SB 396 — AN ACT IMPLEMENTING TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE ELDERLY NUTRITION PROGRAM.

Substitute Senate GeneralBill Assembly File No.

575396 FebruaryPublic Session,Act 2024 Substitute Senate Bill No.

39624-99 Senate,AN AprilACT 22,IMPLEMENTING 2024TASK TheFORCE CommitteeRECOMMENDATIONS onFOR AppropriationsTHE reportedELDERLY throughNUTRITION SEN.PROGRAM.

OSTEN of the 19th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the Senate, that the substitute bill ought to pass.

AN ACT IMPLEMENTING TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE ELDERLY NUTRITION PROGRAM.

Not later than July 1, 2025, and annually thereafter, the Commissioner of Aging and Disability Services sSB396shall /file Filea report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, with the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to aging and human services on the feasibility of the department disbursing additional funds under an Substitute Senate Bill No.

575396 1elderly sSB396nutrition Fileprogram No.contract upon evidence that a contracting area agency on aging has expended twenty-five per cent or more of the initial disbursement of funding under the contract.

575(NEW) shall(f) fileThe aCommissioner report,of inAging accordanceand withDisability theServices provisionsshall ofrequire sectioneach 11-4a,area agency on aging, in consultation with the jointchief standingelected committeesofficials of the Generalmunicipalities Assemblyand havingmunicipal cognizanceagents offor matterselderly relatingpersons toappointed agingpursuant andto humansection services7-127b onwithin the feasibilityarea each agency serves, to develop a continuity of theeffort departmentplanto disbursingminimize additionalany fundsdisruption to benefits provided under anthe elderly nutrition program contractin uponsuch evidencearea thatwhen a contractingprovider arealeaves agencythe onprogram agingor hasthere expendedis twenty-fivea persignificant centincrease orin moreservice oflevels theor initialdemand disbursementfor of funding under the contract.program.

(NEW) (f) The Commissioner of Aging and Disability Services shall require each area agency on aging, in consultation with the chief elected officials of the municipalities and municipal agents for elderly persons appointed pursuant to section 7-127b within the area each agency serves, to develop acontinuity of effort pto minimize any disruption to benefits provided under the elderly nutrition program in such area when a provider leaves the program or there is a significant increase in service levels or demand for the program.

An area agency on aging shallshall, notifynot later than January 1, 2025, submit such plan to the commissioner and notify, in writing, chief elected officials, municipal agents for the elderly and state and federal elected officials of the area such agency serves whenevernot therelater isthan ten business days after a significant increase in service levels or demand for the elderly nutrition program.

The commissioner may withhold funding from an area agency on aging or take other remedial measures against such agency for violating any provision of this subsection.

The plan shall include, but need not be limited to, (1) providing a template or portal that elderly nutrition program providers can utilize to reduce redundancies in required reporting or applications, (2) the granting of automatic approval for services under the program based on a client eligibility assessment, and (3) modifications to client eligibility forms to require no more than the minimum information requiredPublic under Title III of the Older Americans Act ofNo. 1965, as amended from time to time.

sSB39624-99 /2 Fileof 7 Substitute Senate Bill No.

575396 2required sSB396under FileTitle No.III of the Older Americans Act of 1965, as amended from time to time.

575 (b) Not later than October 1, 2024, the commissioner shall file a report on the plan, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, with the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to aging and human services.

The Commissioner of Social Services shall disclose (1) to any authorized representative of the Labor Commissioner such information directly related to unemployment compensation, administered pursuant to chapter 567 or information necessary for implementation of sections 17b-112l, 17b-688b, 17b-688c and 17b-688h and section 122 of public act 97-2 of the June 18 special session, (2) to any authorized representative of the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services any information necessary for the implementation and operation of the basic needs supplement program, (3) to any authorized representative of the Commissioner of Administrative Services or the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public ProtectionAct such information as the Commissioner of Social Services determines is directly related to and necessary for the Department of Administrative Services or the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection for purposes of performing their functions of collecting social servicesrecoveries andoverpayments sSB396 / File No.

57524-99 3 sSB396of File7 Substitute Senate Bill No.

575396 and Public Protection such information as the Commissioner of Social Services determines is directly related to and necessary for the Department of Administrative Services or the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection for purposes of performing their functions of collecting social servicesrecoveries andoverpayments or amounts due as support in social services cases, investigating social services fraud or locating absent parents of public assistance recipients, (4) to any authorized representative of the Commissioner of Children andFamilies necessary informationconcerning achildor theimmediate family of a child receiving services from the Department of Social Services, including safety net services, if (A) the Commissioner of Children and Families or the Commissioner of Social Services has determined that imminent danger to such child's health, safety or welfare exists to target the services of the family services programs administered by the Department of Children and Families, or (B) the Commissioner of Children and Families requires access to the federal Parent Locator Service established pursuant to 42 USC 653 in order to identify a parent or putative parent of a child, (5) to a town official or other contractor or authorized representative of the Labor Commissioner such information concerning an applicant for or a recipient of assistance under state-administered general assistance deemednecessary by theCommissioner ofSocialServicesandtheLabor Commissioner to carry out their respective responsibilities to serve such persons under the programs administered by the Labor Department that are designed to serve applicants for or recipients of state- administered general assistance, (6) to any authorized representative of the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services for the purposesofthebehavioralhealthmanaged care programestablished by section 17a-453, (7) to any authorized representative of the Commissioner of Early Childhood to carry out his or her respective responsibilities under the two-generational academic achievement and workforce readiness initiative established pursuant to section 17b-112l and programs that regulate child care services or youth camps, (8) to a healthPublic insuranceAct provider, in IV-D support cases, as defined in subdivision (13) of subsection (b) of section 46b-231, information concerning a child and the custodial parent of such child that is necessary to enroll such child in a health insurance plan available through such provider when the noncustodial parent of such child is under court order to provide health insurance coverage but is unable to provide such information, provided the Commissioner of Social sSB396 / File No.

