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 Developmental Services appointed by the Commissioner of Developmental Services; (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; P.A. 07-73, S. 2(a), (b).)

      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; pursuant to P.A. 07-73 "Commissioner of Mental Retardation" and "Department of Mental Retardation" were changed editorially by the Revisors to "Commissioner of Developmental Services" and "Department of Developmental Services", effective October 1, 2007.

      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. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, each facility shall receive a rate that is two and nine-tenths per cent greater than the rate in effect for the period ending June 30, 2007, except any facility that would have been issued a lower rate effective July 1, 2007, than for the rate period ending June 30, 2007, due to interim rate status or agreement with the department, shall be issued such lower rate effective July 1, 2007. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, rates in effect for the period ending June 30, 2008, shall remain in effect until June 30, 2009, except any facility that would have been issued a lower rate for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, due to interim rate status or agreement with the department shall be issued such lower rate. 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 years ending June 30, 1992, through June 30, 2007, 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 the Commissioner of Social Services may, in the commissioner's discretion, and after consultation with the receiver, establish an increased rate for the facility if the commissioner with approval of the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management determines that such higher rate is needed to keep the facility open and to ensure the health, safety and welfare of the residents at such facility.

      (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 Developmental Services, 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 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. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, each facility shall receive a rate that is two and nine-tenths per cent greater than the rate in effect for the period ending June 30, 2007, except any facility that would have been issued a lower rate effective July 1, 2007, than for the rate period ending June 30, 2007, due to interim rate status, or agreement with the department, shall be issued such lower rate effective July 1, 2007. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, rates in effect for the period ending June 30, 2008, shall remain in effect until June 30, 2009, except any facility that would have been issued a lower rate for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, due to interim rate status or agreement with the department, shall be issued such lower rate.

      (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; P.A. 07-73, S. 2(b); 07-209, S. 4; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-2, S. 11, 12, 22.)

      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 Sec. 17-83i(b) 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 15% 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 135% 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 Subsec. (f)(5) to require 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 5% less than the rate it received for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1994, or 6% 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 Subsec. (f)(3) 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 Subsec. (f)(4) 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 3% more than the rate it received for the prior rate year, amended Subsec. (f)(5) 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 16% to have such allowance revised to 16% to a provision allowing such rate of return to be in excess of 11% and to have such allowance revised to 11% and by requiring that such provision begin with the fiscal year ending June 30, 1996, amended Subsec. (f)(6) by replacing a requirement that a facility receive cost efficiency adjustments for indirect costs if such costs are below 110% 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 25% of the difference between allowable reported costs and the applicable maximum allowable cost to require that such adjustments be equal to 25% of the difference between allowable reported costs and the applicable median allowable cost, amended Subsec. (f)(7) 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 Subsec. (f)(3) 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 $27,856 to be annually inflated in accordance with Sec. 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 3% 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 1% to 2% 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 2.5% 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 2% 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 3.5% 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 1.5% inflation factor, and amended Subsec. (h) to increase the allowable base salary of an administrator of a residential care home from $30,000 to $37,000, 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 1%, 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 2% 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 2% rate increase will take effect and amended Subsec. (g) by delaying from July 1, 2002, to November 1, 2002, a 1.5% 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 2% 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 1% 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 1% 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 1% 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 5% 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 2.25% 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 4% 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 3% 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; pursuant to P.A. 07-73 "Commissioner of Mental Retardation" was changed editorially by the Revisors to "Commissioner of Developmental Services", effective October 1, 2007; P.A. 07-209 amended Subsec. (f)(16) by replacing provisions that limited interim rate increase for facility for which a receivership has been imposed to an amount not to exceed the median rate for facility's peer grouping with provisions specifying that commissioner may establish an increased rate for the facility "after consultation with the receiver" and "if the commissioner with approval of the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management determines that such higher rate is needed to keep the facility open and to ensure the health, safety and welfare of the residents at such facility", effective July 1, 2007; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-2 amended Subsec. (f)(4) by providing that for fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, each facility shall receive a rate that is 2.9% greater than rate in effect for period ending June 30, 2007, and for fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, rates in effect for period ending June 30, 2008, shall remain in effect until June 30, 2009, except for facilities that would have been issued a lower rate due to interim rate status or agreement with department, and by making a technical change, amended Subsec. (f)(11) by replacing "fiscal year ending June 30, 1992, and any succeeding fiscal year" with "fiscal years ending June 30, 1992, through June 30, 2007," and amended Subsec. (g) by providing that for fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, each facility shall receive a rate that is 2.9% greater than rate in effect for period ending June 30, 2007, and for fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, rates in effect for period ending June 30, 2008, shall remain in effect until June 30, 2009, except for facilities that would have been issued a lower rate due to interim rate status or agreement with department, effective July 1, 2007.

      Sec. 17b-342a. Pilot program to provide personal care assistance under the home-care program for the elderly. (a) The Commissioner of Social Services shall, within available appropriations, establish and operate a state-funded pilot program to allow persons who are sixty-five years of age or older and meet the eligibility requirements of the Connecticut home-care program for the elderly established under section 17b-342 to receive personal care assistance provided such services are cost effective as determined by the Commissioner of Social Services. Persons who receive personal care assistance services pursuant to the pilot program established by section 47 of public act 00-2 of the June special session* shall be included as participants of the pilot program established pursuant to this section. Personal care assistance under the program may be provided by nonspousal family members of the recipient of services under the program.

      (b) In conducting the pilot program, the commissioner or the commissioner's agent (1) may require as a condition of participation that participants in the pilot program disclose if a personal care assistant is a nonspousal family member, (2) shall monitor the provision of services under the pilot program, and (3) shall ensure the cost-effectiveness of the pilot program.

      (c) The commissioner shall establish the maximum allowable rate to be paid for such services under the pilot program and may set a separate lower rate for nonspousal family members providing services as personal care assistants in the pilot program if deemed necessary by the commissioner to ensure cost effectiveness of the pilot program and to conduct the pilot program within available appropriations.

      (d) Not later than January 1, 2007, the Commissioner of Social Services shall submit a report on the pilot program to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations and human services and to the select committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to aging. The report shall include information on the quality of services provided under the pilot program and shall be submitted in accordance with section 11-4a.

      (P.A. 04-258, S. 40; P.A. 05-209, S. 3; P.A. 06-188, S. 9; P.A. 07-130, S. 9.)

      *Note: Section 47 of public act 00-2 of the June special session was special in nature and therefore was not codified and has been repealed by section 5 of public act 05-209.

