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Mary-Ann Langton, foreground, with her aid Patty Ellis, speak to Governor Ned Lamont staffer Abigail Cotto after members of ADAPT CT enter the governor’s office wanting to speak to the governor, they were told he was not in, on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at the Capitol in Hartford. The advocates returned twice more before being able to secure a meeting with Lamont. |
After months of advocacy, Gov. Ned Lamont is backing off a proposal that would’ve cut funding to a community-based Medicaid program serving more than 7,200 residents.
Community First Choice, or CFC, is a longstanding entitlement program that allows enrollees to directly hire personal care aides to support their day-to-day needs while living in the community or at home.
As part of his budget proposal, Lamont sought to end funding for the program, arguing that rising enrollment was also driving up the costs to sustain it. The program also faces administrative challenges, particularly payroll-related issues. If it had been finalized, all of the current participants would have been moved to one of the state’s capped Medicaid waivers offering similar services.
However,
advocates and community members have instead argued that the waivers
lack sufficient slots and funding to meet the growing demand. As a
result, folks may end up on years-long waiting lists or be pushed into
already-stretched institutional care systems.
Lamont backed off the CFC proposal following a meeting with several disability rights advocates in early April. The state’s Appropriation Committee also rejected the proposal when advancing its budget forward.
Connecticut Public first reported that none of the original proposal is expected to be included in the final budget set to be approved in the coming weeks.
Here are other major proposals on disability rights to keep an eye on as the 2026 legislative season winds down:
HUSKY C
Eliminating the asset limits on the state’s Medicaid plan for people with disabilities is back on the lawmakers’ docket, marking the third year advocates have pushed to address what they describe as restrictive and discriminatory eligibility.
HUSKY offers coverage based on specific categories, such as income, age, disability, and more. People with disabilities, however, are only categorically eligible for HUSKY C, which covers residents who are disabled, blind and elderly. It has the lowest income limit of any of the state’s programs — set at $1,370 — and asset limits of $1,600 and $2,400 for singles and couples.
The latest proposal, if passed, would increase HUSKY C’s asset limits for an unmarried person to $5,000 and a married couple to $7,500. It would also require DSS to report asset data to the Human Services committee, which Sen. Matt Lesser said has been a challenge over the years and may yield a more accurate fiscal impact.
As of April 14, the proposal was referred to the state Appropriations Committee by the House.
Community members and advocates have asked lawmakers to increase income and asset limits, yet have struggled to secure any finalization. In April 2025, Disability Rights Connecticut and the Medical-Legal Partnership Clinic filed a civil rights lawsuit on behalf of two residents arguing that the strict eligibility requirements violate the state Constitution's equal protection clause.
But a lawsuit can take years and would be resolved if the issue were addressed through legislation, said Sheldon Toubman, a litigation attorney at Disability Rights Connecticut.
And with incoming changes to the federal Medicaid program, such as work requirements, more people may lose their coverage and fall through the cracks in the insurance system over the next few years.
Some residents will be directly affected by eligibility changes and funding cuts and may see coverage changes as early as next year. Others will drop off Medicaid, despite their eligibility, because they can't keep up with all the requirements, like Karen Healy.
Healy began struggling with severe mental health issues, like PTSD, ADHD, and borderline personality disorder, at 16 years old. In 1989, she entered institutionalized care and spent more than 24 years receiving treatment before being discharged in 2014.
She currently lives on her own in Hartford with 24/7 support and has been working as a ShopRite bagger for the last 3 years. Healy’s mental health care and medications are currently covered under MED-Connect, a state program that offers Medicaid coverage to employees with disabilities.
Having a steady job, Healy said, has helped build her confidence over the years and has slowly helped her build out her life in the community after so many years of institutionalized care.
Even just working 20 hours can be a lot on her body, Healy said, noting it impacts her sleep, mental health and leads to orthopedic issue flare-ups. However, starting Jan. 1, 2027, Medicaid enrollees will have to prove they’ve worked, volunteered or attended school for at least 80 hours a month to keep their coverage.
