Overview
Nursing Facility InformationThe Office of Reimbursement and Certificate of Need (CON) is responsible for establishing Medicaid reimbursement methodologies for Medicaid nursing homes. Reimbursement and CON is responsible for Medicaid State Plan Amendments that are necessary to obtain Federal matching funds for nursing home services provided through Connecticut's Medicaid program. There are currently 209 nursing homes and 24,522 licensed beds in Connecticut. Medicaid is the funding source for approximately 74% of nursing home care in Connecticut.
- Nursing facility rates and census information
- Nursing facility annual cost reports
- Acuity Reimbursement
- Nursing Facility Cost Reports
Transition to Acuity-Based Methodology for Medicaid Reimbursement of Nursing Facilities
The Connecticut Department of Social Services transitioned Medicaid nursing facility reimbursement on July 1, 2022 from a cost-based methodology to a prospective acuity-based or case mix payment system. This method will aid DSS in its goals of moving toward a system that is data driven, improves transparency, and benefits patient outcomes. View the Acuity Based Methodology webpage for additional information and updates.
On April 27, 2023 at 10:00am the Department will host a webinar Supportive Documentation Requirements (SDRs) for all Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessments. The Department will update the MDS Review process and the training will be held via webinar to discuss the changes and address any questions. Please follow this link to register for the April 27th webinar.
DSS Letter to Industry Nursing Home Quality Program Withhold February 23, 2023
Nursing Home Bed Reduction Process The Department is responsible for the Certificate of Need (CON) process for nursing homes. A Nursing Home, or Applicant, may request a decrease in total bed capacity by submitting a letter of Intent for a Certificate of Need (CON) to the Commissioner of the Department of Social Services. Bed Reduction Information
Wage Increase
Rate increases implemented by the the Department are specifically intended to support increases for the compensation of employees directly employed by the nursing home. Wage Increase Information
Direct Care Rate Increase
Public Act 21-185, established a nursing home minimum staffing level of three hours of direct care per resident per day. Public Act 21-2, June special session allocated up to $500,000 in state funding to the Department of Social Services, for Medicaid, for each of the fiscal years ending June 30, 2022 and June 30, 2023, to support the minimum nursing home staffing requirement. Nursing homes that are not currently providing such staffing may complete an application to be considered for a Medicaid rate increase to support a staffing increase up to the minimum. The form along with supporting documentation should be completed and returned to. con-ratesetting.dss@ct.gov.
Please note: any supporting documentation containing Protected Health Information (PHI) must be submitted in a HIPAA compliant, secure manner. Please include the following documentation with your submission:
- Application for Direct Care Rate Increase
- Narrative describing how the requirement will be implemented
- Any additional calculation support you think may be necessary to clearly support the total increased cost
- Completed packages should be completed and returned to con-ratesetting.dss@ct.gov
Social Worker Rate Increase
Per Public Act 21-2, June special session, up to $2,500,000 in state funding has been allocated to the Department of Social Services, for Medicaid, for each of the fiscal years ending June 30, 2022 and June 30, 2023, for Social Worker staffing at nursing homes to meet the Department of Public Health (DPH) requirement. The DPH minimum staffing requirements for Social Workers in nursing facilities has been mandated to a minimum of one full time Social Worker per sixty beds. Nursing homes that are not currently providing such staffing may complete an application to be considered for a Medicaid rate increase to support a staffing increase up to the minimum. The form along with supporting documentation should be completed and returned to con-ratesetting.dss@ct.gov.
Please note: any supporting documentation containing Protected Health Information (PHI) must be submitted in a HIPAA compliant, secure manner. Please include the following documentation with your submission:
- Application for Available Funding for Increased Minimum Staffing (Social Worker)
- Narrative describing how the requirement was implemented
- Payroll register for the pay period before and pay period after implementation identifying all Social Worker staff
- Any additional calculation support you think may be necessary to clearly support the total increased cost
- Completed packages should be completed and returned to con-ratesetting.dss@ct.gov
Connecticut Nursing Facility Payer Mix
Under the Connecticut Medicaid program, payment rates for nursing homes are set on a cost-based prospective basis in accordance with Section 17b-340 of the Connecticut General Statutes and Section 17-311-52 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies. The federal government provides states discretion in determining the method used to pay for nursing facility services. The state's reimbursement methodology, however, must be approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) within the federal Department of Health and Human Services. The annual rate period for nursing homes is July 1 through June 30, unless modified by the legislature. The cost reporting period, however, is October 1 through September 30. Every Medicaid nursing home must complete an "Annual Report of Long-Term Care Facility" which is annually due before February 15th.
| Payor Mix | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
| Medicaid | 73.91% | 74.09% | 72.60% |
| Medicare | 11.5% | 10.25% | 12.08% |
| Private Pay | 9.99% | 9.94% | 9.97% |
| Other (Veterans/Medicaid Other States) | 4.6% | 5.72% | 5.35% |
Medicaid State Plan Amendments
The state plan is an agreement between a state and the Federal government describing how that state administers its Medicaid and CHIP programs. It gives an assurance that a state will abide by Federal rules and may claim Federal matching funds for its program activities. The state plan sets out groups of individuals to be covered, services to be provided, methodologies for providers to be reimbursed and the administrative activities. When a state is planning to make a change to its state plan, the state must send state plan amendments (SPAs) to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for review and approval. States also submit SPAs to request permissible program changes, make corrections, change reimbursement methods, or update their Medicaid or CHIP state plan with new information. Connecticut Medicaid State Plan Amendments submitted to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are available through the Department website.
Additional Information
- The Annual Report of Long-Term Care Facility template and other supporting information can be found at Myers and Stauffer. The cost report captures detailed cost, statistical (e.g. residents days, therapy service volume, nursing hours) and ownership/related party transaction information.
- Nursing facility rates and facility census information is available by individual facility.
- The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Nursing compares Long Term Care Facilities by location, facility size, ownership type, resident needs, inspection results and nursing home staff.
- Medicaid Applications for Long-Term Services and Supports