such necessary services, which basis shall take into account as a factor the costs of such services. Cost of such services shall include reasonable costs mandated by collective bargaining agreements with certified collective bargaining agents or other agreements between the employer and employees, provided "employees" shall not include persons employed as managers or chief administrators or required to be licensed as nursing home administrators, and compensation for services rendered by proprietors at prevailing wage rates, as determined by application of principles of accounting as prescribed by said commissioner. Cost of such services shall not include amounts paid by the facilities to employees as salary, or to attorneys or consultants as fees, where the responsibility of the employees, attorneys, or consultants is to persuade or seek to persuade the other employees of the facility to support or oppose unionization. Nothing in this subsection shall prohibit inclusion of amounts paid for legal counsel related to the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements, the settlement of grievances or normal administration of labor relations. The commissioner may, in his discretion, allow the inclusion of extraordinary and unanticipated costs of providing services which were incurred to avoid an immediate negative impact on the health and safety of patients. The commissioner may, in his discretion, based upon review of a facility's costs, direct care staff to patient ratio and any other related information, revise a facility's rate for any increases or decreases to total licensed capacity of more than ten beds or changes to its number of licensed rest home with nursing supervision beds and chronic and convalescent nursing home beds. The commissioner may so revise a facility's rate established for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1993, and thereafter for any bed increases, decreases or changes in licensure effective after October 1, 1989. Effective July 1, 1991, in facilities which have both a chronic and convalescent nursing home and a rest home with nursing supervision, the rate for the rest home with nursing supervision shall not exceed such facility's rate for its chronic and convalescent nursing home. All such facilities for which rates are determined under this subsection shall report on a fiscal year basis ending on the thirtieth day of September. Such report shall be submitted to the commissioner by the thirty-first day of December. The commissioner may reduce the rate in effect for a facility which fails to report on or before such date by an amount not to exceed ten per cent of such rate. The commissioner shall annually, on or before the fifteenth day of February, report the data contained in the reports of such facilities to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations. For the cost reporting year commencing October 1, 1985, and for subsequent cost reporting years, facilities shall report the cost of using the services of any nursing pool employee by separating said cost into two categories, the portion of the cost equal to the salary of the employee for whom the nursing pool employee is substituting shall be considered a nursing cost and any cost in excess of such salary shall be further divided so that seventy-five per cent of the excess cost shall be considered an administrative or general cost and twenty-five per cent of the excess cost shall be considered a nursing cost, provided if the total nursing pool costs of a facility for any cost year are equal to or exceed fifteen per cent of the total nursing expenditures of the facility for such cost year, no portion of nursing pool costs in excess of fifteen per cent shall be classified as administrative or general costs. The commissioner, in determining such rates, shall also take into account the classification of patients or boarders according to special care requirements or classification of the facility according to such factors as facilities and services and such other factors as he deems reasonable, including anticipated fluctuations in the cost of providing such services. The commissioner may establish a separate rate for a facility or a portion of a facility for traumatic brain injury patients who require extensive care but not acute general hospital care. Such separate rate shall reflect the special care requirements of such patients. If changes in federal or state laws, regulations or standards adopted subsequent to June 30, 1985, result in increased costs or expenditures in an amount exceeding one-half of one per cent of allowable costs for the most recent cost reporting year, the commissioner shall adjust rates and provide payment for any such increased reasonable costs or expenditures within a reasonable period of time retroactive to the date of enforcement. Nothing in this section shall be construed to require the Department of Social Services to adjust rates and provide payment for any increases in costs resulting from an inspection of a facility by the Department of Public Health. Such assistance as the commissioner requires from other state agencies or departments in determining rates shall be made available to him at his request. Payment of the rates established hereunder shall be conditioned on the establishment by such facilities of admissions procedures which conform with this section, section 19a-533 and all other applicable provisions of the law and the provision of equality of treatment to all persons in such facilities. The established rates shall be the maximum amount chargeable by such facilities for care of such beneficiaries, and the acceptance by or on behalf of any such facility of any additional compensation for care of any such beneficiary from any other person or source shall constitute the offense of aiding a beneficiary to obtain aid to which he is not entitled and shall be punishable in the same manner as is provided in subsection (b) of section 17b-97. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1992, rates for licensed residential care homes and intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded may receive an increase not to exceed the most recent annual increase in the Regional Data Resources Incorporated McGraw-Hill Health Care Costs: Consumer Price Index (all urban)-All Items. Rates for newly certified intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded shall not exceed one hundred fifty per cent of the median rate of rates in effect on January 31, 1991, for intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded certified prior to February 1, 1991. Notwithstanding any provision of this section, the Commissioner of Social Services may, within available appropriations, provide an interim rate increase for a licensed chronic and convalescent nursing home or a rest home with nursing supervision for rate periods no earlier than April 1, 2004, only if the commissioner determines that the increase is necessary to avoid the filing of a petition for relief under Title 11 of the United States Code; imposition of receivership pursuant to sections 19a-541 to 19a-549, inclusive; or substantial deterioration of the facility's financial condition that may be expected to adversely affect resident care and the continued operation of the facility, and the commissioner determines that the continued operation of the facility is in the best interest of the state. The commissioner shall consider any requests for interim rate increases on file with the department from March 30, 2004, and those submitted subsequently for rate periods no earlier than April 1, 2004. When reviewing a rate increase request the commissioner shall, at a minimum, consider: (1) Existing chronic and convalescent nursing home or rest home with nursing supervision utilization in the area and projected bed need; (2) physical plant long-term viability and the ability of the owner or purchaser to implement any necessary property improvements; (3) licensure and certification compliance history; (4) reasonableness of actual and projected expenses; and (5) the ability of the facility to meet wage and benefit costs. No rate shall be increased pursuant to this subsection in excess of one hundred fifteen per cent of the median rate for the facility's peer grouping, established pursuant to subdivision (2) of subsection (f) of this section, unless recommended by the commissioner and approved by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management after consultation with the commissioner. Such median rates shall be published by the Department of Social Services not later than April first of each year. In the event that a facility granted an interim rate increase pursuant to this section is sold or otherwise conveyed for value to an unrelated entity less than five years after the effective date of such rate increase, the rate increase shall be deemed rescinded and the department shall recover an amount equal to the difference between payments made for all affected rate periods and payments that would have been made if the interim rate increase was not granted. The commissioner may seek recovery from payments made to any facility with common ownership. With the approval of the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, the commissioner may waive recovery and rescission of the interim rate for good cause shown that is not inconsistent with this section, including, but not limited to, transfers to family members that were made for no value. The commissioner shall provide written quarterly reports to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to human services and appropriations and the budgets of state agencies and to the select committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to aging, that identify each facility requesting an interim rate increase, the amount of the requested rate increase for each facility, the action taken by the commissioner and the secretary pursuant to this subsection, and estimates of the additional cost to the state for each approved interim rate increase. Nothing in this subsection shall prohibit the commissioner from increasing the rate of a licensed chronic and convalescent nursing home or a rest home with nursing supervision for allowable costs associated with facility capital improvements or increasing the rate in case of a sale of a licensed chronic and convalescent nursing home or a rest home with nursing supervision, pursuant to subdivision (16) of subsection (f) of this section, if receivership has been imposed on such home.

      (b) The Commissioner of Social Services shall adopt regulations in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 to specify other allowable services. For purposes of this section, other allowable services means those services required by any medical assistance beneficiary residing in such home or hospital which are not already covered in the rate set by the commissioner in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of this section.

      (c) No facility subject to the requirements of this section shall accept payment in excess of the rate set by the commissioner pursuant to subsection (a) of this section for any medical assistance patient from this or any other state. No facility shall accept payment in excess of the reasonable and necessary costs of other allowable services as specified by the commissioner pursuant to the regulations adopted under subsection (b) of this section for any public assistance patient from this or any other state. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, the commissioner may authorize a facility to accept payment in excess of the rate paid for a medical assistance patient in this state for a patient who receives medical assistance from another state.

      (d) In any instance where the Commissioner of Social Services finds that a facility subject to the requirements of this section is accepting payment for a medical assistance beneficiary in violation of subsection (c) of this section, the commissioner shall proceed to recover through the rate set for the facility any sum in excess of the stipulated per diem and other allowable costs, as provided for in regulations adopted pursuant to subsections (a) and (b) of this section. The commissioner shall make the recovery prospectively at the time of the next annual rate redetermination.

      (e) Except as provided in this subsection, the provisions of subsections (c) and (d) of this section shall not apply to any facility subject to the requirements of this section, which on October 1, 1981, (1) was accepting payments from the commissioner in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, (2) was accepting medical assistance payments from another state for at least twenty per cent of its patients, and (3) had not notified the commissioner of any intent to terminate its provider agreement, in accordance with section 17b-271, provided no patient residing in any such facility on May 22, 1984, shall be removed from such facility for purposes of meeting the requirements of this subsection. If the commissioner finds that the number of beds available to medical assistance patients from this state in any such facility is less than fifteen per cent the provisions of subsections (c) and (d) of this section shall apply to that number of beds which is less than said percentage.

