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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 5053
February Session, 2024
AN ACT CONCERNING THE GOVERNOR'S BUDGET
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 19a-186a of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 2
(a) Any individual employed on June 30, 2010, as a regional 3
emergency medical services coordinator or as an assistant regional 4
emergency medical services coordinator shall be offered an unclassified 5
durational position within the Department of Public Health for the 6
period from July 1, 2010, to June 30, 2011, inclusive, provided no more 7
than five unclassified durational positions shall be created. Within 8
available appropriations, such unclassified durational positions may be 9
extended beyond June 30, 2011. The Commissioner of Administrative 10
Services shall establish job classifications and salaries for such positions 11
in accordance with the provisions of section 4-40. Any such created 12
positions shall be exempt from collective bargaining requirements and 13
no individual appointed to such position shall have reemployment or 14
any other rights that may have been extended to unclassified employees 15
under a State Employees' Bargaining Agent Coalition agreement. 16
Individuals employed in such unclassified durational positions shall be 17
located at the offices of the Department of Public Health. In no event 18
shall an individual employed in an unclassified durational position 19 Substitute Bill No. 5053
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pursuant to this section receive credit for any purpose for services 20
performed prior to July 1, 2010. 21
(b) On and after June 30, 2024, the Commissioner of Administrative 22
Services, in consultation with the Commissioner of Public Health, shall 23
transition the regional emergency medical services coordinator and 24
assistant regional emergency medical services coordinator positions 25
and incumbents into the classified service. To the extent such employees 26
are performing jobs which would normally be within a current 27
executive branch bargaining unit, such jobs shall be added to the unit 28
descriptions of such bargaining unit and employees in those jobs shall 29
be deemed part of such unit. 30
Sec. 2. Section 17a-238b of the 2024 supplement to the general statutes 31
is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from 32
passage): 33
(a) The Commissioner of Developmental Services, in consultation 34
with the Commissioner of Social Services and the Secretary of the Office 35
of Policy and Management, shall reduce waiting lists for services in 36
Medicaid waiver programs established under Section 1915(c) of the 37
Social Security Act and administered by the Department of 38
Developmental Services. Not later than January 1, 2024, and annually 39
thereafter, the Commissioner of Developmental Services, in 40
consultation with the Office of Policy and Management staff person 41
employed pursuant to section 4-67bb to help agencies coordinate 42
programs and services for individuals who have an intellectual or 43
developmental disability other than autism spectrum disorder, shall file 44
a report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, [and in 45
consultation with the Commissioner of Developmental Services, on] 46
with the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having 47
cognizance of matters relating to appropriations and the budgets of state 48
agencies, human services and public health. The report shall include, 49
but need not be limited to, data on: 50
(1) [the] The number and ages of persons waiting for services in the 51 Substitute Bill No. 5053
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waiver programs and the number and ages of persons currently being 52
served by the waiver programs; 53
(2) The number and ages of persons waiting for residential care and 54
the number and ages of persons receiving residential care through the 55
waiver programs; 56
(3) The number and ages of underserved persons currently receiving 57
services in the waiver programs but who are waiting for additional 58
services in the waiver programs [, (2) the] and a brief description of the 59
services for which such persons are waiting; 60
(4) The number and ages of persons added to and subtracted from 61
such waiting lists for the previous calendar year; [, and (3) whether] 62
(5) Whether such waiting lists have increased or decreased over the 63
previous calendar year and, if so, by how [may] many persons; [with the 64
joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance 65
of matters relating to appropriations and the budgets of state agencies, 66
human services and public health.] 67
(6) The number of persons who have an intellectual or developmental 68
disability other than autism spectrum disorder who have unmet 69
employment opportunity and day service needs; 70
(7) Measurable data, including outcome data, for persons who are 71
eligible to receive services pursuant to the Medicaid waiver program for 72
persons with an intellectual or developmental disability other than 73
autism spectrum disorder, including, but not limited to: (A) The number 74
of such persons who are enrolled in postsecondary education, (B) the 75
employment status of such persons, and (C) a description of such 76
persons' living arrangements, including, if applicable, the ages of such 77
persons' guardians with whom they reside; and 78
(8) Recommendations to further reduce the waiting lists and 79
associated costs. 80
(b) The commissioner shall post the report on the department's 81 Substitute Bill No. 5053
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Internet web site. 82
Sec. 3. Section 17a-215g of the 2024 supplement to the general statutes 83
is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from 84
passage): 85
(a) The Commissioner of Social Services, in consultation with the 86
Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management and within available 87
appropriations, shall expand the Medicaid waiver program for persons 88
with autism spectrum disorder to reduce the number of persons on a 89
waiting list to receive services under the program. 90
(b) Not later than January 1, 2024, and annually thereafter, the 91
Commissioner of Social Services, in consultation with the Office of 92