      History: P.A. 04-258 effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 05-209 amended Subsec. (a) by removing June 30, 2006, termination date for operation of pilot program, substituting "one hundred fifty" for "one hundred" re total number of participants in pilot program, deleting requirement that services be an alternative covered service to home health services in order to avoid institutionalization, replacing requirement that cost of pilot program services not exceed the average annual cost to the state per recipient of home health service under the home-care program with requirement that services be determined cost effective by commissioner and providing that persons receiving assistance under pilot program established by Sec. 47 of June Sp. Sess. Public Act 00-2 are included in pilot program established under section and amended Subsec. (d) to extend report date on pilot program from January 1, 2006, to January 1, 2007, effective July 6, 2005; P.A. 06-188 amended Subsec. (a) by increasing the number of participants in the pilot program from 150 to 250, effective July 1, 2006; P.A. 07-130 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting provision limiting number of participants in pilot program to 250, effective July 1, 2007.

      Sec. 17b-349e. Demonstration program for provision of respite care services for caretakers of Alzheimer's patients. Definitions. Requirements. Regulations. (a) As used in this section:

      (1) "Respite care services" means support services which provide short-term relief from the demands of ongoing care for an individual with Alzheimer's disease.

      (2) "Caretaker" means a person who has the responsibility for the care of an individual with Alzheimer's disease or has assumed the responsibility for such individual voluntarily, by contract or by order of a court of competent jurisdiction.

      (3) "Copayment" means a payment made by or on behalf of an individual with Alzheimer's disease for respite care services.

      (4) "Individual with Alzheimer's disease" means an individual with Alzheimer's disease or related disorders.

      (b) The Commissioner of Social Services shall establish a demonstration program, within available appropriations, to provide respite care services for caretakers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease, provided such individuals with Alzheimer's disease meet the requirements set forth in subsection (c) of this section. Such respite care services may include, but need not be limited to (1) homemaker services; (2) adult day care; (3) temporary care in a licensed medical facility; (4) home-health care; or (5) companion services. Such respite care services may be administered directly by the department, or through contracts for services with providers of such services, or by means of direct subsidy to caretakers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease to purchase such services.

      (c) (1) No individual with Alzheimer's disease may participate in the program if such individual (A) has an annual income of more than thirty thousand dollars or liquid assets of more than eighty thousand dollars, or (B) is receiving services under the Connecticut home-care program for the elderly.

      (2) No individual with Alzheimer's disease who participates in the program may receive more than three thousand five hundred dollars for services under the program in any fiscal year or receive more than thirty days of out-of-home respite care services other than adult day care services under the program in any fiscal year.

      (3) The commissioner may require an individual with Alzheimer's disease who participates in the program to pay a copayment for respite care services under the program, except the commissioner may waive such copayment upon demonstration of financial hardship by such individual.

      (d) The commissioner shall adopt regulations in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 to implement the provisions of this section. Such regulations shall include, but need not be limited to (1) standards for eligibility for respite care services; (2) the basis for priority in receiving services; (3) qualifications and requirements of providers, which shall include specialized training in Alzheimer's disease, dementia and related disorders; (4) a requirement that providers accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, when available, receive preference in contracting for services; (5) provider reimbursement levels; (6) limits on services and cost of services; and (7) a fee schedule for copayments.

      (e) The Commissioner of Social Services may allocate any funds appropriated in excess of five hundred thousand dollars for the demonstration program among the five area agencies on aging according to need, as determined by said commissioner.

      (P.A. 98-239, S. 14, 35; P.A. 99-162, S. 1, 2; 99-279, S. 23, 45; P.A. 07-86, S. 1.)

      History: P.A. 98-239 effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 99-162 amended Subsec. (c) to increase, from twenty-one to thirty, the maximum number of days of out-of-home respite care services available under the program in any fiscal year, to provide that adult day care services are not subject to such maximum and to make technical changes, and Subsec. (d)(1) to delete requirement that regulations include in standards accreditation by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and added in Subsec. (d)(4) a requirement that providers accredited by said commission, when available, receive preference in contracting for services and renumbered remaining Subdivs. accordingly, effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 99-279 added a new Subsec. (e) allowing allocation of funds appropriated in excess of $500,000 for the demonstration program among the five area agencies on aging based on need, as determined by the commissioner, effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 07-86 amended Subsec. (c)(1) by substituting "receiving services under the Connecticut home-care program for the elderly" for "covered by Medicaid" re individuals who may not participate in the program, effective July 1, 2007.

      Sec. 17b-352. Certificate of need for nursing home facilities; transfer of ownership or control; introduction of additional function or service; termination or decrease of service. Notice to Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman. Notice and public hearing requirements. Regulations. (a) For the purposes of this section and section 17b-353, "facility" means a residential facility for the mentally retarded licensed pursuant to section 17a-277 and certified to participate in the Title XIX Medicaid program as an intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded, a nursing home, rest home or residential care home, as defined in section 19a-490.

      (b) Any facility which intends to (1) transfer all or part of its ownership or control prior to being initially licensed; (2) introduce any additional function or service into its program of care or expand an existing function or service; or (3) terminate a service or decrease substantially its total bed capacity, shall submit a complete request for permission to implement such transfer, addition, expansion, increase, termination or decrease with such information as the department requires to the Department of Social Services, provided no permission or request for permission to close a facility is required when a facility in receivership is closed by order of the Superior Court pursuant to section 19a-545. The Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman pursuant to section 17b-400 shall be notified by the facility of any proposed actions pursuant to this subsection at the same time the request for permission is submitted to the department and when a facility in receivership is closed by order of the Superior Court pursuant to section 19a-545.

      (c) An applicant, prior to submitting a certificate of need application, shall request, in writing, application forms and instructions from the department. The request shall include: (1) The name of the applicant or applicants; (2) a statement indicating whether the application is for (A) a new, additional, expanded or replacement facility, service or function, (B) a termination or reduction in a presently authorized service or bed capacity or (C) any new, additional or terminated beds and their type; (3) the estimated capital cost; (4) the town where the project is or will be located; and (5) a brief description of the proposed project. Such request shall be deemed a letter of intent. No certificate of need application shall be considered submitted to the department unless a current letter of intent, specific to the proposal and in accordance with the provisions of this subsection, has been on file with the department for not less than ten business days. For purposes of this subsection, "a current letter of intent" means a letter of intent on file with the department for not more than one hundred eighty days. A certificate of need application shall be deemed withdrawn by the department, if a department completeness letter is not responded to within one hundred eighty days. The Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman shall be notified by the facility at the same time as the letter of intent is submitted to the department.