      (f) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1992, the rates paid by or for persons aided or cared for by the state or any town in this state to facilities for room, board and services specified in licensing regulations issued by the licensing agency, except intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded and residential care homes, shall be based on the cost year ending September 30, 1989. For the fiscal years ending June 30, 1993, and June 30, 1994, such rates shall be based on the cost year ending September 30, 1990. Such rates shall be determined by the Commissioner of Social Services in accordance with this section and the regulations of Connecticut state agencies promulgated by the commissioner and in effect on April 1, 1991, except that:

      (1) Allowable costs shall be divided into the following five cost components: Direct costs, which shall include salaries for nursing personnel, related fringe benefits and nursing pool costs; indirect costs, which shall include professional fees, dietary expenses, housekeeping expenses, laundry expenses, supplies related to patient care, salaries for indirect care personnel and related fringe benefits; fair rent, which shall be defined in accordance with subsection (f) of section 17-311-52 of the regulations of Connecticut state agencies; capital-related costs, which shall include property taxes, insurance expenses, equipment leases and equipment depreciation; and administrative and general costs, which shall include maintenance and operation of plant expenses, salaries for administrative and maintenance personnel and related fringe benefits. The commissioner may provide a rate adjustment for nonemergency transportation services required by nursing facility residents. Such adjustment shall be a fixed amount determined annually by the commissioner based upon a review of costs and other associated information. Allowable costs shall not include costs for ancillary services payable under Part B of the Medicare program.

      (2) Two geographic peer groupings of facilities shall be established for each level of care, as defined by the Department of Social Services for the determination of rates, for the purpose of determining allowable direct costs. One peer grouping shall be comprised of those facilities located in Fairfield County. The other peer grouping shall be comprised of facilities located in all other counties.

      (3) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1992, per diem maximum allowable costs for each cost component shall be as follows: For direct costs, the maximum shall be equal to one hundred forty per cent of the median allowable cost of that peer grouping; for indirect costs, the maximum shall be equal to one hundred thirty per cent of the state-wide median allowable cost; for fair rent, the amount shall be calculated utilizing the amount approved by the Office of Health Care Access pursuant to section 19a-638; for capital-related costs, there shall be no maximum; and for administrative and general costs, the maximum shall be equal to one hundred twenty-five per cent of the state-wide median allowable cost. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1993, per diem maximum allowable costs for each cost component shall be as follows: For direct costs, the maximum shall be equal to one hundred forty per cent of the median allowable cost of that peer grouping; for indirect costs, the maximum shall be equal to one hundred twenty-five per cent of the state-wide median allowable cost; for fair rent, the amount shall be calculated utilizing the amount approved by the Office of Health Care Access pursuant to section 19a-638; for capital-related costs, there shall be no maximum; and for administrative and general costs the maximum shall be equal to one hundred fifteen per cent of the state-wide median allowable cost. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1994, per diem maximum allowable costs for each cost component shall be as follows: For direct costs, the maximum shall be equal to one hundred thirty-five per cent of the median allowable cost of that peer grouping; for indirect costs, the maximum shall be equal to one hundred twenty per cent of the state-wide median allowable cost; for fair rent, the amount shall be calculated utilizing the amount approved by the Office of Health Care Access pursuant to section 19a-638; for capital-related costs, there shall be no maximum; and for administrative and general costs the maximum shall be equal to one hundred ten per cent of the state-wide median allowable cost. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1995, per diem maximum allowable costs for each cost component shall be as follows: For direct costs, the maximum shall be equal to one hundred thirty-five per cent of the median allowable cost of that peer grouping; for indirect costs, the maximum shall be equal to one hundred twenty per cent of the state-wide median allowable cost; for fair rent, the amount shall be calculated utilizing the amount approved by the Office of Health Care Access pursuant to section 19a-638; for capital-related costs, there shall be no maximum; and for administrative and general costs the maximum shall be equal to one hundred five per cent of the state-wide median allowable cost. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1996, and any succeeding fiscal year, except for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2000, and June 30, 2001, for facilities with an interim rate in one or both periods, per diem maximum allowable costs for each cost component shall be as follows: For direct costs, the maximum shall be equal to one hundred thirty-five per cent of the median allowable cost of that peer grouping; for indirect costs, the maximum shall be equal to one hundred fifteen per cent of the state-wide median allowable cost; for fair rent, the amount shall be calculated utilizing the amount approved pursuant to section 19a-638; for capital-related costs, there shall be no maximum; and for administrative and general costs the maximum shall be equal to the state-wide median allowable cost. For the fiscal years ending June 30, 2000, and June 30, 2001, for facilities with an interim rate in one or both periods, per diem maximum allowable costs for each cost component shall be as follows: For direct costs, the maximum shall be equal to one hundred forty-five per cent of the median allowable cost of that peer grouping; for indirect costs, the maximum shall be equal to one hundred twenty-five per cent of the state-wide median allowable cost; for fair rent, the amount shall be calculated utilizing the amount approved pursuant to section 19a-638; for capital-related costs, there shall be no maximum; and for administrative and general costs, the maximum shall be equal to the state-wide median allowable cost and such medians shall be based upon the same cost year used to set rates for facilities with prospective rates. Costs in excess of the maximum amounts established under this subsection shall not be recognized as allowable costs, except that the Commissioner of Social Services (A) may allow costs in excess of maximum amounts for any facility with patient days covered by Medicare, including days requiring coinsurance, in excess of twelve per cent of annual patient days which also has patient days covered by Medicaid in excess of fifty per cent of annual patient days; (B) may establish a pilot program whereby costs in excess of maximum amounts shall be allowed for beds in a nursing home which has a managed care program and is affiliated with a hospital licensed under chapter 368v; and (C) may establish rates whereby allowable costs may exceed such maximum amounts for beds approved on or after July 1, 1991, which are restricted to use by patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome or traumatic brain injury.