“I would have to work, but my body would be shot,” Healy said. “It wouldn't be right. It wouldn’t be fair.”
If she were to quit her job and rely on disability payments, Healy said her income would be too high, by a few hundred dollars, to qualify for HUSKY C, which is why she’s advocating for the increased asset limits.
Healy recalled once trying to meet a roughly $5,000 medical spend-down requirement when she didn’t have a job to meet HUSKY eligibility. Since then, she said she believes the amount has likely increased, making it more difficult to meet the spend-down requirement.
“If I don't have HUSKY C, all my meds would come out of my own pocket…my meds are what keep me out of psychiatric hospitals. So, I take them like if I were a diabetic and depended on my insulin,” Healy said. “I will always take my meds, no matter what. And if I had to, I would have to pay for all of them, and I might not have any money for myself.”
Wheelchair repair
Wheelchair repairs are once again on the lawmakers' proposed bill docket.
Two private equity companies — Numotion and National Seating & Mobility — provide most of the repair services in Connecticut and nationwide.
In 2024, Lamont signed a multifaceted law aimed at reducing the months-long wait wheelchair users faced when trying to repair their chairs. This included a 10-business-day deadline for wheelchair technicians to fix equipment, eliminating insurance prior authorization for repairs and creating a Complex Rehabilitation Technology and Wheelchair Repair Advisory Council to implement the law.
Yet, in the two years since the bill passed, wheelchair users have reported mixed progress.
Although there has been some improvement, Joe Shortt, an advocate with the Connecticut Wheelchair Repair Coalition, said Numotion “actively deceives” customers by not informing them that repairs can now be offered at home, instead forcing people to come into the store for services.
The proposed legislation would require customer notification about current standards, available at-home service options and how to file a complaint with the state if the work is not completed properly. It’d also require wheelchair dealers to submit monthly reports and provide data to the Department of Social Services and the state’s Complex Rehabilitation Technology and Wheelchair Repair Advisory Council.
“Unfortunately, there are still some repairs taking months, such as Gary, who's been waiting, who's been stuck in the same uncomfortable position for seven months because his power wheelchair needs a tilt actuator repair. Or Mary, who's been waiting months for her foot plate to get repaired, which resulted in additional injuries to her feet,” Shortt said at a press conference in March. “We shouldn't have to be subjected to preventable injuries because of long repair times.”
Although the proposal made it out of committee and is headed for further debate in the Senate with bipartisan support, state Rep. Jay Case, who voted against it, worries that it’s an issue that needs further input from other committees to fully address.
“I think we made some good movement on it,” he said in March when the bill was voted out of the Human Services Committee. “I just think we have to be careful. We need to make sure that they're getting what they need, and we're doing what's within our purview.”
Supported decisions
There’s also a proposal that looks to require businesses, government agencies, organizations, medical providers, and educational institutions to recognize a supported decision-making agreement.
Unlike guardianship, support decision-making is a process that lets individuals with disabilities maintain legal, self-determined control with the help of a trusted support system, such as friends or family.
Around 30 states recognize supported decision making, but Connecticut has yet to catch up, said Molly Cole, executive director of the CT State Independent Living Council. Cole said the bill would not eliminate guardianship as an option but would create an opportunity for those who can make their own decisions to do so.
“If I needed to buy a car, I would be asking somebody to tell me about a car. That's supported decision making,” she said at a press conference in March. “All of us do it every day, and yet we deny that right to so many people with disabilities.”
The proposed bill was developed in collaboration with disability advocates and bipartisan lawmakers over the course of 10 months, but it’s been an issue that they’ve been working to address since 2023, said state Rep. Lucy Dathan. She explained that minors turning 18 years old and transitioning out of pediatric support systems would especially benefit from having a new avenue for decision-making.
In addition, the proposal seeks to establish a program through the Department of Aging and Disability Services to provide information and resources on supported decision-making agreements and to facilitate their creation, execution, and termination.
As of April 14, the proposal has cleared the Human Services Committee and is headed to the House for further debate, with bipartisan support.
Full Article & Source:
Movement grows on Connecticut disability bills, but key issues remain
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