Policy and Management's state-wide coordinator of programs and 93
services provided by state agencies for individuals with autism 94
spectrum disorder, appointed pursuant to section 4-67bb, shall file a 95
report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, [and in 96
consultation with the Commissioner of Social Services, on (1) the 97
number of persons waiting for services in the program, (2) the number 98
of underserved persons in the program waiting for additional services, 99
(3) the number of persons added and subtracted from the waiting list in 100
the previous calendar year, (4) whether such waiting list has increased 101
or decreased over the previous calendar year and, if so, by how may 102
persons, and (5) recommendations to further reduce the waiting list and 103
associated costs] with the joint standing committees of the General 104
Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations and 105
the budgets of state agencies and human services. 106
(c) The report shall include, but need not be limited to: 107
(1) The number and ages of persons waiting for services in the waiver 108
program and the number and ages of persons currently being served by 109
the waiver program; 110
(2) The number and ages of persons waiting for residential care and 111
the number and ages of persons receiving residential care through the 112 Substitute Bill No. 5053
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waiver program; 113
(3) The number and ages of underserved persons currently receiving 114
services in the waiver program but who are waiting for additional 115
services in the waiver program and a brief description of the services for 116
which such persons are waiting; 117
(4) The number and ages of persons added to and subtracted from 118
the waiting list for the previous calendar year; 119
(5) Whether the waiting list has increased or decreased over the 120
previous calendar year and, if so, by how many persons; 121
(6) Measurable data, including outcome data, for persons who are 122
eligible to receive services pursuant to the Medicaid waiver program for 123
persons with autism spectrum disorder, including, but not limited to: 124
(A) The number of such persons who are enrolled in postsecondary 125
education, (B) the employment status of such persons, and (C) a 126
description of such persons' living arrangements, including, if 127
applicable, the ages of such persons' guardians with whom they reside; 128
and 129
(7) Recommendations to further reduce the waiting list and 130
associated costs. 131
(d) The commissioner shall post the report on the department's 132
Internet web site. 133
Sec. 4. Section 17a-238a of the general statutes is repealed and the 134
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 135
(a) For purposes of this section: 136
(1) "Category" means the department's assessment of the urgency of 137
an individual's need for funding or services from the department. 138
(2) "Department" means the Department of Developmental Services. 139
(3) "Level of need assessment" means the department's method of 140 Substitute Bill No. 5053
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determining, through the use of a standardized screening tool, an 141
individual's need for funding or services from the department. 142
(4) "Planning and resource allocation team" means the department's 143
staff members who are responsible for (A) establishing an individual's 144
category, (B) approving or denying an individual's request for funding 145
or services, and (C) allocating resources to individuals receiving 146
funding or services from the department. 147
(5) "Residential waiting list" means data maintained by the 148
department that includes the number of individuals with intellectual 149
disability who (A) have requested residential funding or services from 150
the department, (B) have been determined by the department to be in 151
need of such funding or services, and (C) are unable to receive such 152
funding or services because of the department's inability to provide 153
such funding or services within existing appropriations. 154
(b) An individual determined by the department to be eligible for 155
funding or services from the department, or such individual's legal 156
representative, may request and, if requested, shall obtain from the 157
department a copy of (1) such individual's category for residential 158
funding or services, if the individual has an unmet need for residential 159
services, (2) such individual's request for funding or services submitted 160
to the regional planning and resource allocation team, and (3) any 161
decision on the individual's request for funding or services made by the 162
regional planning and resource allocation team. Additionally, any such 163
individual who receives annual funding or services from the 164
department, or such individual's legal representative, may request and, 165
if requested, shall obtain from the department a copy of such 166
individual's (A) individual plan, and (B) level of need assessment. 167
[(c) The Commissioner of Developmental Services shall report, in 168
accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, at least annually, to the 169
joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance 170
of matters relating to public health and appropriations and the budgets 171
of state agencies concerning the number of individuals determined by 172 Substitute Bill No. 5053
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the department to be eligible for funding or services from the 173
department and who (1) have unmet residential care needs, (2) have 174
unmet employment opportunity and day service needs, or (3) are 175
eligible for the department's behavioral services program and are 176
waiting for a funding allocation. The commissioner shall post such 177
report on the department's Internet web site.] 178
[(d)] (c) The [commissioner] Commissioner of Developmental 179
Services shall develop and maintain one state-wide comprehensive 180
residential waiting list. Such waiting list shall (1) be organized by 181
geographic region, (2) identify the type of residential funding or services 182
each individual is requesting, and (3) include the estimated time period 183
that the residential funding or services would be accepted by such 184