      (4) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1992, (A) no facility shall receive a rate that is less than the rate it received for the rate year ending June 30, 1991; (B) no facility whose rate, if determined pursuant to this subsection, would exceed one hundred twenty per cent of the state-wide median rate, as determined pursuant to this subsection, shall receive a rate which is five and one-half per cent more than the rate it received for the rate year ending June 30, 1991; and (C) no facility whose rate, if determined pursuant to this subsection, would be less than one hundred twenty per cent of the state-wide median rate, as determined pursuant to this subsection, shall receive a rate which is six and one-half per cent more than the rate it received for the rate year ending June 30, 1991. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1993, no facility shall receive a rate that is less than the rate it received for the rate year ending June 30, 1992, or six per cent more than the rate it received for the rate year ending June 30, 1992. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1994, no facility shall receive a rate that is less than the rate it received for the rate year ending June 30, 1993, or six per cent more than the rate it received for the rate year ending June 30, 1993. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1995, no facility shall receive a rate that is more than five per cent less than the rate it received for the rate year ending June 30, 1994, or six per cent more than the rate it received for the rate year ending June 30, 1994. For the fiscal years ending June 30, 1996, and June 30, 1997, no facility shall receive a rate that is more than three per cent more than the rate it received for the prior rate year. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1998, a facility shall receive a rate increase that is not more than two per cent more than the rate that the facility received in the prior year. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, a facility shall receive a rate increase that is not more than three per cent more than the rate that the facility received in the prior year and that is not less than one per cent more than the rate that the facility received in the prior year, exclusive of rate increases associated with a wage, benefit and staffing enhancement rate adjustment added for the period from April 1, 1999, to June 30, 1999, inclusive. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, each facility, except a facility with an interim rate or replaced interim rate for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, and a facility having a certificate of need or other agreement specifying rate adjustments for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, shall receive a rate increase equal to one per cent applied to the rate the facility received for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, exclusive of the facility's wage, benefit and staffing enhancement rate adjustment. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, no facility with an interim rate, replaced interim rate or scheduled rate adjustment specified in a certificate of need or other agreement for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, shall receive a rate increase that is more than one per cent more than the rate the facility received in the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001, each facility, except a facility with an interim rate or replaced interim rate for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, and a facility having a certificate of need or other agreement specifying rate adjustments for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001, shall receive a rate increase equal to two per cent applied to the rate the facility received for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, subject to verification of wage enhancement adjustments pursuant to subdivision (15) of this subsection. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001, no facility with an interim rate, replaced interim rate or scheduled rate adjustment specified in a certificate of need or other agreement for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001, shall receive a rate increase that is more than two per cent more than the rate the facility received for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002, each facility shall receive a rate that is two and one-half per cent more than the rate the facility received in the prior fiscal year. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003, each facility shall receive a rate that is two per cent more than the rate the facility received in the prior fiscal year, except that such increase shall be effective January 1, 2003, and such facility rate in effect for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002, shall be paid for services provided until December 31, 2002, except any facility that would have been issued a lower rate effective July 1, 2002, than for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002, due to interim rate status or agreement with the department shall be issued such lower rate effective July 1, 2002, and have such rate increased two per cent effective June 1, 2003. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2004, rates in effect for the period ending June 30, 2003, shall remain in effect, except any facility that would have been issued a lower rate effective July 1, 2003, than for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003, due to interim rate status or agreement with the department shall be issued such lower rate effective July 1, 2003. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005, rates in effect for the period ending June 30, 2004, shall remain in effect until December 31, 2004, except any facility that would have been issued a lower rate effective July 1, 2004, than for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2004, due to interim rate status or agreement with the department shall be issued such lower rate effective July 1, 2004. Effective January 1, 2005, each facility shall receive a rate that is one per cent greater than the rate in effect December 31, 2004. Effective upon receipt of all the necessary federal approvals to secure federal financial participation matching funds associated with the rate increase provided in this subdivision, but in no event earlier than July 1, 2005, and provided the user fee imposed under section 17b-320 is required to be collected, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, the department shall compute the rate for each facility based upon its 2003 cost report filing or, a subsequent cost year filing for facilities having an interim rate for the period ending June 30, 2005, as provided under section 17-311-55 of the regulations of Connecticut state agencies. For each facility not having an interim rate for the period ending June 30, 2005, the rate for the period ending June 30, 2006, shall be determined beginning with the higher of the computed rate based upon its 2003 cost report filing or the rate in effect for the period ending June 30, 2005. Such rate shall then be increased by eleven dollars and eighty cents per day except that in no event shall the rate for the period ending June 30, 2006, be thirty-two dollars more than the rate in effect for the period ending June 30, 2005, and for any facility with a rate below one hundred ninety-five dollars per day for the period ending June 30, 2005, such rate for the period ending June 30, 2006, shall not be greater than two hundred seventeen dollars and forty-three cents per day and for any facility with a rate equal to or greater than one hundred ninety-five dollars per day for the period ending June 30, 2005, such rate for the period ending June 30, 2006, shall not exceed the rate in effect for the period ending June 30, 2005, increased by eleven and one-half per cent. For each facility with an interim rate for the period ending June 30, 2005, the interim replacement rate for the period ending June 30, 2006, shall not exceed the rate in effect for the period ending June 30, 2005, increased by eleven dollars and eighty cents per day plus the per day cost of the user fee payments made pursuant to section 17b-320 divided by annual resident service days, except for any facility with an interim rate below one hundred ninety-five dollars per day for the period ending June 30, 2005, the interim replacement rate for the period ending June 30, 2006, shall not be greater than two hundred seventeen dollars and forty-three cents per day and for any facility with an interim rate equal to or greater than one hundred ninety-five dollars per day for the period ending June 30, 2005, the interim replacement rate for the period ending June 30, 2006, shall not exceed the rate in effect for the period ending June 30, 2005, increased by eleven and one-half per cent. Such July 1, 2005, rate adjustments shall remain in effect unless (i) the federal financial participation matching funds associated with the rate increase are no longer available; or (ii) the user fee created pursuant to section 17b-320 is not in effect. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, each facility shall receive a rate that is three per cent greater than the rate in effect for the period ending June 30, 2006, except any facility that would have been issued a lower rate effective July 1, 2006, than for the rate period ending June 30, 2006, due to interim rate status or agreement with the department, shall be issued such lower rate effective July 1, 2006. The Commissioner of Social Services shall add fair rent increases to any other rate increases established pursuant to this subdivision for a facility which has undergone a material change in circumstances related to fair rent. Interim rates may take into account reasonable costs incurred by a facility, including wages and benefits.

      (5) For the purpose of determining allowable fair rent, a facility with allowable fair rent less than the twenty-fifth percentile of the state-wide allowable fair rent shall be reimbursed as having allowable fair rent equal to the twenty-fifth percentile of the state-wide allowable fair rent, provided for the fiscal years ending June 30, 1996, and June 30, 1997, the reimbursement may not exceed the twenty-fifth percentile of the state-wide allowable fair rent for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1995. On and after July 1, 1998, the Commissioner of Social Services may allow minimum fair rent as the basis upon which reimbursement associated with improvements to real property is added. Beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 1996, any facility with a rate of return on real property other than land in excess of eleven per cent shall have such allowance revised to eleven per cent. Any facility or its related realty affiliate which finances or refinances debt through bonds issued by the State of Connecticut Health and Education Facilities Authority shall report the terms and conditions of such financing or refinancing to the Commissioner of Social Services within thirty days of completing such financing or refinancing. The Commissioner of Social Services may revise the facility's fair rent component of its rate to reflect any financial benefit the facility or its related realty affiliate received as a result of such financing or refinancing, including but not limited to, reductions in the amount of debt service payments or period of debt repayment. The commissioner shall allow actual debt service costs for bonds issued by the State of Connecticut Health and Educational Facilities Authority if such costs do not exceed property costs allowed pursuant to subsection (f) of section 17-311-52 of the regulations of Connecticut state agencies, provided the commissioner may allow higher debt service costs for such bonds for good cause. For facilities which first open on or after October 1, 1992, the commissioner shall determine allowable fair rent for real property other than land based on the rate of return for the cost year in which such bonds were issued. The financial benefit resulting from a facility financing or refinancing debt through such bonds shall be shared between the state and the facility to an extent determined by the commissioner on a case-by-case basis and shall be reflected in an adjustment to the facility's allowable fair rent.

      (6) A facility shall receive cost efficiency adjustments for indirect costs and for administrative and general costs if such costs are below the state-wide median costs. The cost efficiency adjustments shall equal twenty-five per cent of the difference between allowable reported costs and the applicable median allowable cost established pursuant to this subdivision.

      (7) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1992, allowable operating costs, excluding fair rent, shall be inflated using the Regional Data Resources Incorporated McGraw-Hill Health Care Costs: Consumer Price Index (all urban)-All Items minus one and one-half per cent. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1993, allowable operating costs, excluding fair rent, shall be inflated using the Regional Data Resources Incorporated McGraw-Hill Health Care Costs: Consumer Price Index (all urban)-All Items minus one and three-quarters per cent. For the fiscal years ending June 30, 1994, and June 30, 1995, allowable operating costs, excluding fair rent, shall be inflated using the Regional Data Resources Incorporated McGraw-Hill Health Care Costs: Consumer Price Index (all urban)-All Items minus two per cent. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1996, allowable operating costs, excluding fair rent, shall be inflated using the Regional Data Resources Incorporated McGraw-Hill Health Care Costs: Consumer Price Index (all urban)-All Items minus two and one-half per cent. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1997, allowable operating costs, excluding fair rent, shall be inflated using the Regional Data Resources Incorporated McGraw-Hill Health Care Costs: Consumer Price Index (all urban)-All Items minus three and one-half per cent. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1992, and any succeeding fiscal year, allowable fair rent shall be those reported in the annual report of long-term care facilities for the cost year ending the immediately preceding September thirtieth. The inflation index to be used pursuant to this subsection shall be computed to reflect inflation between the midpoint of the cost year through the midpoint of the rate year. The Department of Social Services shall study methods of reimbursement for fair rent and shall report its findings and recommendations to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to human services on or before January 15, 1993.

      (8) On and after July 1, 1994, costs shall be rebased no more frequently than every two years and no less frequently than every four years, as determined by the commissioner. The commissioner shall determine whether and to what extent a change in ownership of a facility shall occasion the rebasing of the facility's costs.

      (9) The method of establishing rates for new facilities shall be determined by the commissioner in accordance with the provisions of this subsection.

      (10) Rates determined under this section shall comply with federal laws and regulations.

      (11) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1992, and any succeeding fiscal year, one-half of the initial amount payable in June by the state to a facility pursuant to this subsection shall be paid to the facility in June and the balance of such amount shall be paid in July.

      (12) Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, interim rates issued for facilities on and after July 1, 1991, shall be subject to applicable fiscal year cost component limitations established pursuant to subdivision (3) of this subsection.

      (13) A chronic and convalescent nursing home having an ownership affiliation with and operated at the same location as a chronic disease hospital may request that the commissioner approve an exception to applicable rate-setting provisions for chronic and convalescent nursing homes and establish a rate for the fiscal years ending June 30, 1992, and June 30, 1993, in accordance with regulations in effect June 30, 1991. Any such rate shall not exceed one hundred sixty-five per cent of the median rate established for chronic and convalescent nursing homes established under this section for the applicable fiscal year.

      (14) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1994, and any succeeding fiscal year, for purposes of computing minimum allowable patient days, utilization of a facility's certified beds shall be determined at a minimum of ninety-five per cent of capacity, except for new facilities and facilities which are certified for additional beds which may be permitted a lower occupancy rate for the first three months of operation after the effective date of licensure.