      (d) Any facility acting pursuant to subdivision (3) of subsection (b) of this section shall provide written notice, at the same time it submits its letter of intent, to all patients, guardians or conservators, if any, or legally liable relatives or other responsible parties, if known, and shall post such notice in a conspicuous location at the facility. The notice shall state the following: (A) The projected date the facility will be submitting its certificate of need application, (B) that only the department has the authority to either grant, modify or deny the application, (C) that the department has up to ninety days to grant, modify or deny the certificate of need application, (D) a brief description of the reason or reasons for submitting a request for permission, (E) that no patient shall be involuntarily transferred or discharged within or from a facility pursuant to state and federal law because of the filing of the certificate of need application, (F) that all patients have a right to appeal any proposed transfer or discharge, and (G) the name, mailing address and telephone number of the Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman and local legal aid office.

      (e) The department shall review a request made pursuant to subsection (b) of this section to the extent it deems necessary, including, but not limited to, in the case of a proposed transfer of ownership or control prior to initial licensure, the financial responsibility and business interests of the transferee and the ability of the facility to continue to provide needed services, or in the case of the addition or expansion of a function or service, ascertaining the availability of the function or service at other facilities within the area to be served, the need for the service or function within the area and any other factors the department deems relevant to a determination of whether the facility is justified in adding or expanding the function or service. The commissioner shall grant, modify or deny the request within ninety days of receipt thereof, except as otherwise provided in this section. Upon the request of the applicant, the review period may be extended for an additional fifteen days if the department has requested additional information subsequent to the commencement of the commissioner's review period. The director of the office of certificate of need and rate setting may extend the review period for a maximum of thirty days if the applicant has not filed in a timely manner information deemed necessary by the department. The applicant may request and shall receive a hearing in accordance with section 4-177 if aggrieved by a decision of the commissioner.

      (f) The Commissioner of Social Services shall not approve any requests for beds in residential facilities for the mentally retarded which are licensed pursuant to section 17a-227 and are certified to participate in the Title XIX Medicaid Program as intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded, except those beds necessary to implement the residential placement goals of the Department of Developmental Services which are within available appropriations.

      (g) The Commissioner of Social Services shall adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, to implement the provisions of this section. The commissioner shall implement the standards and procedures of the Office of Health Care Access concerning certificates of need established pursuant to section 19a-643, as appropriate for the purposes of this section, until the time final regulations are adopted in accordance with said chapter 54.

      (P.A. 93-262, S. 21, 87; P.A. 94-236, S. 1, 10; P.A. 95-257, S. 39, 58; P.A. 97-112, S. 2; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2, S. 147, 165; P.A. 02-135, S. 1; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-3, S. 78; P.A. 07-73, S. 2(a).)

      History: P.A. 93-262 effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 94-236 amended Subsec. (c) to permit the director of the office of certificate of need and rate setting to extend the review period instead of the commissioner, to provide for a hearing and made technical changes in the section, effective June 7, 1994; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commission on Hospitals and Health Care with Office of Health Care Access, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 97-112 replaced "home for the aged" with "residential care home" in Subsec. (a); June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2 added a new Subsec. (c) concerning requirements for the application procedure prior to submitting a certificate of need application, and redesignated existing Subsecs. accordingly, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 02-135 amended Subsecs. (b) and (c) by adding provision re notification to the Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman, added new Subsec. (d) re requirements of notification and redesignated existing Subsecs. (d) to (f) as Subsecs. (e) to (g); June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-3 amended Subsec. (b) to provide that permission from Department of Social Services is not required to close a facility in receivership which has been ordered closed by the court, to require notification of Office of Long-Term Care Ombudsmen when a facility in receivership is ordered closed by the court and to make a technical change, effective August 20, 2003; pursuant to P.A. 07-73 "Department of Mental Retardation" was changed editorially by the Revisors to "Department of Developmental Services", effective October 1, 2007.

      Sec. 17b-353. Certificate of need; capital expenditure or acquisition of major medical equipment. Hearings. Regulations. (a) Any facility, as defined in subsection (a) of section 17b-352, which proposes (1) a capital expenditure exceeding one million dollars, which increases facility square footage by more than five thousand square feet or five per cent of the existing square footage, whichever is greater, (2) a capital expenditure exceeding two million dollars, or (3) the acquisition of major medical equipment requiring a capital expenditure in excess of four hundred thousand dollars, including the leasing of equipment or space, shall submit a request for approval of such expenditure, with such information as the department requires, to the Department of Social Services. Any such facility which proposes to acquire imaging equipment requiring a capital expenditure in excess of four hundred thousand dollars, including the leasing of such equipment, shall obtain the approval of the Office of Health Care Access in accordance with section 19a-639, subsequent to obtaining the approval of the Commissioner of Social Services. Prior to the facility's obtaining the imaging equipment, the Commissioner of the Office of Health Care Access, after consultation with the Commissioner of Social Services, may elect to perform a joint or simultaneous review with the Department of Social Services.

      (b) An applicant, prior to submitting a certificate of need application, shall request, in writing, application forms and instructions from the department. The request shall include: (1) The name of the applicant or applicants; (2) a statement indicating whether the application is for (A) a new, additional, expanded or replacement facility, service or function, (B) a termination or reduction in a presently authorized service or bed capacity or (C) any new, additional or terminated beds and their type; (3) the estimated capital cost; (4) the town where the project is or will be located; and (5) a brief description of the proposed project. Such request shall be deemed a letter of intent. No certificate of need application shall be considered submitted to the department unless a current letter of intent, specific to the proposal and in accordance with the provisions of this subsection, has been on file with the department for not less than ten business days. For purposes of this subsection, "a current letter of intent" means a letter of intent on file with the department for not more than one hundred eighty days. A certificate of need application shall be deemed withdrawn by the department if a department completeness letter is not responded to within one hundred eighty days.

      (c) In conducting its activities pursuant to this section, section 17b-352 or both, except as provided for in subsection (d) of this section, the Commissioner of Social Services or said commissioner's designee may hold a public hearing on an application or on more than one application, if such applications are of a similar nature with respect to the request. At least two weeks' notice of the hearing shall be given to the facility by certified mail and to the public by publication in a newspaper having a substantial circulation in the area served by the facility. Such hearing shall be held at the discretion of the commissioner in Hartford or in the area so served. The commissioner or the commissioner's designee shall consider such request in relation to the community or regional need for such capital program or purchase of land, the possible effect on the operating costs of the facility and such other relevant factors as the commissioner or the commissioner's designee deems necessary. In approving or modifying such request, the commissioner or the commissioner's designee may not prescribe any condition, such as, but not limited to, any condition or limitation on the indebtedness of the facility in connection with a bond issued, the principal amount of any bond issued or any other details or particulars related to the financing of such capital expenditure, not directly related to the scope of such capital program and within the control of the facility. If the hearing is conducted by a designee of the commissioner, the designee shall submit any findings and recommendations to the commissioner. The commissioner shall grant, modify or deny such request within ninety days, except as provided for in this section. Upon the request of the applicant, the review period may be extended for an additional fifteen days if the commissioner or the commissioner's designee has requested additional information subsequent to the commencement of the review period. The commissioner or the commissioner's designee may extend the review period for a maximum of thirty days if the applicant has not filed in a timely manner information deemed necessary by the commissioner or the commissioner's designee.

