Connecticut 2022 Regular Session

Connecticut House Bill HB05040 Compare Versions

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7	7		General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 5040
8	8		February Session, 2022
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14	14		AN ACT CONCERNING THE GOVERNOR'S BUDGET
15	15		RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HUMAN SERVICES.
16	16		Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
17	17		Assembly convened:
18	18
19	19		Section 1. Section 19a-7d of the 2022 supplement to the general 1
20	20		statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 2
21	21		(Effective from passage): 3
22	22		(a) [Not later than January 1, 2022, the] The Commissioner of Public 4
23	23		Health shall establish, within available resources, a program to provide 5
24	24		three-year grants to community-based providers of primary care 6
25	25		services in order to expand access to health care for the uninsured. The 7
26	26		grants may be awarded to community-based providers of primary care 8
27	27		for (1) funding for direct services, (2) recruitment and retention of 9
28	28		primary care clinicians and registered nurses through subsidizing of 10
29	29		salaries or through a loan repayment program, and (3) capital 11
30	30		expenditures. The community-based providers of primary care under 12
31	31		the direct service program shall provide, or arrange access to, primary 13
32	32		and preventive services, behavioral health services, referrals to specialty 14
33	33		services, including rehabilitative and mental health services, inpatient 15
34	34		care, prescription drugs, basic diagnostic laboratory services, health 16
35	35		education and outreach to alert people to the availability of services. 17
36	36		Primary care clinicians and registered nurses participating in the state 18 Substitute Bill No. 5040
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43	43		loan repayment program or receiving subsidies shall provide services 19
44	44		to the uninsured based on a sliding fee schedule, provide free care if 20
45	45		necessary, accept Medicare assignment and participate as Medicaid 21
46	46		providers, or provide nursing services in school-based health centers 22
47	47		and expanded school health sites, as such terms are defined in section 23
48	48		19a-6r. The commissioner may adopt regulations, in accordance with 24
49	49		the provisions of chapter 54, to establish eligibility criteria, services to 25
50	50		be provided by participants, the sliding fee schedule, reporting 26
51	51		requirements and the loan repayment program. For the purposes of this 27
52	52		section, "primary care clinicians" includes family practice physicians, 28
53	53		general practice osteopaths, obstetricians and gynecologists, internal 29
54	54		medicine physicians, pediatricians, dentists, certified nurse midwives, 30
55	55		advanced practice registered nurses, physician assistants, [and] dental 31
56	56		hygienists, psychiatrists, psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, 32
57	57		licensed marriage and family therapists and licensed professional 33
58	58		counselors. 34
59	59		(b) Funds appropriated for the state loan repayment program shall 35
60	60		not lapse until fifteen months following the end of the fiscal year for 36
61	61		which such funds were appropriated. 37
62	62		Sec. 2. Section 36 of public act 21-2 of the June special session is 38
63	63		repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from 39
64	64		passage): 40
65	65		(a) As used in this section: 41
66	66		(1) "Community action agency" means a public or private nonprofit 42
67	67		agency which has previously been designated by and authorized to 43
68	68		accept funds from the federal Community Services Administration for 44
69	69		community action agencies under the Economic Opportunity Act of 45
70	70		1964, or a successor agency established pursuant to section 17b-892 of 46
71	71		the general statutes; 47
72	72		(2) "Community health worker" means a public health outreach 48
73	73		professional with an in-depth understanding of the experience, 49 Substitute Bill No. 5040
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80	80		language, culture and socioeconomic needs of the community and who 50
81	81		provides a range of services, including, but not limited to, outreach, 51
82	82		engagement, education, coaching, informal counseling, social support, 52
83	83		advocacy, care coordination, research related to social determinants of 53
84	84		health and basic screenings and assessments of any risks associated with 54
85	85		social determinants of health; and 55
86	86		(3) "COVID-19" means the respiratory disease designated by the 56
87	87		World Health Organization on February 11, 2020, as coronavirus 2019, 57
88	88		and any related mutation thereof recognized by said organization as a 58
89	89		communicable respiratory disease. 59
90	90		(b) The Department of [Public Health] Social Services shall establish 60
91	91		a community health worker grant program. The purpose of such 61
92	92		program shall be to provide grants to community action agencies that 62
93	93		employ community health workers who provide a range of services to 63
94	94		persons adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The department 64
95	95		may enter into an agreement, pursuant to chapter 55a of the general 65
96	96		statutes, with a person, firm, corporation or other entity to operate such 66
97	97		program. 67
98	98		(c) The Department of [Public Health] Social Services shall publish on 68
99	99		its Internet web site a notice of grant availability for the period 69
100	100		beginning on [the effective date of this section] June 23, 2021, and ending 70
101	101		on June 30, [2023] 2024. 71
102	102		(d) Each community action agency applying for a grant under this 72
103	103		section shall submit an application in such form and manner as 73
104	104		prescribed by the Commissioner of [Public Health] Social Services. Each 74
105	105		application shall include the following information: (1) The location of 75
106	106		the principal place of business of the applicant; (2) the number of 76
107	107		community health workers employed by the applicant [or that] and the 77
108	108		number of community health workers the applicant seeks to employ 78
109	109		under the grant and the range of services provided or to be provided by 79
110	110		such community health workers; (3) an explanation of the intended use 80
111	111		of the grant being applied for; (4) strategies for integrating community 81 Substitute Bill No. 5040