      (15) The Commissioner of Social Services shall adjust facility rates from April 1, 1999, to June 30, 1999, inclusive, by a per diem amount representing each facility's allocation of funds appropriated for the purpose of wage, benefit and staffing enhancement. A facility's per diem allocation of such funding shall be computed as follows: (A) The facility's direct and indirect component salary, wage, nursing pool and allocated fringe benefit costs as filed for the 1998 cost report period deemed allowable in accordance with this section and applicable regulations without application of cost component maximums specified in subdivision (3) of this subsection shall be totalled; (B) such total shall be multiplied by the facility's Medicaid utilization based on the 1998 cost report; (C) the resulting amount for the facility shall be divided by the sum of the calculations specified in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of this subdivision for all facilities to determine the facility's percentage share of appropriated wage, benefit and staffing enhancement funding; (D) the facility's percentage share shall be multiplied by the amount of appropriated wage, benefit and staffing enhancement funding to determine the facility's allocated amount; and (E) such allocated amount shall be divided by the number of days of care paid for by Medicaid on an annual basis including days for reserved beds specified in the 1998 cost report to determine the per diem wage and benefit rate adjustment amount. The commissioner may adjust a facility's reported 1998 cost and utilization data for the purposes of determining a facility's share of wage, benefit and staffing enhancement funding when reported 1998 information is not substantially representative of estimated cost and utilization data for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, due to special circumstances during the 1998 cost report period including change of ownership with a part year cost filing or reductions in facility capacity due to facility renovation projects. Upon completion of the calculation of the allocation of wage, benefit and staffing enhancement funding, the commissioner shall not adjust the allocations due to revisions submitted to previously filed 1998 annual cost reports. In the event that a facility's rate for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, is an interim rate or the rate includes an increase adjustment due to a rate request to the commissioner or other reasons, the commissioner may reduce or withhold the per diem wage, benefit and staffing enhancement allocation computed for the facility. Any enhancement allocations not applied to facility rates shall not be reallocated to other facilities and such unallocated amounts shall be available for the costs associated with interim rates and other Medicaid expenditures. The wage, benefit and staffing enhancement per diem adjustment for the period from April 1, 1999, to June 30, 1999, inclusive, shall also be applied to rates for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2000, and June 30, 2001, except that the commissioner may increase or decrease the adjustment to account for changes in facility capacity or operations. Any facility accepting a rate adjustment for wage, benefit and staffing enhancements shall apply payments made as a result of such rate adjustment for increased allowable employee wage rates and benefits and additional direct and indirect component staffing. Adjustment funding shall not be applied to wage and salary increases provided to the administrator, assistant administrator, owners or related party employees. Enhancement payments may be applied to increases in costs associated with staffing purchased from staffing agencies provided such costs are deemed necessary and reasonable by the commissioner. The commissioner shall compare expenditures for wages, benefits and staffing for the 1998 cost report period to such expenditures in the 1999, 2000 and 2001 cost report periods to verify whether a facility has applied additional payments to specified enhancements. In the event that the commissioner determines that a facility did not apply additional payments to specified enhancements, the commissioner shall recover such amounts from the facility through rate adjustments or other means. The commissioner may require facilities to file cost reporting forms, in addition to the annual cost report, as may be necessary, to verify the appropriate application of wage, benefit and staffing enhancement rate adjustment payments. For the purposes of this subdivision, "Medicaid utilization" means the number of days of care paid for by Medicaid on an annual basis including days for reserved beds as a percentage of total resident days.

      (16) The interim rate established to become effective upon sale of any licensed chronic and convalescent home or rest home with nursing supervision for which a receivership has been imposed pursuant to sections 19a-541 to 19a-549, inclusive, shall not exceed the rate in effect for the facility at the time of the imposition of the receivership, subject to any annual increases permitted by this section; provided if such rate is less than the median rate for the facility's peer grouping, as defined in subdivision (2) of this subsection, the Commissioner of Social Services may, in the commissioner's discretion, establish an increased rate for the facility not to exceed such median rate unless the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, after review of area nursing facility bed availability and other pertinent factors, authorizes the Commissioner of Social Services to establish a rate higher than the median rate. In the event the rate in effect for the facility at the time of imposition of the receivership is greater than the median rate for the facility's peer grouping, as defined in subdivision (2) of this subsection, the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, after review of area nursing facility bed availability and other pertinent factors, may authorize the Commissioner of Social Services to establish an increased interim rate.

      (g) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1993, any intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded with an operating cost component of its rate in excess of one hundred forty per cent of the median of operating cost components of rates in effect January 1, 1992, shall not receive an operating cost component increase. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1993, any intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded with an operating cost component of its rate that is less than one hundred forty per cent of the median of operating cost components of rates in effect January 1, 1992, shall have an allowance for real wage growth equal to thirty per cent of the increase determined in accordance with subsection (q) of section 17-311-52 of the regulations of Connecticut state agencies, provided such operating cost component shall not exceed one hundred forty per cent of the median of operating cost components in effect January 1, 1992. Any facility with real property other than land placed in service prior to October 1, 1991, shall, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1995, receive a rate of return on real property equal to the average of the rates of return applied to real property other than land placed in service for the five years preceding October 1, 1993. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1996, and any succeeding fiscal year, the rate of return on real property for property items shall be revised every five years. The commissioner shall, upon submission of a request, allow actual debt service, comprised of principal and interest, in excess of property costs allowed pursuant to section 17-311-52 of the regulations of Connecticut state agencies, provided such debt service terms and amounts are reasonable in relation to the useful life and the base value of the property. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1995, and any succeeding fiscal year, the inflation adjustment made in accordance with subsection (p) of section 17-311-52 of the regulations of Connecticut state agencies shall not be applied to real property costs. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1996, and any succeeding fiscal year, the allowance for real wage growth, as determined in accordance with subsection (q) of section 17-311-52 of the regulations of Connecticut state agencies, shall not be applied. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1996, and any succeeding fiscal year, no rate shall exceed three hundred seventy-five dollars per day unless the commissioner, in consultation with the Commissioner of Mental Retardation, determines after a review of program and management costs, that a rate in excess of this amount is necessary for care and treatment of facility residents. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002, rate period, the Commissioner of Social Services shall increase the inflation adjustment for rates made in accordance with subsection (p) of section 17-311-52 of the regulations of Connecticut state agencies to update allowable fiscal year 2000 costs to include a three and one-half per cent inflation factor. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003, rate period, the commissioner shall increase the inflation adjustment for rates made in accordance with subsection (p) of section 17-311-52 of the regulations of Connecticut state agencies to update allowable fiscal year 2001 costs to include a one and one-half per cent inflation factor, except that such increase shall be effective November 1, 2002, and such facility rate in effect for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002, shall be paid for services provided until October 31, 2002, except any facility that would have been issued a lower rate effective July 1, 2002, than for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002, due to interim rate status or agreement with the department shall be issued such lower rate effective July 1, 2002, and have such rate updated effective November 1, 2002, in accordance with applicable statutes and regulations. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2004, rates in effect for the period ending June 30, 2003, shall remain in effect, except any facility that would have been issued a lower rate effective July 1, 2003, than for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003, due to interim rate status or agreement with the department shall be issued such lower rate effective July 1, 2003. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005, rates in effect for the period ending June 30, 2004, shall remain in effect until September 30, 2004. Effective October 1, 2004, each facility shall receive a rate that is five per cent greater than the rate in effect September 30, 2004. Effective upon receipt of all the necessary federal approvals to secure federal financial participation matching funds associated with the rate increase provided in subdivision (4) of subsection (f) of this section, but in no event earlier than October 1, 2005, and provided the user fee imposed under section 17b-320 is required to be collected, each facility shall receive a rate that is four per cent more than the rate the facility received in the prior fiscal year, except any facility that would have been issued a lower rate effective October 1, 2005, than for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005, due to interim rate status or agreement with the department, shall be issued such lower rate effective October 1, 2005. Such rate increase shall remain in effect unless: (A) The federal financial participation matching funds associated with the rate increase are no longer available; or (B) the user fee created pursuant to section 17b-320 is not in effect. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, rates in effect for the period ending June 30, 2006, shall remain in effect until September 30, 2006, except any facility that would have been issued a lower rate effective July 1, 2006, than for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, due to interim rate status or agreement with the department, shall be issued such lower rate effective July 1, 2006. Effective October 1, 2006, no facility shall receive a rate that is more than three per cent greater than the rate in effect for the facility on September 30, 2006, except for any facility that would have been issued a lower rate effective October 1, 2006, due to interim rate status or agreement with the department, shall be issued such lower rate effective October 1, 2006.