individual. The commissioner shall update such list not less than 185
quarterly. 186
[(e)] (d) On or before August [1, 2018, and at least annually thereafter] 187
first annually, the commissioner or his or her designee shall, in 188
consultation with (1) each individual with intellectual disability who is 189
eligible to receive residential funding or services from the department 190
and who has an individual plan, and (2) the individual's legal 191
representative, if applicable, assess the individual's need for future 192
residential funding or services from the department. Such assessment 193
shall include an indication of the time period when each support or 194
service would be accepted by such individual based on information 195
collected at the annual meeting. 196
[(f)] (e) On or before December [1, 2018, and at least annually 197
thereafter] first annually, the commissioner or his or her designee, shall 198
review the residential waiting list with the advisory and planning 199
councils, appointed pursuant to section 17a-273, and the Council on 200
Developmental Services, established pursuant to section 17a-270. 201
Sec. 5. Section 11 of public act 23-137 is repealed and the following is 202
substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 203
(a) The Chief Workforce Officer, appointed pursuant to section 4-204 Substitute Bill No. 5053
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124w of the general statutes, in consultation with the Labor 205
Commissioner, the Commissioners of Social Services, Developmental 206
Disabilities, Public Health and Aging and Disability Services, the 207
Governor's Workforce Council, the executive director of the Office of 208
Higher Education, the Council on Developmental Disabilities, the 209
Autism Spectrum Disorder Advisory Council and regional workforce 210
development boards, shall establish a Human Services Career Pipeline 211
program to ensure a sufficient number of trained providers are available 212
to serve the needs of persons in the state with an intellectual disability, 213
other developmental disabilities, physical disabilities, cognitive 214
impairment or mental illness and elderly persons. Such [pipeline] 215
program shall include training and certification for cardiopulmonary 216
resuscitation, first aid, medication administration, job placement and 217
incentives for retention in the human services labor sector upon 218
successful completion of the program. 219
(b) The Chief Workforce Officer shall consult with the Labor 220
Commissioner and the Commissioners of Aging and Disability Services, 221
Developmental Services, Mental Health and Addiction Services and 222
Social Services, the Council on Developmental Disabilities and the 223
Autism Spectrum Disorder Advisory Council to determine: (1) The 224
greatest needs for human services providers, and (2) barriers to hiring 225
and retaining qualified providers. The Chief Workforce Officer shall 226
assist local and regional boards of education in enhancing existing 227
partnerships or establishing new partnerships with providers of human 228
services and higher education institutions to provide a pathway to a 229
diploma, credential, certificate or license and a job providing human 230
services. 231
(c) The Chief Workforce Officer, in consultation with the Labor 232
Commissioner, shall develop a plan for the Human Services Career 233
Pipeline program that includes, but is not be limited to: (1) A strategy to 234
increase the number of state residents pursuing careers in human 235
services, (2) recommended salary and working conditions necessary to 236
retain an adequate number of human services providers to serve state 237
residents, and (3) estimated funding needed to support the Human 238 Substitute Bill No. 5053
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Services Career Pipeline program. The Chief Workforce Officer shall 239
submit a report on the plan, in accordance with the provisions of section 240
11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing committees of the 241
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to 242
appropriations and the budgets of state agencies, aging, higher 243
education and employment advancement, human services, labor and 244
public health not later than January 1, 2025. The report shall include, but 245
need not be limited to, recommendations for establishing the Human 246
Services Career Pipeline program and an estimate of funding needed to 247
implement the plan developed pursuant to this subsection. 248
(d) The Chief Workforce Officer [shall] may, within available 249
appropriations, establish [such career pipeline not later than July 1, 250
2024, and] the Human Services Career Pipeline program. If the program 251
is established, the Chief Workforce Officer shall submit a report, in 252
accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, 253
not later than January 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, regarding the 254
development and implementation of the [pipeline] program to the joint 255
standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of 256
matters relating to appropriations and the budgets of state agencies, 257
aging, higher education and employment advancement, human 258
services, labor and public health. For purposes of this section, "human 259
services labor sector" means persons trained to provide services to 260
persons with an intellectual disability; other developmental disabilities, 261
including, but not limited to, autism spectrum disorder; physical 262
disabilities; cognitive impairment or mental illness; and elderly persons. 263
Sec. 6. Section 17a-215e of the 2024 supplement to the general statutes 264
is repealed. (Effective from passage) 265
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 from passage 19a-186a
Sec. 2 from passage 17a-238b
Sec. 3 from passage 17a-215g
Sec. 4 from passage 17a-238a Substitute Bill No. 5053
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Sec. 5 from passage PA 23-137, Sec. 11
Sec. 6 from passage Repealer section
Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
The provisions of Section 5 were redrafted for internal consistency and
consistency with standard drafting conventions.
HS Joint Favorable Subst. C/R APP
APP Joint Favorable Subst.-LCO