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118	118		health workers into an individual's care delivery team, including, but 82
119	119		not limited to, the capacity to address health care and social services 83
120	120		needs; and [(4)] (5) such other information that the commissioner deems 84
121	121		necessary. 85
122	122		(e) The Department of [Public Health] Social Services shall review all 86
123	123		grant applications received under the program and determine which 87
124	124		applications are eligible for funding. Criteria for such determinations 88
125	125		shall be established by the department and included in the notice of 89
126	126		grant availability described in subsection (c) of this section. 90
127	127		(f) The amount of any grant issued to a community action agency 91
128	128		pursuant to this section shall not exceed thirty thousand dollars 92
129	129		annually per community health worker employed by such agency and 93
130	130		the total amount of grants issued to community action agencies in the 94
131	131		aggregate shall not exceed six million dollars. No grant shall be issued 95
132	132		pursuant to this section after June 30, [2023] 2024. 96
133	133		[(g) (1) Not later than January 1, 2022, the Commissioner of Public 97
134	134		Health shall report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a 98
135	135		of the general statutes, to the joint standing committee of the General 99
136	136		Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health and 100
137	137		human services regarding the progress of the program and including 101
138	138		any requisite legislative proposals to accomplish the goals of the 102
139	139		program.] 103
140	140		[(2)] (g) Not later than January 1, 2024, the Commissioner of [Public 104
141	141		Health] Social Services shall report, in accordance with the provisions of 105
142	142		section 11-4a of the general statutes, on the community health worker 106
143	143		grant program to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly 107
144	144		having cognizance of matters relating to public health and human 108
145	145		services. Such report shall include the following data regarding the 109
146	146		program: [(A)] (1) The number of grants provided and the amount of 110
147	147		such grants; [(B)] (2) the identities of the community action agencies that 111
148	148		received such grants; [(C)] (3) the intended use of each grant provided, 112
149	149		as described by the community action agency pursuant to subdivision 113 Substitute Bill No. 5040
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156	156		(3) of subsection (d) of this section; [(D)] (4) the number of community 114
157	157		health workers employed by each community action agency that 115
158	158		received a grant at the time such agency received such grant and 116
159	159		information regarding the services provided by such community health 117
160	160		workers; and [(E)] (5) the number of community health workers 118
161	161		employed by each community action agency that received a grant at the 119
162	162		conclusion of the program and information regarding the services 120
163	163		provided by such community health workers. 121
164	164		Sec. 3. Section 37 of public act 21-2 of the June special session is 122
165	165		repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from 123
166	166		passage): 124
167	167		The sum of $3,000,000 allocated in section 41 of special act 21-15 and 125
168	168		section 306 of [this act] public act 21-2 of the June special session, to the 126
169	169		Department of Public Health, for Community Health Workers, for each 127
170	170		of the fiscal years ending June 30, 2022, and June 30, 2023, shall be for 128
171	171		the purposes of the program established pursuant to section 36 of [this 129
172	172		act] public act 21-2 of the June special session, as amended by this act. 130
173	173		The Department of Public Health shall transfer such funds to the 131
174	174		Department of Social Services. 132
175	175		Sec. 4. Section 321 of public act 21-2 of the June special session is 133
176	176		repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from 134
177	177		passage): 135
178	178		The Commissioner of Social Services shall, within the ten million 136
179	179		dollars in federal funds allocated to the Department of Social Services 137
180	180		pursuant to section 1 of special act 21-1, in accordance with the 138
181	181		provisions of Subtitle M of Title IX of the American Rescue Plan Act of 139
182	182		2021, P.L. 117-2, as amended from time to time, provide temporary 140
183	183		financial relief to nursing home facilities. [Grant allocations shall be 141
184	184		made based on the per cent difference between the issued and calculated 142
185	185		reimbursement rate. The commissioner, within the available ten million 143
186	186		dollars in federal funding allocated to the department for this purpose, 144
187	187		shall issue one-time grants subject to a pro rata adjustment based on 145 Substitute Bill No. 5040
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194	194		available funding.] 146
195	195		Sec. 5. Section 325 of public act 21-2 of the June special session is 147
196	196		repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from 148
197	197		passage): 149
198	198		Notwithstanding the provisions of section 17b-340 of the general 150
199	199		statutes, for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2022, and June 30, 2023, the 151
200	200		Commissioner of Social Services shall, for the purposes of providing 152
201	201		pandemic-related support, increase the minimum per diem, per bed rate 153
202	202		to five hundred one dollars for a residential facility licensed pursuant to 154
203	203		section 17a-227 of the general statutes and certified to participate in the 155
204	204		Title XIX Medicaid program as an intermediate care facility for 156
205	205		individuals with intellectual disability. 157
206	206		This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
207	207		sections:
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209	209		Section 1 from passage 19a-7d
210	210		Sec. 2 from passage PA 21-2 of the June Sp.
211	211		Sess., Sec. 36
212	212		Sec. 3 from passage PA 21-2 of the June Sp.
213	213		Sess., Sec. 37
214	214		Sec. 4 from passage PA 21-2 of the June Sp.
215	215		Sess., Sec. 321
216	216		Sec. 5 from passage PA 21-2 of the June Sp.
217	217		Sess., Sec. 325
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219	219		HS Joint Favorable Subst.
220		-	APP Joint Favorable
221	220