      (h) (1) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1993, any residential care home with an operating cost component of its rate in excess of one hundred thirty per cent of the median of operating cost components of rates in effect January 1, 1992, shall not receive an operating cost component increase. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1993, any residential care home with an operating cost component of its rate that is less than one hundred thirty per cent of the median of operating cost components of rates in effect January 1, 1992, shall have an allowance for real wage growth equal to sixty-five per cent of the increase determined in accordance with subsection (q) of section 17-311-52 of the regulations of Connecticut state agencies, provided such operating cost component shall not exceed one hundred thirty per cent of the median of operating cost components in effect January 1, 1992. Beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 1993, for the purpose of determining allowable fair rent, a residential care home with allowable fair rent less than the twenty-fifth percentile of the state-wide allowable fair rent shall be reimbursed as having allowable fair rent equal to the twenty-fifth percentile of the state-wide allowable fair rent. Beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 1997, a residential care home with allowable fair rent less than three dollars and ten cents per day shall be reimbursed as having allowable fair rent equal to three dollars and ten cents per day. Property additions placed in service during the cost year ending September 30, 1996, or any succeeding cost year shall receive a fair rent allowance for such additions as an addition to three dollars and ten cents per day if the fair rent for the facility for property placed in service prior to September 30, 1995, is less than or equal to three dollars and ten cents per day. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1996, and any succeeding fiscal year, the allowance for real wage growth, as determined in accordance with subsection (q) of section 17-311-52 of the regulations of Connecticut state agencies, shall not be applied. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1996, and any succeeding fiscal year, the inflation adjustment made in accordance with subsection (p) of section 17-311-52 of the regulations of Connecticut state agencies shall not be applied to real property costs. Beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 1997, minimum allowable patient days for rate computation purposes for a residential care home with twenty-five beds or less shall be eighty-five per cent of licensed capacity. Beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002, for the purposes of determining the allowable salary of an administrator of a residential care home with sixty beds or less the department shall revise the allowable base salary to thirty-seven thousand dollars to be annually inflated thereafter in accordance with section 17-311-52 of the regulations of Connecticut state agencies. The rates for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002, shall be based upon the increased allowable salary of an administrator, regardless of whether such amount was expended in the 2000 cost report period upon which the rates are based. Beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, the inflation adjustment for rates made in accordance with subsection (p) of section 17-311-52 of the regulations of Connecticut state agencies shall be increased by two per cent, and beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002, the inflation adjustment for rates made in accordance with subsection (c) of said section shall be increased by one per cent. Beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, for the purpose of determining the allowable salary of a related party, the department shall revise the maximum salary to twenty-seven thousand eight hundred fifty-six dollars to be annually inflated thereafter in accordance with section 17-311-52 of the regulations of Connecticut state agencies and beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001, such allowable salary shall be computed on an hourly basis and the maximum number of hours allowed for a related party other than the proprietor shall be increased from forty hours to forty-eight hours per work week. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005, each facility shall receive a rate that is two and one-quarter per cent more than the rate the facility received in the prior fiscal year, except any facility that would have been issued a lower rate effective July 1, 2004, than for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2004, due to interim rate status or agreement with the department shall be issued such lower rate effective July 1, 2004. Effective upon receipt of all the necessary federal approvals to secure federal financial participation matching funds associated with the rate increase provided in subdivision (4) of subsection (f) of this section, but in no event earlier than October 1, 2005, and provided the user fee imposed under section 17b-320 is required to be collected, each facility shall receive a rate that is determined in accordance with applicable law and subject to appropriations, except any facility that would have been issued a lower rate effective October 1, 2005, than for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005, due to interim rate status or agreement with the department, shall be issued such lower rate effective October 1, 2005. Such rate increase shall remain in effect unless: (A) The federal financial participation matching funds associated with the rate increase are no longer available; or (B) the user fee created pursuant to section 17b-320 is not in effect. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, rates in effect for the period ending June 30, 2006, shall remain in effect until September 30, 2006, except any facility that would have been issued a lower rate effective July 1, 2006, than for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, due to interim rate status or agreement with the department, shall be issued such lower rate effective July 1, 2006. Effective October 1, 2006, no facility shall receive a rate that is more than four per cent greater than the rate in effect for the facility on September 30, 2006, except for any facility that would have been issued a lower rate effective October 1, 2006, due to interim rate status or agreement with the department, shall be issued such lower rate effective October 1, 2006.

      (2) The commissioner shall, upon determining that a loan to be issued to a residential care home by the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority is reasonable in relation to the useful life and property cost allowance pursuant to section 17-311-52 of the regulations of Connecticut state agencies, allow actual debt service, comprised of principal, interest and a repair and replacement reserve on the loan, in lieu of allowed property costs whether actual debt service is higher or lower than such allowed property costs.

      (i) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, the Commissioner of Social Services shall establish a fee schedule for payments to be made to chronic disease hospitals associated with chronic and convalescent nursing homes to be effective on and after July 1, 1995. The fee schedule may be adjusted annually beginning July 1, 1997, to reflect necessary increases in the cost of services.

      (1957, P.A. 336, S. 1; 1959, P.A. 98, S. 1; 1961, P.A. 474, S. 3; February, 1965, P.A. 237; P.A. 73-25, S. 3, 4; 73-117, S. 27, 31; P.A. 77-574, S. 5, 6; 77-614, S. 323, 610; P.A. 79-560, S. 30, 39; P.A. 80-364, S. 4; P.A. 81-122; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 83-39, S. 14; P.A. 84-135, S. 2, 3; 84-360, S. 1; P.A. 85-524; 85-528; P.A. 87-27, S. 2; P.A. 88-156, S. 20; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-8, S. 17, 22, 61, 63; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-16, S. 29-31, 89; P.A. 93-262, S. 1, 87; 93-381, S. 9, 39; 93-406, S. 3, 6; 93-418, S. 22, 33, 41; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 94-5, S. 12, 30; P.A. 95-160, S. 24, 69; 95-257, S. 12, 21, 39, 58; 95-351, S. 4, 30; P.A. 96-137; 96-139, S. 12, 13; 96-268, S. 13, 20, 34; P.A. 97-112, S. 2; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2, S. 127, 165; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-11, S. 50, 65; P.A. 98-156, S. 1, 2; 98-239, S. 25, 35; P.A. 99-279, S. 19-21, 45; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 00-2, S. 21, 53; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-2, S. 38, 52, 62, 69; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9, S. 95, 129, 131; P.A. 02-89, S. 32; May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-7, S. 17, 18; P.A. 03-2, S. 17; 03-19, S. 45; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-3, S. 50; P.A. 04-5, S. 1; 04-16, S. 11; 04-258, S. 2; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 04-2, S. 86; P.A. 05-251, S. 81, 83, 84; 05-280, S. 49, 51; P.A. 06-188, S. 1-5; 06-196, S. 142.)

