LCO No. 1737 1 of 3
General Assembly Raised Bill No. 6173
January Session, 2019
LCO No. 1737
Referred to Committee on AGING
Introduced by:
(AGE)
AN ACT EXPANDING ELIGIBILITY FOR THE ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE
RESPITE CARE PROGRAM .
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 17b-349e of the general statutes is repealed and 1
the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2019): 2
(a) As used in this section: 3
(1) "Respite care services" means support services which provide 4
short-term relief from the demands of ongoing care for an individual 5
with Alzheimer's disease. 6
(2) "Caretaker" means a person who has the responsibility for the 7
care of an individual with Alzheimer's disease or has assumed the 8
responsibility for such individual voluntarily, by contract or by order 9
of a court of competent jurisdiction. 10
(3) "Copayment" means a payment made by or on behalf of an 11
individual with Alzheimer's disease for respite care services. 12
(4) "Individual with Alzheimer's disease" means an individual with 13 Raised Bill No. 6173
LCO No. 1737 2 of 3
Alzheimer's disease or related disorders. 14
(b) The Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services shall operate a 15
program, within available appropriations, to provide respite care 16
services for caretakers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease, 17
provided such individuals with Alzheimer's disease meet the 18
requirements set forth in subsection (c) of this section. Such respite 19
care services may include, but need not be limited to: (1) [homemaker] 20
Homemaker services; (2) adult day care; (3) temporary care in a 21
licensed medical facility; (4) home-health care; (5) companion services; 22
or (6) personal care assistant services. Such respite care services may be 23
administered directly by the Department of Rehabilitation Services, or 24
through contracts for services with providers of such services, or by 25
means of direct subsidy to caretakers of individuals with Alzheimer's 26
disease to purchase such services. 27
(c) (1) No individual with Alzheimer's disease may participate in the 28
program if such individual (A) has an annual income of more than 29
[forty-one] fifty-one thousand dollars or liquid assets of more than one 30
hundred [nine] twenty thousand dollars, or (B) is receiving services 31
under the Connecticut home-care program for the elderly. On July 1, 32
[2009] 2019, and annually thereafter, the commissioner shall increase 33
such income and asset eligibility criteria over that of the previous fiscal 34
year to reflect the annual cost of living adjustment in Social Security 35
income, if any. 36
(2) No individual with Alzheimer's disease who participates in the 37
program may receive more than three thousand five hundred dollars 38
for services under the program in any fiscal year or receive more than 39
thirty days of out-of-home respite care services other than adult day 40
care services under the program in any fiscal year, except that the 41
commissioner shall adopt regulations pursuant to subsection (d) of this 42
section to provide up to seven thousand five hundred dollars for 43
services to a participant in the program who demonstrates a need for 44
additional services. 45 Raised Bill No. 6173
LCO No. 1737 3 of 3
(3) The commissioner may require an individual with Alzheimer's 46
disease who participates in the program to pay a copayment for respite 47
care services under the program, except the commissioner may waive 48
such copayment upon demonstration of financial hardship by such 49
individual. 50
(d) The commissioner shall adopt regulations in accordance with the 51
provisions of chapter 54 to implement the provisions of this section. 52
Such regulations shall include, but need not be limited to: (1) 53
[standards] Standards for eligibility for respite care services; (2) the 54
basis for priority in receiving services; (3) qualifications and 55
requirements of providers, which shall include specialized training in 56
Alzheimer's disease, dementia and related disorders; (4) a requirement 57
that providers accredited by the Joint Commission on the 58
Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, when available, receive 59
preference in contracting for services; (5) provider reimbursement 60
levels; (6) limits on services and cost of services; and (7) a fee schedule 61
for copayments. 62
(e) The commissioner may allocate any funds appropriated in excess 63
of five hundred thousand dollars for the program among the five area 64
agencies on aging according to need, as determined by the 65
commissioner. 66
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2019 17b-349e
Statement of Purpose:
To expand eligibility for the Alzheimer's disease respite care program.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline,
except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is
not underlined.]