      (d) No facility shall be allowed to close or decrease substantially its total bed capacity until such time as a public hearing has been held in accordance with the provisions of this subsection and the Commissioner of Social Services has approved the facility's request unless such decrease is associated with a census reduction. The commissioner may impose a civil penalty of not more than five thousand dollars on any facility that fails to comply with the provisions of this subsection. Penalty payments received by the commissioner pursuant to this subsection shall be deposited in the special fund established by the department pursuant to subsection (c) of section 17b-357 and used for the purposes specified in said subsection (c). The commissioner or the commissioner's designee shall hold a public hearing upon the earliest occurrence of: (1) Receipt of any letter of intent submitted by a facility to the department, or (2) receipt of any certificate of need application. Such hearing shall be held at the facility for which the letter of intent or certificate of need application was submitted not later than thirty days after the date on which such letter or application was received by the commissioner. The commissioner or the commissioner's designee shall provide both the facility and the public with notice of the date of the hearing not less than fourteen days in advance of such date. Notice to the facility shall be by certified mail and notice to the public shall be by publication in a newspaper having a substantial circulation in the area served by the facility.

      (e) The Commissioner of Social Services shall adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, to implement the provisions of this section. The commissioner shall implement the standards and procedures of the Office of Health Care Access concerning certificates of need established pursuant to section 19a-643, as appropriate for the purposes of this section, until the time final regulations are adopted in accordance with said chapter 54.

      (P.A. 93-262, S. 22, 87; P.A. 94-236, S. 2, 10; P.A. 95-257, S. 39, 58; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2, S. 148, 165; P.A. 98-150, S. 13, 17; P.A. 02-135, S. 3; P.A. 07-209, S. 1.)

      History: P.A. 93-262 effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 94-236 made technical changes and amended Subsec. (b) to provide that a hearing shall be in accordance with Sec. 4-177 and to add "or his designee" after commissioner, effective June 7, 1994; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commission on Hospitals and Health Care with Office of Health Care Access, effective July 1, 1995; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing a capital expenditure exceeding $1,000,000 with a capital expenditure exceeding $1,000,000 which increases facility square footage by more than 5,000 square feet or 5% of the existing square footage, whichever is greater, and by adding a capital expenditure exceeding $2,000,000 to those facilities required to submit a request for approval of such expenditure, added Subsec. (b) outlining an applicant's required procedure prior to submitting a certificate of need application and redesignated existing Subsecs. accordingly, effective July 1, 1997; (Revisor's note: A reference in Subsec. (a) to "subsection (b) of" Sec. 19a-639, deleted by vetoed P.A. 97-204 and so reflected in June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2, was codified since purported deletion was void); P.A. 98-150 amended Subsec. (a) to allow joint or simultaneous review and made a technical change, effective June 5, 1998 (Revisor's note: In Subsec. (a) a reference to "Commissioner of the Department of Social Services" was changed editorially by the Revisors to "Commissioner of Social Services" for consistency with customary statutory language); P.A. 02-135 amended Subsec. (c) by adding provision allowing the commissioner or a designee to hold a public hearing on one or more applications, deleting provisions re mandatory hearing pursuant to Sec. 4-177, re waiver of hearing upon showing of emergency nature and re ten business day time periods, and making technical changes for purposes of gender neutrality; P.A. 07-209 amended Subsec. (c) by adding "except as provided for in subsection (d) of this section," and making technical changes, added new Subsec. (d) re public hearing and notice requirements for facility that seeks to close or decrease substantially its total bed capacity and re civil penalty for failure to comply with such requirements, and redesignated existing Subsec. (d) as Subsec. (e), effective July 1, 2007.

      Sec. 17b-354. Requests for additional nursing home beds. Continuing care facility. Construction. Financing. Regulations. (a) Except for applications deemed complete as of August 9, 1991, the Department of Social Services shall not accept or approve any requests for additional nursing home beds or modify the capital cost of any prior approval for the period from September 4, 1991, through June 30, 2012, except (1) beds restricted to use by patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome or traumatic brain injury; (2) beds associated with a continuing care facility which guarantees life care for its residents; (3) Medicaid certified beds to be relocated from one licensed nursing facility to another licensed nursing facility, provided (A) the availability of beds in an area of need will not be adversely affected; (B) no such relocation shall result in an increase in state expenditures; and (C) the relocation results in a reduction in the number of nursing facility beds in the state; (4) a request for no more than twenty beds submitted by a licensed nursing facility that participates in neither the Medicaid program nor the Medicare program, admits residents and provides health care to such residents without regard to their income or assets and demonstrates its financial ability to provide lifetime nursing home services to such residents without participating in the Medicaid program to the satisfaction of the department, provided the department does not accept or approve more than one request pursuant to this subdivision; and (5) a request for no more than twenty beds associated with a free standing facility dedicated to providing hospice care services for terminally ill persons operated by an organization previously authorized by the Department of Public Health to provide hospice services in accordance with section 19a-122b. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, any provision of the general statutes or any decision of the Office of Health Care Access, (i) the date by which construction shall begin for each nursing home certificate of need in effect August 1, 1991, shall be December 31, 1992, (ii) the date by which a nursing home shall be licensed under each such certificate of need shall be October 1, 1995, and (iii) the imposition of such dates shall not require action by the Commissioner of Social Services. Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, a nursing home certificate of need in effect August 1, 1991, shall expire if construction has not begun or licensure has not been obtained in compliance with the dates set forth in subparagraphs (i) and (ii) of this subsection.