      History: 1959 act included references to licensed homes for the aged and to boarders in such homes; 1961 act included rest homes with nursing supervision, replaced committee of various state officers with hospital cost commission, required public hearing before rates determined and required that rates consider costs of services, including compensation for services rendered by proprietors at prevailing wage rates as factor; 1965 act deleted obsolete provision for rates for licensed homes for aged when initially included in provisions, required that accounting principles be those prescribed by commission rather than "generally accepted", required homes and hospitals to report on fiscal year ending September 30 and included anticipated fluctuations in cost as factor in rate determination; P.A. 73-25 referred to Subsec. (b) of Sec. 17-83i rather than to Sec. 17-132; P.A. 73-117 replaced hospital cost commission with committee established under Sec. 17-311; P.A. 77-574 included costs mandated by collective bargaining agreements as factor in rate determination; P.A. 77-614 replaced department of health with department of health services, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 79-560 replaced committee with commissioner of income maintenance; P.A. 80-364 conditioned payment on admissions procedures conforming with law rather than on "priorities of accommodations for such beneficiaries as they become available"; P.A. 81-122 defined other allowable services and authorized the commissioner to adopt regulations to specify these services in new Subsec. (b) and added Subsecs. (c) and (d) prohibiting facilities from accepting payments in excess of the amount specified by the commissioner and providing a procedure for the recovery of any excess amounts; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 83-39 amended Subsec. (a) to include residential facilities for the mentally retarded licensed pursuant to Sec. 19a-467; P.A. 84-135 added Subsec. (e) excepting certain facilities from the requirement that no facility accept payment in excess of the rate set by the commissioner; P.A. 84-360 added the authority in Subsec. (a) for a separate rate for the treatment of traumatic brain injury patients; P.A. 85-524 added the provisions on the treatment of the costs incurred in using the services of nursing pools in Subsec. (a); P.A. 85-528 amended Subsec. (a) to provide for the adjustment of rates to reflect increased costs or expenditures due to changes in federal or state laws, regulations or standards and added the provision on costs resulting from inspections by the department of health services; P.A. 87-27 amended Subsec. (a) to exclude from "costs" amounts paid to employees, attorneys or consultants due to unionization disputes; P.A. 88-156 substituted chronic and convalescent nursing homes for chronic and convalescent hospitals and added chronic disease hospitals associated with chronic and convalescent nursing homes to list of establishments for which the commissioner sets the rates in Subsec. (a); June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-8 amended Subsec. (a) to allow the commissioner the discretion to allow the inclusion of extraordinary and unanticipated costs of providing services to avoid a negative impact on the health and safety of the patients, amended Subsec. (e) to specify required minimum number of beds to be available for medical assistance patients, to place a cap on the number of beds available to medical assistance patients at fifteen per cent and added Subsec. (f) re rates paid by or for persons aided or cared for by the state or town for room, board and services of nursing homes, chronic disease hospitals associated with chronic and convalescent nursing homes, chronic and convalescent hospitals, rest homes, homes for the aged and residential facilities for the care of the mentally retarded, allowable costs, geographic peer groupings of facilities, cost components, fair rent exclusions, cost efficiency adjustments and change of ownership and affiliations; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-16 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provisions re revision of a facility's rate, re date by which reports shall be submitted to the commissioner, re reduction of rate for a facility which fails to report by such date, re report by commissioner to appropriations committee and re modification of method for adjusting separate rates for traumatic brain injury patients, amended Subsec. (f) by permitting the commissioner to allow costs in excess of maximum amounts for certain facilities or certain beds in a facility, requiring the exclusion of the cost efficiency adjustment for indirect costs from rate increase maximums for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1993, adding provisions re revision of a facility's fair rent component of its rate and providing that for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1993, a facility may receive a cost efficiency adjustment for indirect costs if such costs are below one hundred thirty per cent of the median, and added Subsec. (g) re rates for intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded and Subsec. (f) re rates for homes for the aged; P.A. 93-262 authorized substitution of commissioner and department of social services for commissioner and department of income maintenance, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 93-381 replaced department of health services with department of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 93-406 amended Subdiv. (5) of Subsec. (f) to require the commissioner to allow actual debt service costs for bonds, to determine allowable fair rent for real property other than land based on rate of return for cost year in which bonds were issued, to include financing debt service in addition to refinancing and to provide that adjustments to a facilities allowable fair rent be made on a case-by-case basis, effective June 29, 1993; P.A. 93-418 amended Subsec. (c) to provide that for fiscal years ending June 30, 1994, and June 30, 1995, commissioner may authorize facility to accept payment in excess of the rate paid for a medical assistance patient in this state for patient who receives medical assistance from another state and amended Subsec. (f)(3) to make existing provisions re per diem maximum allowable costs effective only for fiscal year ending June 30, 1994, adding new provision regarding such costs for fiscal year ending June 30, 1995, and any succeeding fiscal year, added provision amending Subsec. (f)(4) to prohibit a facility from receiving a rate, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1995, which is more than five per cent less than the rate it received for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1994, or six per cent more than it received for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1994, made Subsec. (f)(7) applicable to any succeeding fiscal year and added new Subdiv. (14) concerning computing allowable patient days, effective July 1, 1993; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 94-5 amended Subsec. (g) to establish rates of return for real property for facilities with real property other than land placed in service prior to July 1, 1991, effective July 1, 1994; Sec. 17-314 transferred to Sec. 17b-340 in 1995; P.A. 95-160 amended Subdiv. (3) of Subsec. (f) by providing for per diem allowable costs for each cost component for the fiscal year ending July 30, 1996, and any succeeding fiscal year and by deleting Subdivs. (A) and (B) which allowed costs in excess of maximum amounts for any facility with patient days covered by Medicare and provided for the establishment of a pilot program whereby costs in excess of maximum amounts shall be allowed for beds in a nursing home which has a managed care program and is affiliated with a hospital, amended Subdiv. (4) of Subsec. (f) by adding a provision that for the fiscal years ending June 30, 1996, and June 30, 1997, no facility shall receive a rate that is more than three per cent more than the rate it received for the prior rate year, amended Subdiv. (5) of Subsec. (f) by adding a provision that for fiscal years ending June 30, 1996, and June 30, 1997, the reimbursement may not exceed the twenty-fifth percentile of the state-wide allowable fair rent for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1995, by lowering a provision allowing for a rate of return of real property other than land in excess of sixteen per cent to have such allowance revised to sixteen per cent to a provision allowing such rate of return to be in excess of eleven per cent and to have such allowance revised to eleven per cent and by requiring that such provision begin with the fiscal year ending June 30, 1996, amended Subdiv. (6) of Subsec. (f) by replacing a requirement that a facility receive cost efficiency adjustments for indirect costs if such costs are below one hundred ten per cent of the state-wide median costs with a provision allowing for such adjustments if indirect costs are below the state-wide median costs and by changing the provision requiring that the cost efficiency adjustments shall equal twenty-five per cent of the difference between allowable reported costs and the applicable maximum allowable cost to require that such adjustments be equal to twenty-five per cent of the difference between allowable reported costs and the applicable median allowable cost, amended Subdiv. (7) of Subsec. (f) providing for the inflation of allowable operating costs for the fiscal years ending June 30, 1996, and June 30, 1997, amended Subsecs. (g) and (h) by providing for the allowance for real growth for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1996, and any succeeding year, and added Subsec. (i) providing for a fee schedule for payments to be made to chronic disease hospitals associated with chronic and convalescent homes and made technical changes, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health and replaced Commission on Hospitals and Health Care with Office of Health Care Access, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 95-351 amended Subdiv. (3) of Subsec. (f) by reenacting former Subdivs. (A) and (B) providing for costs in excess of maximum amounts for any facility with patient days covered by Medicare and a pilot program for costs in excess of maximum amounts allowed for beds in a nursing home, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 96-137 amended Subsec. (c) to delete a reference to the fiscal year ending June 30, 1995, thereby allowing the commissioner to continue to authorize a facility to accept payment in excess of the rate paid for a medical assistance patient in this state for a patient who receives medical assistance from another state; P.A. 96-139 changed effective date of P.A. 95-160 but without affecting this section; P.A. 96-268 amended Subsec. (f)(1) to allow the commissioner to provide a rate adjustment for nonemergency transportation services and amended Subsec. (h) to add provision re minimum allowable patient days for rate computation purposes beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 1997, and provision re allowable salary of an administrator beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 1998, effective July 1, 1996; P.A. 97-112 replaced "home for the aged" with "residential care home"; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2 amended Subsec. (h) by adding a provision increasing the inflation adjustment for rates made in accordance with Subsec. (p) of section 17-311-52 of the regulations of Connecticut state agencies and by providing that, beginning in the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, for the purpose of determining the allowable salary of a related party, the department shall revise the maximum salary to twenty-seven thousand eight hundred fifty-six dollars to be annually inflated in accordance with section 17-311-52 of the regulations of Connecticut state agencies, effective July 1, 1997; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-11 amended Subsec. (f)(4) to delete provisions re exclusion of fair rent from rate increase maximums for fiscal years ending June 30, 1992, and June 30, 1993, and exclusion of cost efficiency adjustment for indirect costs from rate increase maximums for fiscal year ending June 30, 1993, and to add provisions re rate increases for facilities for fiscal years ending June 30, 1998, and June 30, 1999, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 98-156 amended Subsec. (f)(4)(C) to increase from two to three per cent the maximum rate increase a facility shall receive for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, to make technical changes and to prohibit a facility from receiving a rate, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, and any succeeding fiscal year, which is more than the rate it received in the prior year increased by the annual increase in the Consumer Price Index for the most recent calendar year, effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 98-239 amended Subsec. (f)(5) to provide that on and after July 1, 1998, the Commissioner of Social Services may allow minimum fair rent as the basis upon which reimbursement re improvements to real property is added, effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 99-279 amended Subsec. (f)(3) by adding an exception for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2000, and June 30, 2001, for facilities with an interim rate in one or both periods from the per diem maximum allowable costs for each cost component and specifying the per diem maximum allowable costs for direct costs, indirect costs, fair rent, capital-related costs and for administrative and general costs for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2000, and June 30, 2001, for facilities with an interim rate in one or both periods, and amended Subsec. (f)(4) by providing for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999, that a facility shall receive the specified rate increase "exclusive of rate increases associated with a wage, benefit and staffing enhancement rate adjustment added for the period from April 1, 1999, to June 30, 1999, inclusive", by specifying rate increases for facilities for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2000, and June 30, 2001, and maximum rate increases for facilities with an interim rate, replaced interim rate or scheduled rate adjustment specified in a certificate of need or other agreement and by extending, from the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, to June 30, 2002, the prohibition against facilities receiving a rate that is more than the rate it received in the prior year increased by the annual increase in the CPI for the most recent calendar year, added new Subdiv. (f)(15), requiring the Commissioner of Social Services to adjust facility rates from April 1, 1999, to June 30, 1999, inclusive, by a per diem amount representing each facility's allocation of funds appropriated for the purpose of wage, benefit and staffing enhancement, specifying the manner in which a facility's per diem allocation of such funding shall be computed, specifying the usage of enhancement payments, and requiring the commissioner to recover from a facility any amounts determined not to have been applied to specified enhancements, and amended Subsec. (h) to increase the inflation adjustment for rates for residential care homes from one to two per cent beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, effective July 1, 1999; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 00-2 amended Subsec. (h) by adding provision re salary computation for a related party, beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001, effective July 1, 2000; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-2 amended Subsec. (f)(4) by requiring, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002, that each facility receive a rate increase that is two and one-half per cent more than the rate the facility received in the prior fiscal year, requiring, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003, that each facility receive a rate increase that is two per cent more than the rate the facility received in the prior fiscal year, deleting provision prohibiting a facility from receiving a rate, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002, and any succeeding fiscal year, that is more than the rate it received in the prior year increased by the annual increase in the CPI for the most recent calendar year, and requiring that commissioner add fair rent increases to any other rate increases established for a facility which has undergone a material change in circumstances re fair rent, deleting authority of commissioner to exclude fair rent from any rate increase maximums, amended Subsec. (g) to require commissioner, for fiscal year ending June 30, 2002, rate period, to increase the inflation adjustment for rates made in accordance with regulations to update allowable fiscal year 2000 costs to include a three and one-half per cent inflation factor, and for fiscal year ending June 30, 2003, rate period, to increase the inflation adjustment for rates made in accordance with regulations to update allowable fiscal year 2001 costs to include a one and one-half per cent inflation factor, and amended Subsec. (h) to increase the allowable base salary of an administrator of a residential care home from thirty to thirty-seven thousand dollars, beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002, require rates for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002, to be based upon the increased allowable salary of an administrator, regardless of whether such amount was expended in the 2000 cost report period upon which rates are based, and require inflation adjustment for rates made in accordance with Subsec. (c) to be increased by one per cent, beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002, effective July 1, 2001; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9 amended Subsec. (f)(4) to delete reference to a rate "increase" and make a technical change, effective July 1, 2001, and revised effective date of June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-2 but without affecting this section; P.A. 02-89 amended Subsec. (f) to delete "Notwithstanding the provisions of section 17b-344" from the prefatory provision re determination of rates, reflecting the repeal of said section by the same public act; May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-7 amended Subsec. (f)(4)(C) by delaying from July 1, 2002, to January 1, 2003, a two per cent rate increase to Medicaid nursing homes and specifying that facilities whose rate would have been lowered on July 1, 2002, will be issued such lower rate until January 1, 2003, when a two per cent rate increase will take effect and amended Subsec. (g) by delaying from July 1, 2002, to November 1, 2002, a one and one-half per cent rate increase to intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded and specifying that facilities whose rate would have been lowered on July 1, 2002, will be issued such lower rate until November 1, 2002, at which time the rate will be updated, effective August 15, 2002; P.A. 03-2 amended Subsec. (f)(4) by delaying from January 1, 2003, to June 1, 2003, a two per cent rate increase for any facility that would have been paid a lower rate effective July 1, 2002, than for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002, due to interim rate status or agreement with the department, effective February 28, 2003; P.A. 03-19 made technical changes in Subsecs. (g) and (h), effective May 12, 2003; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-3 amended Subsec. (a) to limit authority of commissioner to adjust rates for licensed chronic and convalescent nursing homes or rest homes with nursing supervision for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2004, and June 30, 2005, made technical changes in Subsec. (e), amended Subsec. (f)(4)(C) to provide that, with the exception of those facilities which would have received a lower rate, rates for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003, remain in effect for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2004, rates for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2004, remain in effect until December 31, 2004, and effective January 1, 2005, facilities shall receive a rate that is one per cent greater than the rate in effect on December 31, 2004, added new Subsec. (f)(16) re interim rates for licensed chronic and convalescent homes or rest homes with nursing supervision for which receivership has been imposed and authority of commissioner to adjust such rates, amended Subsec. (g) to provide that, with the exception of those intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded which would have received a lower rate, rates for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003, remain in effect for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2004, and effective July 1, 2004, such facilities shall receive a rate that is three-quarters of one per cent greater than the rate in effect on June 30, 2004, amended Subsec. (h) by designating existing provisions as Subdiv. (1), making technical changes therein, and adding new Subdiv. (2) re authority of commissioner to allow actual debt service on certain loans issued to residential care homes by the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, effective August 20, 2003; P.A. 04-5 amended Subsec. (a) to delete limit on commissioner's authority to adjust rates for licensed chronic and convalescent nursing homes or rest homes with nursing supervision for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2004, and June 30, 2005, authorize commissioner to provide, within available appropriations, an interim rate increase for rate periods no earlier than April 1, 2004, subject to enumerated conditions, provide for rescission and recovery of certain interim rates and payments, and require quarterly reports to certain committees of the General Assembly, effective March 30, 2004; P.A. 04-16 made technical changes in Subsecs. (a), (c) and (d); P.A. 04-258 amended Subsec. (g) by eliminating provision re three-quarters of one per cent rate increase to intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded effective July 1, 2004, and adding provisions re rates in effect on June 30, 2004, remaining in effect until September 30, 2004, and on October 1, 2004, each facility shall receive a rate that is five per cent greater than the rate in effect on September 30, 2004, effective July 1, 2004; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 04-2 amended Subsec. (h)(1) by providing that for fiscal year ending June 30, 2005, each residential care home shall receive a rate that is two and one-quarter per cent more than the rate the facility received in the prior fiscal year, except that facilities that would have been issued a lower rate effective on July 1, 2004, shall be issued such lower rate, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 05-251 amended Subsec. (f)(4) by adding provisions re interim rate increases for facilities for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2006, and June 30, 2007, that take effect upon receipt of all necessary federal approvals and the collection of the user fee provided in Sec. 17b-320 and may take into account reasonable costs incurred by a facility including wages and benefits and amended Subsecs. (g) and (h)(1) by adding provisions re four per cent rate increase for certain facilities for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, that shall take effect not earlier than October 1, 2005, and upon receipt of all necessary federal approvals and the collection of the user fee provided in Sec. 17b-320, effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 05-280 amended Subsec. (f)(4) by making a technical change and providing that the July 1, 2005, interim rate increases for facilities shall remain in effect unless federal financial participation matching funds are no longer available or the user fee established under Sec. 17b-320 is not in effect, and amended Subsec. (h)(1) by replacing "four per cent more than the rate the facility received in the prior fiscal year" with "determined in accordance with applicable law and subject to appropriations", effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 06-188 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting provision in Subdiv. (4) that prevented commissioner from considering the immediate profitability of a facility, adding Subdiv. (5) permitting commissioner to consider "the ability of the facility to meet wage and benefit costs" and deleting provision that, on and after July 1, 2005, prevented commissioner from providing interim rate increases to licensed chronic and convalescent nursing homes or rest homes with nursing supervision, amended Subsec. (f)(4) by providing that, for fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, certain facilities shall receive a rate that is three per cent greater than the rate in effect for period ending June 30, 2006, and making technical changes, amended Subsec. (f)(16) by adding provision re commissioner's authority to increase interim rates for facilities in receivership that have a rate greater than the median rate for the facility's peer grouping, amended Subsec. (g) by providing that rates in effect for period ending June 30, 2006, shall remain in effect until September 30, 2006, and adding provision re rates effective October 1, 2006, and amended Subsec. (h)(1) by providing that rates in effect for period ending June 30, 2006, shall remain in effect until September 30, 2006, and adding provision re rates effective October 1, 2006, effective July 1, 2006; P.A. 06-196 made technical changes in Subsec. (f)(4), effective June 7, 2006.

