SB 981 — AN ACT EXPANDING MEDICAID ELIGIBILITY FOR OLDER PERSONS AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES.

Senate General Assembly FileCommittee Bill No.

424981 January Session, 2025 SenateLCO Bill No.

9815737 Senate,Referred Aprilto 2, 2025 The Committee on HumanHUMAN ServicesSERVICES reportedIntroduced throughby: SEN.

LESSER(HS) ofAN theACT 9thEXPANDING Dist.,MEDICAID ChairpersonELIGIBILITY ofFOR theOLDER CommitteePERSONS onAND thePERSONS partWITH ofDISABILITIES. the Senate, that the bill ought to pass.

AN ACT EXPANDING MEDICAID ELIGIBILITY FOR OLDER PERSONS AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES.

(a) Medical assistance shall be provided for any otherwise eligible person (1) whose income, including any available support from legally liable relatives and the income of the person's spouse or dependent child, is not more than one hundred fifty-nine per cent, pending approval of a federal waiver applied for pursuant to subsection (e) of this section, of the benefit amount paid to a person with no income under the temporary family assistance program, and (2) if such person is an institutionalized individual as defined in Section 1917 of the Social Security Act, 42 USC 1396p(h)(3), and has not made an assignment or transfer or other disposition of property for less than fair market value for thepurpose ofestablishing eligibility for benefitsor assistance under SB981this /section. File No.

424 1 SB981 File No.

424 this section.

Any dispositionLCO of1 property made on behalf of an3 applicantCommittee orBill recipientNo. or the spouse of an applicant or recipient by a guardian, conservator, person authorized to make such disposition pursuant to a power of attorney or other person so authorized by lawshall be attributed to such applicant, recipient or spouse.

981 disposition of property made on behalf of an applicant or recipient or the spouse of an applicant or recipient by a guardian, conservator, person authorized to make such disposition pursuant to a power of attorney or other person so authorized by lawshall be attributed to such applicant, recipient or spouse.

The Commissioner of Social Services shall provide applicants for assistance under this section, at the time of application, SB981with /a Filewritten statement advising them of (A) the effect of an assignment or transfer or other disposition of property on eligibility for LCO 2 of 3 Committee Bill No.

424981 2benefits SB981or Fileassistance, No.(B) the effect that having income that exceeds the limits prescribed in this subsection will have with respect to program eligibility, and (C) the availability of, and eligibility for, services provided by the Connecticut Home Visiting System, established pursuant to section 17b-751b.

424 with a written statement advising them of (A) the effect of an assignment or transfer or other disposition of property on eligibility for benefits or assistance, (B) the effect that having income that exceeds the limits prescribed in this subsection will have with respect to program eligibility, and (C) the availability of, and eligibility for, services provided by the Connecticut Home Visiting System, established pursuant to section 17b-751b.

Section 1 July 1, 2025 17b-261(a) HS Joint Favorable SB981APP /Joint FileFavorable No.LCO 3 of 3

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424 The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose.

In general, fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional knowledge.

Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note State Impact:

Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 26 $ FY 27 $ Social Services, Dept.

Cost - See Below See Below See Below Resources of the General Fund GF - Revenue Approximately None Gain 125,000 Note:

GF=General Fund Municipal Impact:

None Explanation The bill results in a cost to the Department of Social Services (DSS) beginning in FY 26 due to excluding any federal Social Security income related to an individual’s identification as a “disabled adult child” (DACs) under the federal Social Security Act that exceeds the HUSKY C Medicaid income limit.

The state will incur increased costs as individuals would become eligible sooner than they otherwise would have (because a spend-down would no longer be required) or individuals would become eligible for HUSKY C due to the provisions of the bill.

DSS will also incur costs of approximately $250,000 related to system modifications, resulting in a federal grants revenue gain of approximately $125,000.

The Out Years The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continue into the future subject to HUSKY C eligibility and service utilization.

SB981 / File No.

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424 OLR Bill Analysis SB 981 AN ACT EXPANDING MEDICAID ELIGIBILITY FOR OLDER PERSONS AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES.

SUMMARY This bill excludes certain federal income from eligibility determinations for Medicaid, making it easier for people with this income to become eligible for Medicaid.

Specifically, it excludes any federal Social Security income related to an individual’s identification as a “disabled adult child” under the federal Social Security Act that exceeds the HUSKY C Medicaid income limit.

HUSKY C is Connecticut’s Medicaid program for people who are elderly, blind, or living with a disability.

Under the federal Social Security Disability Insurance program, a disabled adult child is an unmarried person who is at least 18 years old with a disability that began before age 22.

A disabled adult child may be eligible for benefits based on their parent’s earning record.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

July 1, 2025 BACKGROUND Related Bills sSB 807, favorably reported by the Human Services Committee, requires the Department of Social Services (DSS) to eliminate the asset limit for HUSKY C over a five-year period.

sSB 11, § 9, favorably reported by the Human Services Committee, also requires DSS to eliminate the asset limit for HUSKY C over a five- year period.

sHB 6911 (File 110), favorably reported by the Aging Committee, SB981 / File No.

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424 requires DSS, starting July 1, 2025, to increase HUSKY C asset limits by at least the same percentage increase as the national consumer price index.