      (b) For the purposes of subsection (a) of this section, "a continuing care facility which guarantees life care for its residents" means: (1) A facility which does not participate in the Medicaid program; (2) a facility which establishes its financial stability by submitting to the commissioner documentation which (A) demonstrates in financial statements compiled by certified public accountants that the facility and its direct or indirect owners have (i) on the date of the certificate of need application and for five years preceding such date, net assets or reserves equal to or greater than the projected operating revenues for the facility in its first two years of operation or (ii) assets or other indications of financial stability determined by the commissioner to be sufficient to provide for the financial stability of the facility based on its proposed financial structure and operations, (B) demonstrates in financial statements compiled by certified public accountants that the facility, on the date of the certificate of need application, has a projected debt coverage ratio at ninety-five per cent occupancy of at least one and twenty-five one-hundredths, (C) details the financial operation and projected cash flow of the facility on the date of the certificate of need application, to be updated every five years thereafter, and demonstrates that fees payable by residents and the assets, income and insurance coverage of residents, in combination with other sources of facility funding, are sufficient to provide for the expenses of life care services for the life of the residents to be made available within a continuum of care which shall include the provision of health services in the independent living units, and (D) provides that any transfer of ownership of the facility to take place within a five-year period from the date of approval of its certificate of need shall be subject to the approval of the Commissioner of Social Services in accordance with the provisions of section 17b-355; (3) a facility which establishes to the satisfaction of the commissioner that it can provide for the expenses of the continuum of care to be made available to residents by complying with the provisions of chapter 319f and demonstrating sufficient assets, income, financial reserves or long-term care insurance to provide for such expenses and maintain financially viable operation of the facility for a thirty-year period based on generally accepted accounting practices and actuarial principles, which demonstration (A) may include making available to prospective residents long-term care insurance policies which are substantially equivalent in value and coverage to policies precertified pursuant to section 38a-475, (B) shall include establishing eligibility criteria and screening each resident prior to admission and annually thereafter to ensure that his assets, income and insurance coverage are sufficient in combination with other sources of facility funding to cover such expenses, (C) shall include entering into contracts with residents concerning monthly or other periodic fees payable by residents for services provided, and (D) allowing residents whose expenses are not covered by insurance to pledge or transfer income, assets or proceeds from the sale of assets in amounts sufficient to cover such expenses; (4) a facility which demonstrates it will establish a contingency fund, prior to becoming operational, in an initial amount of five hundred thousand dollars which shall be increased in equal annual increments to at least one million dollars by the start of the facility's sixth year of operation and which shall be replenished within twelve months of any expenditure, provided the amount to be replenished shall not exceed two hundred fifty thousand dollars annually until one million dollars is reached, to provide for the expenses of the continuum of care to be made available to residents which may not be covered by residents' assets, income or insurance, provided the commissioner may approve the establishment of a contingency fund in a lesser amount upon the application of a facility for which a lesser amount is appropriate based on the size of the facility; and (5) a facility which is operated by management with demonstrated experience and ability in the operation of similar facilities. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, a facility may be deemed a continuing care facility which guarantees life care for its residents if (A) the facility meets the criteria set forth in subdivisions (2) to (5), inclusive, of this subsection, was Medicaid certified prior to October 1, 1993, and has been deemed qualified to enter into a continuing care contract under chapter 319hh for at least two consecutive years prior to filing its certificate of need application under this section, provided (i) no additional bed approved pursuant to this section shall be Medicaid certified; (ii) no patient in such a bed shall be involuntarily transferred to another bed due to his eligibility for Medicaid and (iii) the facility shall pay the cost of care for a patient in such a bed who is Medicaid eligible and does not wish to be transferred to another bed or (B) the facility is operated exclusively by and for a religious order which is committed to the care and well-being of its members for the duration of their lives and whose members are bound thereto by the profession of permanent vows. On and after July 1, 1997, the Department of Social Services shall give priority to a request for modification of a certificate of need from a continuing care facility which guarantees life care for its residents pursuant to the provisions of this subsection.

      (c) For the purposes of this section and sections 17b-352 and 17b-353, construction shall be deemed to have begun if the following have occurred and the department has been so notified in writing within the thirty days prior to the date by which construction is to begin: (1) All necessary town, state and federal approvals required to begin construction have been obtained, including all zoning and wetlands approvals; (2) all necessary town and state permits required to begin construction or site work have been obtained; (3) financing approval, as defined in subsection (d) of this section, has been obtained; and (4) construction of a structure approved in the certificate of need has begun. For the purposes of this subsection, commencement of construction of a structure shall include, at a minimum, completion of a foundation. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, upon receipt of an application filed at least thirty days prior to the date by which construction is to begin, the commissioner may deem construction to have begun if: (A) An owner of a certificate of need has fully complied with the provisions of subdivisions (1), (2) and (3) of this subsection; (B) such owner submits clear and convincing evidence that he has complied with the provisions of this subsection sufficiently to demonstrate a high probability that construction shall be completed in time to obtain licensure by the Department of Public Health on or before the date required pursuant to subsection (a) of this section; (C) construction of a structure cannot begin due to unforseeable circumstances beyond the control of the owner; and (D) at least ten per cent of the approved total capital expenditure or two hundred fifty thousand dollars, whichever is greater, has been expended.

      (d) For the purposes of subsection (c) of this section, subject to the provisions of subsection (e) of this section, financing shall be deemed to have been obtained if the owner of the certificate of need receives a commitment letter from a lender indicating an affirmative interest in financing the project subject to reasonable and customary conditions, including a final commitment from the lender's loan committee or other entity responsible for approving loans. If a lender which has issued a commitment letter subsequently refuses to finance the project, the owner shall notify the department in writing within five business days of the receipt of the refusal. The owner shall, if so requested by the department, provide the commissioner with copies of all communications between the owner and the lender concerning the request for financing. The owner shall have one further opportunity to obtain financing which shall be demonstrated by submitting another commitment letter from a lender to the department within thirty days of the owner's receipt of the refusal from the first lender.

      (e) On and after March 1, 1993, financing shall be deemed to have been obtained for the purposes of this section and sections 17b-352 and 17b-353 if the owner of the certificate of need has (1) received a final commitment for financing in writing from a lender or (2) provided evidence to the department that the owner has sufficient funds available to construct the project without financing.

      (f) Any decision of the Office of Health Care Access issued prior to July 1, 1993, as to whether construction has begun or financing has been obtained for nursing home beds approved by the office prior to said date shall be deemed to be a decision of the Commissioner of Social Services for the purposes of this section and sections 17b-352 and 17b-353.

      (g) (1) A continuing care facility which guarantees life care for its residents, as defined in subsection (b) of this section, (A) shall arrange for a medical assessment to be conducted by an independent physician or 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 section 17b-342, prior to the admission of any resident to the nursing facility and shall document such assessment in the resident's medical file and (B) may transfer or discharge a resident who has intentionally transferred assets in a sum which will render the resident unable to pay the cost of nursing facility care in accordance with the contract between the resident and the facility.