      Annotations to former section 17-314:

      Cited. 176 C. 82. Cited. 180 C. 474. Cited. 208 C. 187.

      Cited. 42 CS 348.

      Annotations to present section:

      Cited. 242 C. 345.

      Subsec. (f):

      Department's use of the lesser value methodology is not permitted; exclusive use of fair rent, in lieu of actual property costs, required in determining allowable costs of all nursing facilities. 244 C. 378.

      Sec. 17b-341. (Formerly Sec. 17-314a). Self-pay rates regulated. Provider agreement. Rate adjustments. Appeals. (a) The Commissioner of Social Services shall determine annually, after a public hearing, the rates to be charged to self-pay patients in any of the following licensed facilities if the facility does not have a provider agreement with the state to provide services to recipients of benefits obtained through Title XIX of the Social Security Amendments of 1965, except a facility that did not have a provider agreement in effect as of January 1, 1991, or had entered into a limited provider agreement before January 1, 1991: Chronic and convalescent nursing homes, chronic disease hospitals associated with chronic and convalescent nursing homes and rest homes with nursing supervision. Each such facility that does have such a provider agreement, each such facility that did not have a provider agreement in effect as of January 1, 1991, or had entered into a limited provider agreement before January 1, 1991, and each residential care home shall determine its own self-pay rates. Rates determined pursuant to this section shall be effective July 1, 1991, and on July first of each year thereafter through June 30, 1993, and shall be determined for each facility individually, on the basis of payment for the reasonable costs of providing all services. All self-pay patients shall be given notice of a rate increase at least thirty days prior to the effective date of such rate increase. In determining rates to be charged to self-pay patients the commissioner shall: (1) Consider the quality of care provided by each facility, based on information which the Department of Public Health shall provide to the commissioner, and any testimony or information received from other interested parties; and (2) take into account the relevant cost considerations set forth in section 17b-340 and in the regulations adopted in accordance with subsection (a) of section 17b-238. Such regulations shall include but not be limited to the establishment of a formula for allowing profit or an operating surplus, and a fair rate of return on invested capital or equity. Nothing in this section shall authorize the commissioner to set a rate lower than the rate set under section 17b-340 for comparable services. As used in this section "self-pay patient" means a patient who is not receiving state or municipal assistance to pay for the cost of care. Each facility determining its own self-pay rates shall report such rates to the commissioner upon determination and upon any modification. The commissioner shall document each rate so reported and each rate determined for a facility by the commissioner pursuant to this section. Each facility shall charge any self-pay patient who is insured under a long-term care insurance policy which is precertified pursuant to section 38a-475 a rate which is at least five per cent less than the rate charged other self-pay patients.

