OFFICE OF FISCAL ANALYSIS
Legislative Office Building, Room 5200
Hartford, CT 06106 (860) 240-0200
http://www.cga.ct.gov/ofa
sSB-1087
AN ACT CONCERNING THE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION
OF HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS IN THE STATE.
Primary Analyst: CP 4/20/21
Contributing Analyst(s):
OFA Fiscal Note
State Impact:
Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 22 $ FY 23 $
State Comptroller - Fringe
Benefits
1
GF - Cost 79,000 81,000
Higher Ed., Off. GF - Cost Significant Significant
Public Health, Dept. GF - Cost Significant Significant
Note: GF=General Fund
Municipal Impact: None
Explanation
Section 1 requires the Department of Public Health (DPH) to
establish a program providing three-year grants to community-based
primary care providers, within available appropriations, to expand
access to care for the uninsured. This program may provide loan
repayment to eligible primary care clinicians and registered nurses.
The bill expands the types of eligible clinicians to include mental
health care providers, among others.
Section 2 requires DPH to establish a five-year pilot program to
recruit and retain mental health providers at federally qualified health
centers (FQHCs), including psychiatrists, psychologists, and
psychiatric advanced practice registered nurses.
1
The fringe benefit costs for most state employees are budgeted centrally in accounts
administered by the Comptroller. The estimated active employee fringe benefit cost
associated with most personnel changes is 41.3% of payroll in FY 22 and FY 23. 2021SB-01087-R000568-FN.DOCX Page 2 of 3
In order to implement Sections 1 and 2 DPH's Public Health
Systems and Equity Office will need to hire two positions to reinstate
and administer the State Loan Repayment Program and to develop the
mental health care recruitment and retention pilot program.
A Health Program Associate position, starting at $75,000 in FY 22,
will develop and execute contracts with providers, define the target
areas, conduct research, and ensure compliance with the program’s
statutory requirements and regulations. An Accountant position,
starting at $81,000 in FY 22, would be responsible for administering all
fiscal requirements of this fund, including budget planning and
implementation, tracking and monitoring of expenditure activities and
financial reporting, as well as the drawdown of funds.
DPH will require additional funding to implement two grant
programs as it has not administered or funded a State Loan
Repayment Program in over 10 years.
Assuming the average number of practitioners receiving loan
reimbursement payments would be 15 per year, DPH would incur
costs of $750,000 should a $50,000 annual reimbursement be offered
per practitioner. Establishing a five-year pilot program for the
recruitment and retention of mental healthcare providers employed by
FQHCs would result in significant costs as there are 16 FQHCs
operating across the state. The costs would depend on the number of
participating FQHCs and the amount of financial assistance.
The bill also results in a significant cost to the Office of Higher
Education (OHE) associated with establishing a loan reimbursement
program for psychiatrists, psychologists, and psychiatric APRNs who
are employed at an FQHC for at least two years. It is unknown how
many individuals would apply for and be eligible for the loan
reimbursement program. If 20 eligible candidates were to be awarded
grants annually, the average cost would be $500,000. Additionally,
OHE would require one part-time grant coordinator to oversee the
program, as they currently do not have the staff available to do so. The
part-time grant coordinator would cost approximately $35,000 2021SB-01087-R000568-FN.DOCX Page 3 of 3
annually, with corresponding fringe benefits of $14,455.
The Out Years
The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would
continue into the future subject to inflation.