      (2) A continuing care facility which guarantees life care for its residents, as defined in subsection (b) of this section, may, for the seven-year period immediately subsequent to becoming operational, accept nonresidents directly as nursing facility patients on a contractual basis provided any such contract shall include, but not be limited to, requiring the facility (A) to document that placement of the patient in such facility is medically appropriate; (B) to apply to a potential nonresident patient the financial eligibility criteria applied to a potential resident of the facility pursuant to said subsection (b); and (C) to at least annually screen each nonresident patient to ensure the maintenance of assets, income and insurance sufficient to cover the cost of at least forty-two months of nursing facility care. A facility may transfer or discharge a nonresident patient upon the patient exhausting assets sufficient to pay the costs of his care or upon the facility determining the patient has intentionally transferred assets in a sum which will render the patient unable to pay the costs of a total of forty-two months of nursing facility care from the date of initial admission to the nursing facility. Any such transfer or discharge shall be conducted in accordance with section 19a-535. The commissioner may grant up to a three-year extension of the period during which a facility may accept nonresident patients, provided the facility is in compliance with the provisions of this section.

      (h) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, if an owner of an approved certificate of need for additional nursing home beds has notified the Office of Health Care Access or the Department of Social Services on or before September 30, 1993, of his intention to utilize such beds for a continuing care facility which guarantees life care for its residents in accordance with subsection (b) of this section and has filed documentation with the Department of Social Services on or before September 30, 1994, demonstrating the requirements of said subsection (b) have been met, the certificate of need shall not expire.

      (i) The Commissioner of Social Services may waive or modify any requirement of this section, except subdivision (1) of subsection (b) which prohibits participation in the Medicaid program, to enable an established continuing care facility registered pursuant to chapter 319hh prior to September 1, 1991, to add nursing home beds provided the continuing care facility agrees to no longer admit nonresidents into any of the facility's nursing home beds except for spouses of residents of such facility and provided the addition of nursing home beds will not have an adverse impact on the facility's financial stability, as defined in subsection (b) of this section, and are located within a structure constructed and licensed prior to July 1, 1992.

      (j) The Commissioner of Social Services shall adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, to implement the provisions of this section. The commissioner shall implement the standards and procedures of the Office of Health Care Access concerning certificates of need established pursuant to section 19a-643, as appropriate for the purposes of this section, until the time final regulations are adopted in accordance with said chapter 54.

      (P.A. 93-262, S. 23, 87; 93-381, S. 9, 39; 93-435, S. 59, 95; P.A. 94-236, S. 3, 10; P.A. 95-160, S. 9, 15, 16, 69; 95-257, S. 12, 21, 39, 58; 95-351, S. 18, 30; P.A. 96-139, S. 12, 13; P.A. 98-250, S. 27, 39; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-2, S. 53, 69; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9, S. 129, 131; P.A. 02-135, S. 2; P.A 05-280, S. 41; P.A. 06-196, S. 143; P.A. 07-209, S. 2.)

      History: P.A. 93-262 effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 93-381 and P.A. 93-435 authorized substitution of commissioner and department of public health and addiction services for commissioner and department of health services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 94-236 amended Subsec. (a) to extend moratorium from June 30, 1994, to June 30, 1997, Subsec. (b) to prohibit continuing care facilities from participating in Medicaid, require facilities to arrange for medical screening of prospective patients, revise the way the facility demonstrates its ability to cover its expenses, increase the amounts that must be deposited in contingency funds from initially $100,000 to $500,000 and increments from $250,000 to $1,000,000 and allow exceptions from these amounts, clarify the definition of services and benefits that facilities provide, added new Subsec. (g) to allow transfers and discharges of continuing care facility residents in certain circumstances and allow facilities to accept nonresidents into their nursing facilities, added new Subsec. (h) to specify the conditions under which a certificate of need for continuing care facilities beds will not expire, added new Subsec. (i) to permit commissioner to waive or modify the continuing care facility requirements except the Medicaid prohibition to enable development of up to three facilities, and relettered Subsec. (g) as Subsec. (j), effective June 7, 1994; P.A. 95-160 extended the moratorium on requests for additional nursing home beds or requests for modifying the capital cost of any prior approval in Subsec. (a) from June 30, 1997, to June 30, 2002, added Subdiv. (3) providing for Medicaid certified beds to be relocated and made technical changes, added Subsec. (b)(5)(A) outlining criteria by which a facility may be deemed a continuing care facility which guarantees life care for its residents and replaced coordination, assessment and monitoring agency with access agency under Subsec. (g), 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 Subsec. (a)(3) deleting "a proposed nursing facility" and therefore allowing Medicaid certified beds to be relocated only to another licensed nursing facility, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 96-139 changed effective date of P.A. 95-160 but without affecting this section; P.A. 98-250 amended Subsec. (i) to replace waiver to enable "the development of up to three continuing care facilities which provide life care for their residents" with waiver to enable an established facility registered prior to September 1, 1991, and to add beds under specified conditions, effective July 1, 1998; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-2 amended Subsec. (a) to extend the moratorium on requests for additional nursing home beds or to modify the capital cost of any prior approval from June 30, 2002, to June 30, 2007, effective July 1, 2001; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9 revised effective date of June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-2 but without affecting this section; P.A. 02-135 amended Subsec. (a) by adding Subdiv. (4) re request for no more than twenty beds; P.A. 05-280 added Subsec. (a)(5) allowing Department of Social Services to accept a request of not more than twenty beds from a free standing facility providing hospice care services to terminally ill persons, effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 06-196 made technical changes in Subsec. (a), effective June 7, 2006; P.A. 07-209 amended Subsec. (a) to extend moratorium on requests for additional nursing home beds or to modify capital cost of any prior approval from June 30, 2007, to June 30, 2012, effective July 10, 2007.

      Sec. 17b-359. (Formerly Sec. 17-134x). Nursing facility: Preadmission screening process in the case of mentally ill persons. Annual resident review. Appeal. (a) For purposes of this section, the terms "mentally ill" and "specialized services" shall be as defined in Subsections (e)(7)(G)(i) and (iii) of Section 1919 of the Social Security Act and federal regulations.

      (b) No nursing facility shall admit any person, irrespective of source of payment, who has not undergone a preadmission screening process by which the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services determines, based upon an independent physical and mental evaluation performed by or under the auspices of the Department of Social Services, whether the person is mentally ill and, if so, whether such person requires the level of services provided by a nursing facility and, if such person is mentally ill and does require such level of services, whether the person requires specialized services. A person who is determined to be mentally ill and not to require nursing facility level services shall not be admitted to a nursing facility. In order to implement the preadmission review requirements of this section and to identify applicants for admission who may be mentally ill and subject to the requirements of this section, nursing facilities may not admit any person, irrespective of source of payment, unless an identification screen developed, or in the case of out-of-state residents approved, by the Department of Social Services has been completed and filed in accordance with federal law.

      (c) No payment from any source shall be due to any nursing facility that admits a resident in violation of the preadmission screening requirements of this section.

      (d) A nursing facility shall notify the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services when a resident who is mentally ill undergoes a significant change in condition or when a resident who has not previously been diagnosed as mentally ill undergoes a change in condition which may require specialized services. Upon such notifications, the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, under the auspices of the Department of Social Services, shall perform an evaluation to determine whether the resident requires the level of services provided by a nursing facility or requires specialized services for mental illness.