      (b) Any hospital, home or any self-pay patient or his guardian or conservator aggrieved by said commissioner's decision regarding the rates to be charged to self-pay patients may obtain, by written request to said commissioner, a hearing on all items of aggrievement in accordance with sections 4-176e to 4-181a, inclusive, if the request is made not later than ten days after written notice of the decision is provided by said commissioner to such home or hospital. Upon receipt of such notice concerning the rate decision, the home or hospital shall immediately give written notice of said commissioner's decision to any patient affected or his guardian or conservator.

      (c) In the event of an unforeseen or material change in circumstances such hospital or home may submit an application for a rate increase at any time in a form and manner prescribed by the commissioner by regulations adopted in accordance with subsection (a) of section 17b-238. All self-pay patients shall be given notice of an application for a rate increase as soon as possible after receipt of such application by the commissioner, but in no case shall such notice be provided less than ten days prior to the effective date of such increase. The commissioner may approve, modify, or deny such rate increase request with or without a public hearing thereon not less than ten nor more than thirty days after receipt of such request. Notice of such decision shall be given immediately to the hospital or home by certified mail and to the public by publication in a newspaper having a circulation in the area affected. If such rate increase request is denied, modified or approved without a public hearing the applicant or any member of the public may request such a hearing not later than thirty days after the date of such decision, in which case the commissioner shall hold a public hearing. Any public hearing provided by this section shall be held not less than ten nor more than thirty days after receipt of the request for a rate increase or the request for a hearing by the applicant or a member of the public. Notice of the hearing shall be given to the hospital or home by certified mail and to the public, by publication in a newspaper having a circulation in the area affected, at least one week prior to such hearing. Such hearing shall be held, at the discretion of the commissioner, in Hartford or in the area served by such hospital or home. The commissioner shall require from such hospital or home such information, data, records, studies and evaluations as he considers necessary to determine the need for such increases in accordance with the regulations adopted pursuant to section 17b-238. Such proposed increases shall take effect thirty days after such hearing or thirty days after the receipt of any data requested by the commissioner, whichever is later, unless within such period the commissioner denies the requested increase or approves such percentage of the increase as he feels is justified. If no hearing is held or requested the commissioner's decision shall take effect thirty days after the date of such decision. The applicant shall have the burden of proof that an increase is warranted.

      (d) Any party aggrieved by said commissioner's decision after a hearing conducted pursuant to subsection (b) or (c), may appeal therefrom in accordance with the provisions of section 4-183, except venue shall be in the judicial district in which the home or hospital is located. Such appeal shall have precedence in respect to order of trial over all other cases except writs of habeas corpus, actions brought by or on behalf of the state, including informations on the relation of private individuals, and appeals from awards or decisions of workers' compensation commissioners.

      (e) The Superior Court, on application of the Commissioner of Social Services or the Attorney General, may enforce any determination made by the commissioner, pursuant to subsection (a), (b), or (c) of this section, by appropriate decree or process, including but not limited to the following: (1) An order requiring a hospital or home to cease and desist from charging a self-pay patient a rate in excess of the allowable rate set pursuant to this section; and (2) an order that the hospital or home refund to a self-pay patient any amount paid in excess of the allowable rate set pursuant to this section. The decree or process shall issue upon proof of the allowable rate established pursuant to this section and proof that a self-pay patient has paid any amount in excess of the allowable rate established pursuant to this section, as required by the hospital or home.

      (P.A. 79-182, S. 1, 4; P.A. 80-141; 80-203; 80-483, S. 77, 186; P.A. 88-156, S. 21; 88-317, S. 75, 107; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-8, S. 23, 63; P.A. 92-231, S. 1, 10; P.A. 93-262, S. 1, 87; 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; P.A. 97-112, S. 2; P.A. 03-268, S. 9.)

      History: P.A. 80-141 required consideration of quality of care based on health services department information or on other information or testimony in determination of rates; P.A. 80-203 required thirty-day notice of impending increase to self-pay patients in Subsec. (a), required notification of application for increase to self-pay patients in Subsec. (c) and placed burden of proof that increase is necessary on applicant and added Subsec. (e) re enforcement of orders by court; P.A. 80-483 deleted reference to counties in Subsec. (d) and replaced "workmen's compensation" with "workers' compensation"; P.A. 88-156 substituted chronic and convalescent nursing homes for chronic and convalescent hospitals and added chronic disease hospitals associated with chronic and convalescent nursing homes to list of establishments for which the commissioner sets the rates to be charged to self-pay patients in Subsec. (a); P.A. 88-317 amended reference to Secs. 4-177 to 4-181 in Subsec. (b) to include new sections added to Ch. 54, effective July 1, 1989, and applicable to all agency proceedings commencing on or after that date; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-8 amended Subsec. (a) re rate determination and the rate of payment for nursing homes, chronic disease hospitals associated with chronic and convalescent nursing homes, chronic and convalescent hospitals, rest homes, homes for the aged and residential facilities for the care of the mentally retarded added provisions requiring facilities with provider agreements and homes for aged to determine their own self pay rates and to report rates to the commissioner and required commissioner to report rates to the human service committee on December 31, 1992; P.A. 92-231 amended Subsec. (a) by requiring facilities to charge self-pay patients insured under long-term care policies precertified pursuant to Sec. 38a-475 a rate at least five per cent less than the rate charged other self-pay patients; P.A. 93-262 authorized substitution of commissioner and department of social services for commissioner and department of income maintenance, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 93-381 replaced department of health services with department of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; Sec. 17-314a transferred to Sec. 17b-341 in 1995; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 97-112 replaced "home for the aged" with "residential care home"; P.A. 03-268 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting provision which required commissioner to report facility self-pay rates to human services committee by December 31, 1992.

      Sec. 17b-342. (Formerly Sec. 17-314b). Connecticut home-care program for the elderly. (a) The Commissioner of Social Services shall administer the Connecticut home-care program for the elderly state-wide in order to prevent the institutionalization of elderly persons (1) who are recipients of medical assistance, (2) who are eligible for such assistance, (3) who would be eligible for medical assistance if residing in a nursing facility, or (4) who meet the criteria for the state-funded portion of the program under subsection (i) of this section. For purposes of this section, a long-term care facility is a facility which has been federally certified as a skilled nursing facility or intermediate care facility. The commissioner shall make any revisions in the state Medicaid plan required by Title XIX of the Social Security Act prior to implementing the program. The annualized cost of the community-based services provided to such persons under the program shall not exceed sixty per cent of the weighted average cost of care in skilled nursing facilities and intermediate care facilities. The program shall be structured so that the net cost to the state for long-term facility care in combination with the community-based services under the program shall not exceed the net cost the state would have incurred without the program. The commissioner shall investigate the possibility of receiving federal funds for the program and shall apply for any necessary federal waivers. A recipient of services under the program, and the estate and legally liable relatives of the recipient, shall be responsible for reimbursement to the state for such services to the same extent required of a recipient of assistance under the state supplement program, medical assistance program, temporary family assistance program or food stamps program. Only a United States citizen or a noncitizen who meets the citizenship requirements for eligibility under the Medicaid program shall be eligible for home-care services under this section, except a qualified alien, as defined in Section 431 of Public Law 104-193, admitted into the United States on or after August 22, 1996, or other lawfully residing immigrant alien determined eligible for services under this section prior to July 1, 1997, shall remain eligible for such services. Qualified aliens or other lawfully residing immigrant aliens not determined eligible prior to July 1, 1997, shall be eligible for services under this section subsequent to six months from establishing residency. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, any qualified alien or other lawfully residing immigrant alien or alien who formerly held the status of permanently residing under color of law who is a victim of domestic violence or who has mental retardation shall be eligible for assistance pursuant to this section. Qualified aliens, as defined in Section 431 of Public Law 104-193, or other lawfully residing immigrant aliens or aliens who formerly held the status of permanently residing under color of law shall be eligible for services under this section provided other conditions of eligibility are met.

      (b) The commissioner shall solicit bids through a competitive process and shall contract with an access agency, approved by the Office of Policy and Management and the Department of Social Services as meeting the requirements for such agency as defined by regulations adopted pursuant to subsection (e) of this section, that submits proposals which meet or exceed the minimum bid requirements. In addition to such contracts, the commissioner may use department staff to provide screening, coordination, assessment and monitoring functions for the program.

      (c) The community-based services covered under the program shall include, but not be limited to, the following services to the extent that they are not available under the state Medicaid plan, occupational therapy, homemaker services, companion services, meals on wheels, adult day care, transportation, mental health counseling, care management, elderly foster care, minor home modifications and assisted living services provided in state-funded congregate housing and in other assisted living pilot or demonstration projects established under state law. Recipients of state-funded services and persons who are determined to be functionally eligible for community-based services who have an application for medical assistance pending shall have the cost of home health and community-based service