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575396 health insurance provider, in IV-D support cases, as defined in subdivision (13) of subsection (b) of section 46b-231, information concerning a child and the custodial parent of such child that is necessary to enroll such child in a health insurance plan available through such provider when the noncustodial parent of such child is under court order to provide health insurance coverage but is unable to provide such information, provided the Commissioner of Social Services determines, after providing prior notice of the disclosure to such custodial parent and an opportunity for such parent to object, that such disclosure is in the best interests of the child, (9) to any authorized representative of the Department of Correction, in IV-D support cases, as defined in subdivision (13) of subsection (b) of section 46b-231, information concerning noncustodial parents that is necessary to identify inmates or parolees with IV-D support cases who may benefit from Department of Correction educational, training, skill building, work or rehabilitation programming that will significantly increase an inmate's or parolee's ability to fulfill such inmate's support obligation, (10) to any authorized representative of the Judicial Branch, in IV-D support cases, as defined in subdivision (13) of subsection (b) of section 46b-231, information concerning noncustodial parents that is necessary to:

(A) Identify noncustodial parents with IV-D support cases who may benefit from educational, training, skill building, work or rehabilitation programming that will significantly increase such parent's ability to fulfill such parent's support obligation, (B) assist in the administration oftheTitle IV-Dchildsupport program,or (C)assist intheidentification of cases involving family violence, (11) to any authorized representative of the State Treasurer, in IV-D support cases, as defined in subdivision (13) of subsection (b) of section 46b-231, information that is necessary to identify child support obligors who owe overdue child support prior to the Treasurer's payment of such obligors' claim for any property unclaimed or presumedabandonedunder part III ofchapter 32, [or](12) to any authorized representative of the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management any information necessary for the implementation andPublic operationAct ofNo. the renters rebate program established by section 12- 170d, or (13) to any authorized representative of the Department of Aging and Disability Services, or to an area agency on aging contracting with said department to provide services under the elderly nutrition program, informationonpersonsenrolledinthesupplementalnutrition assistance program who have requested or been recommended to receive elderly nutrition program services.

24-99 5 of 7 Substitute Senate Bill No.

396 and operation of the renters rebate program established by section 12- 170d, or (13) to any authorized representative of the Department of Aging and Disability Services, or to an area agency on aging contracting with said department to provide services under the elderly nutrition program, informationonpersonsenrolledinthesupplementalnutrition assistance program who have requested or been recommended to receive elderly nutrition program services.

Any applicant for assistance provided through sSB396[said /department] Filethe No.Department of Social Services shall be notified that, if and when such applicant receives benefits, the department will be providing law enforcement officials with the address of such applicant upon the request of any such official pursuant to section 17b- 16a.

575 5 sSB396 File No.

575 [said department] the Department of Social Services shall be notified that, if and when such applicant receives benefits, the department will be providing law enforcement officials with the address of such applicant upon the request of any such official pursuant to section 17b- 16a.

(c)Public NotAct laterNo. than October 1, 2024, the Commissioner of Social Services, inconsultationwiththeCommissioner ofAging andDisability Services,shallfileareportontheplan,inaccordancewiththeprovisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, with the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to aging and human services.

This24-99 act6 shallof take7 effectSubstitute asSenate followsBill andNo. shall amend the following sections:

Section396 1(c) JulyNot later than October 1, 20242024, 17a-851(e)the Commissioner of Social Services, inconsultationwiththeCommissioner ofAging andDisability Services,shallfileareportontheplan,inaccordancewiththeprovisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, with the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to aging and (f)human Sec.services.

2Approved fromJune passage4, New2024 sectionPublic sSB396Act / File No.

57524-99 67 sSB396of File7 No.

575 Sec.

3 July 1, 2024 17b-90(b) Sec.

4 July 1, 2024 New section Statement of Legislative Commissioners:

In Section 1(e), "round" was changed to "disbursement", "such payments" was changed to "additional payments", and "vendors participating" was changed to "vendors that contract with the agency to participate in" for clarity;

Section 1(f) was redrafted for clarity and consistency;

in Section 2(a)(2), "the granting of" was added before "automatic" for clarity;

in Section 3(b), "said department" was changed to "[said department] the Department of Social Services" for clarity;

in Section 4(a), "or from an area agency on aging contracting with the Department of Aging and Disability Services to provide services under the elderly nutrition program," was added for consistency;

and in Section 4(b), "supplementary" was changed to "supplemental" for accuracy.