      (e) The Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, in consultation with the Department of Social Services, may no less than annually review, within available appropriations, the status of each resident in a nursing facility who is mentally ill to determine whether the resident requires (1) the level of services provided by a nursing facility, or (2) specialized services for mental illness. Nursing facilities shall grant to the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and the Department of Social Services access to nursing facility residents and their medical records for the purposes of this section.

      (f) In the case of a mentally ill resident who is determined under subsection (b), (d) or (e) of this section not to require the level of services provided by a nursing facility but to require specialized services for mental illness and who has continuously resided in a nursing facility for at least thirty months before the date of the determination, the resident may elect to remain in the facility or to receive services covered by Medicaid in an alternative appropriate institutional or noninstitutional setting in accordance with the alternative disposition plan submitted by the Department of Social Services to the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and consistent with the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services requirements for the provision of specialized services.

      (g) In the case of a mentally ill resident who is determined under subsection (b), (d) or (e) of this section not to require the level of services provided by a nursing facility but to require specialized services for mental illness and who has not continuously resided in a nursing facility for at least thirty months before the date of the determination, the nursing facility in consultation with the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services shall arrange for the safe and orderly discharge of the resident from the facility. If the department determines that the provision of specialized services requires an alternate residential placement, the discharge and transfer of the resident shall be made in accordance with the alternative disposition plan submitted by the Department of Social Services and approved by the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, except if an alternate residential placement is not available, the resident shall not be transferred.

      (h) In the case of a resident who is determined under subsection (b), (d) or (e) of this section not to require the level of services provided by a nursing facility and not to require specialized services, the nursing facility shall arrange for the safe and orderly discharge of the resident from the facility.

      (i) Any person seeking admittance to a nursing facility or any resident of a nursing facility who is adversely affected by a determination of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services under this section may appeal such determination to the Department of Social Services within fifteen days of the receipt of the notice of a determination by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. If an appeal is taken to the Department of Social Services the determination of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services shall be stayed pending determination by the Department of Social Services.

      (P.A. 89-348, S. 8, 10; P.A. 93-262, S. 1, 87; P.A. 95-257, S. 11, 58; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2, S. 135, 165; P.A. 07-217, S. 74; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-2, S. 63.)

      History: P.A. 93-262 authorized substitution of commissioner and department of social services for commissioner and department of income maintenance, effective July 1, 1993; Sec. 17-134x transferred to Sec. 17b-359 in 1995; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Mental Health with Commissioner and Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, effective July 1, 1995; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2 replaced "active treatment" with "specialized services" and amended Subsec. (d) by eliminating an annual requirement that each resident of a nursing facility who is mentally ill be reviewed by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and replacing it with a requirement that a nursing facility shall notify the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services when a resident who is mentally ill undergoes a significant change in condition or when a resident not previously diagnosed as mentally ill undergoes a change in condition which may require specialized services, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 07-217 made technical changes in Subsecs. (e) to (g), effective July 12, 2007; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-2 added new Subsec. (e) authorizing Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, in consultation with Department of Social Services, to annually review each resident of a nursing facility who is mentally ill to determine the appropriate level of services for such resident, redesignated existing Subsecs. (e), (f), (g) and (h) as Subsecs. (f), (g), (h) and (i), respectively, and added references to Subsecs. (b) and (e) and made technical changes in redesignated Subsecs. (f), (g) and (h), effective July 1, 2007.

      Sec. 17b-360. (Formerly Sec. 17-134y). Nursing facility: Preadmission screening process in the case of persons with mental retardation or condition related thereto. Appeal. (a) For purposes of this section, the terms "mental retardation", "a condition related to mental retardation" and "specialized services" shall be as defined in Subsection (e)(7)(G)(ii) of Section 1919 of the Social Security Act and federal regulations.

      (b) No nursing facility may admit any new resident irrespective of source of payment, who has mental retardation or has a condition related to mental retardation unless the Department of Developmental Services has determined prior to admission based upon an independent physical and mental evaluation performed by or under the auspices of the Department of Social Services that because of the physical and mental condition of the individual, the individual requires the level of services provided by a nursing facility. If the individual requires such level of services, the Department of Developmental Services shall also determine whether the individual requires specialized services for such condition. An individual who is determined by the Department of Developmental Services to have mental retardation or to have a related condition and is determined not to require nursing facility level of services shall not be admitted to a nursing facility. In order to implement the preadmission review requirements of this section, and to identify applicants for admission who may have mental retardation or have conditions related to mental retardation and subject to the requirements of this section, nursing facilities may not admit any individual irrespective of source of payment, unless an identification screen developed, or in the case of out-of-state residents approved, by the Department of Social Services has been completed for the applicant and filed in accordance with federal law.

      (c) No payment from any source shall be due to a nursing facility that admits a resident in violation of the preadmission screening requirements of this section.

      (d) A nursing facility shall notify the Department of Developmental Services when a resident who has mental retardation undergoes a change in condition or when a resident who has not previously been diagnosed as having mental retardation undergoes a significant change in condition which may require specialized services. Upon such notification, the Department of Developmental Services, under the auspices of the Department of Social Services, shall perform an evaluation to determine whether the resident requires the level of services provided by a nursing facility or requires specialized services for mental retardation.

      (e) In the case of a resident who is determined under subsection (d) of this section not to require the level of services provided by a nursing facility but to require specialized services for mental retardation or a condition related to mental retardation and who has continually resided in a nursing facility for at least thirty months before the date of the determination, the resident may elect to remain in the facility or to receive services covered by Medicaid in an alternative appropriate institutional or noninstitutional setting in accordance with the terms of the alternative disposition plan submitted by the Department of Social Services and approved by the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

      (f) In the case of a resident with mental retardation or a related condition who is determined under subsection (d) of this section not to require the level of services provided by a nursing facility but to require specialized services for mental retardation or a related condition and who has not continuously resided in a nursing facility for at least thirty months before the date of the determination, the nursing facility, in consultation with the Department of Developmental Services, shall arrange for the safe and orderly discharge of the resident from the facility. If the department determines that the provision of specialized services requires an alternative residential placement, the discharge and transfer of the patient shall be in accordance with the alternative disposition plan submitted by the Department of Social Services and approved by the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, except if an alternative residential facility is not available, the resident shall not be transferred.

      (g) In the case of a resident who is determined under subsection (d) of this section not to require the level of services provided by a nursing facility and not to require specialized services, the nursing facility shall arrange for the safe and orderly discharge of the resident from the facility.

      (h) The Department of Developmental Services shall be the agency responsible for making the determinations required by this section on behalf of individuals who have mental retardation and on behalf of individuals with conditions related to mental retardation and may provide services to such individuals to the extent required by federal law.

      (i) Any person seeking admittance to a nursing facility or any resident of a nursing facility who is adversely affected by a determination of the Department of Developmental Services under this section may appeal such determination to the Department of Social Services within fifteen days of the receipt of the notice of a determination by the Department of Developmental Services. If an appeal is taken to the Department of Social Services, the determination of the Department of Developmental Services shall be stayed pending determination by the Department of Social Services.

      (P.A. 89-348, S. 9, 10; P.A. 93-262, S. 1, 87; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2, S. 136, 165; P.A. 05-288, S. 72; P.A. 06-196, S. 239; P.A. 07-73, S. 2(a).)

      History: P.A. 93-262 authorized substitution of commissioner and department of social services for commissioner and department of income maintenance, effective July 1, 1993; Sec. 17-134y transferred to Sec. 17b-360 in 1995; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2 replaced "active treatment" with "specialized services" and amended Subsec. (d) by eliminating an annual requirement that the level of services each resident of a nursing home receives be evaluated and replacing it with a requirement that a nursing facility shall notify the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services when a resident who has mental retardation undergoes a change in condition or a resident who has not previously been diagnosed as having mental retardation undergoes a significant change in condition which may require specialized services, effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 05-288 made a technical change in Subsecs. (e), (f) and (g), effective July 13, 2005; P.A. 06-196 made technical changes in Subsec. (f), effective June 7, 2006; pursuant to P.A. 07-73 "Department of Mental Retardation" was changed editorially by the Revisors to "Department of Developmental Services", effective October 1, 2007.

      Sec. 17b-365. Assisted living services pilot program. Medicaid waiver program. (a) The Commissioner of Social Services may, within available appropriations, establish and operate a pilot program to allow individuals to receive assisted living services, provided by an assisted living services agency licensed by the Department of Public Health in accordance with chapter 368v. In order to be eligible for the program, an individual shall: (1) Reside in a managed residential community, as defined in section 19a-693; (2) be ineligible to receive assisted living services under any other assisted living pilot program established by the General Assembly; and (3) be eligible for services under the Medicaid waiver portion of the Connecticut home-care program for the elderly established under section 17b-342. The total number of individuals enrolled in said pilot program, when combined with the total number of individuals enrolled in the pilot program established pursuant to section 17b-366, shall not exceed seventy-five individuals. The Commissioner of Social Services shall operate said pilot program in accordance with the Medicaid rules established pursuant to 42 USC 1396p(c), as from time to time amended.

      (b) The pilot program established pursuant to this section may begin operation on or after January 1, 2003. Not later than January 1, 2005, the Commissioner of Social Services shall report, in accordance with section 11-4a, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health, human services, appropriations and the budgets of state agencies on the pilot program.

      (May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-7, S. 27; P.A. 04-258, S. 5; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-2, S. 40.)

      History: May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-7 effective August 15, 2002; P.A. 04-258 amended Subsec. (a) to provide that the total number of individuals in pilot program, when combined with the total number of individuals enrolled in pilot program established pursuant to Sec. 17b-366, shall not exceed 75 individuals and to make technical changes, effective July 1, 2004; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-2 amended Subsec. (a)(1) by replacing "by the regulations of the Department of Public Health" with "in section 19a-693".

      Sec. 17b-366. Assisted living services pilot program. State-funded program. (a) The Commissioner of Social Services may, within available appropriations, establish and operate a pilot program to allow individuals to receive assisted living services, provided by an assisted living services agency licensed by the Department of Public Health, in accordance with chapter 368v. In order to be eligible for the pilot program, an individual shall: (1) Reside in a managed residential community, as defined in section 19a-693; (2) be ineligible to receive assisted living services under any other assisted living pilot program established by the General Assembly; and (3) be eligible for services under the state-funded portion of the Connecticut home-care program for the elderly established under section 17b-342. The total number of individuals enrolled in said pilot program, when combined with the total number of individuals enrolled in the pilot program established pursuant to section 17b-365, shall not exceed seventy-five individuals. The Commissioner of Social Services shall operate said pilot program in accordance with the Medicaid rules established pursuant to 42 USC 1396p(c), as from time to time amended.

      (b) The pilot program established pursuant to this section may begin operation on or after January 1, 2003. Not later than January 1, 2005, the Commissioner of Social Services shall report, in accordance with section 11-4a, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health, human services, appropriations and the budgets of state agencies on the pilot program.

      (May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-7, S. 28; P.A. 04-258, S. 6; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-2, S. 41.)

      History: May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-7 effective August 15, 2002; P.A. 04-258 amended Subsec. (a) to provide that the total number of individuals in pilot program, when combined with the total number of individuals enrolled in pilot program established pursuant to Sec. 17b-365, shall not exceed 75 individuals and to make technical changes, effective July 1, 2004; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-2 amended Subsec. (a)(1) by replacing "by the regulations of the Department of Public Health" with "in section 19a-693".

      Sec. 17b-367. Long-term care. Website. The Office of Policy and Management, within existing budgetary resources and in consultation with the Select Committee on Aging, the Commission on Aging, personnel designated by the Commissioner of Social Services who administer the CHOICES health insurance assistance program and the Long-Term Care Advisory Council, shall develop a single consumer-oriented Internet website that provides comprehensive information on long-term care options that are available in Connecticut. The website shall also include direct links and referral information regarding long-term care resources, including private and nonprofit organizations offering advice, counseling and legal services.

      (May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-7, S. 51; P.A. 07-155, S. 2.)

      History: May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-7 effective August 15, 2002; P.A. 07-155 added "personnel designated by the Commissioner of Social Services who administer the CHOICES health insurance assistance program", effective July 1, 2007.

      Sec. 17b-369. Money Follows the Person demonstration project. The Commissioner of Social Services, pursuant to Section 6071 of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, may submit an application to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a Money Follows the Person demonstration project. Such project shall serve not more than seven hundred persons and shall be designed to achieve the objectives set forth in Section 6071(a) of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. Services available under the demonstration project shall include, but not be limited to, personal care assistance services. The commissioner may apply for a Medicaid research and demonstration waiver under Section 1115 of the Social Security Act, if such waiver is necessary to implement the demonstration project. The commissioner may, if necessary, modify any existing Medicaid home or community-based waiver if such modification is required to implement the demonstration project.

      (P.A. 06-188, S. 44; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-2, S. 5.)

      History: P.A. 06-188 effective July 1, 2006; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-2 deleted provision re if the state is selected to participate in demonstration project and then elects to participate in the project, and increased number of participants in demonstration project from 100 to 700, effective July 1, 2007.