Advocacy Center
State Advocacy
The Connecticut Long Term Care Ombudsman Program wants to make sure that as we enter the 2025 legislative session our legislators, public health officials and key decision makers across the state are able to hear from their constituents regarding issues that matter to them. We have created this web page as a central resource to help streamline that process. We encourage readers to check this page regularly for updates as we try to keep our finger on the pulse of the legislative session and will provide weekly tracking logs of long term care related bills, but also suggest to use the resources listed to make your voices heard. We recommend confirming committee public hearing schedules for key bills related to key topics and taking opportunities to let your legislators know how you think they should vote when it comes to issues that matter most. For a quick summary and overview of the legislative process click here, or find out how a bill becomes a law here in Connecticut. If you want to stay up to date and have updates sent right to your e-mail box, consider signing up for LTCOP Emails!
Connecticut General Assembly Resources
Connecticut General Assembly Main Page Link
Committee Assignments
A full and exhaustive list of all 2025 Legislative Committee Assignments can be found below as well as opportunities to testify based on Committee Public Hearing Agenda's. You also can follow the House/Senate Journals for updates related to bills as they come out.
Contact Info for Key Committees
Find Testimony Opportunities By Following Committee Public Hearing Agendas Page
House/Senate Journal
LTCOP Bill Tracker
- During each legislative session, The Long Term Care Ombudsman Program continues to track and highlight a selection of priority focus bills as they relate to individuals who receive their Long Term Services and Supports in settings such as Skilled Nursing Facilities, Assisted Living Facilities and Residential Care Homes. The Bill Tracker is Updated Weekly and can be Accessed Here.
CGA Website: How to Create Your Own Bill Tracker
Take Action - Speak Up! Contact Your Representative Today
My Representatives Contact Sheet
How to Write an Effective Letter - Template Format
2025 Legislative Session Overview:
The 2025 Connecticut Legislative Session is set to commence on January 8, 2025, and will adjourn on June 4, 2025. In the recent elections, the Democratic Party has maintained and strengthened its control over both chambers of the Connecticut General Assembly. The Democrats have increased their majority to 102 seats in the house of representatives, achieving a two-thirds supermajority in the 151-seat chamber. The Democratic Party also holds a majority with 25 seats in the 36-seat Senate.
Legislative Session 2025 Agenda Summary for the Long-Term Care Ombudsman's Office
The 2025 Connecticut Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP) legislative agenda focuses on advancing resident rights, ensuring fair treatment, and improving care standards in long-term care settings. Key priorities include enhancing protections against discrimination, strengthening safeguards for residents facing involuntary discharges, and improving emergency preparedness during facility closures or evacuations.
The agenda also emphasizes aligning financial allowances with economic changes, increasing penalties for neglectful practices, and clarifying reporting requirements to address abuse and neglect effectively. LTCOP advocates for greater transparency in facility operations, prioritizing access for specific populations, and clarifying the scope of community ombudsman services.
These efforts aim to uphold dignity, safety, and quality of life for individuals in long-term care.
LOOKING BACK - END OF CT LEGISLATIVE SUMMARY 2024
A Brief Overview: The 2024 Connecticut Legislative Session
The 2024 Connecticut Legislative Session, which ran from February 7, to May 8, marked a pivotal period for advancing significant policy changes in long-term care. While not all proposed bills were passed, the session resulted in the enactment of several key reforms aimed at improving the quality, choice, and transparency of care. These legislative successes exemplify strong bipartisan collaboration across multiple committees.
Notably, the session resulted in the following key legislative measures:
- Enhanced Privacy Measures: The session implemented new rules limiting room occupancy to no more than two beds, aimed at reducing overcrowding and increasing privacy for residents.
- Electronic Nursing Facility Waiting Lists: A new mandate requires nursing facilities to transition to an electronic format for waiting lists, enhancing the accuracy and transparency of the admissions process.
- Promoting Best Practices and Care Comparisons: The legislature mandated that links to the Medicare Nursing Home Care Compare website be displayed on both the Department of Social Services (DSS) and Department of Public Health (DPH) websites. Additionally, the creation of a Connecticut-specific nursing home dashboard was initiated to help residents and their families make more informed choices about care facilities.
- Development of a Centers of Excellence Program: This program was created to incentivize nursing homes that meet specific evidence-based standards for high-quality, person-centered care.
The session also addressed critical issues of fairness and safety:
- Prohibition of Discrimination Based on Mental Health Treatment History: The new laws prohibit discrimination in admissions based on a history of mental health treatment, ensuring equal access to care for all residents.
- Workplace Violence Prevention Standards: Enhanced standards were introduced to safeguard both residents and staff from violence, creating safer care environments.
- Transfer of Residents from Closing Facilities: The legislature now requires nursing homes to admit residents transferring from facilities that are closing, without regard to waiting lists, to minimize the risk of transfer trauma and help residents remain in their communities of origin.
Additionally, regulatory authorities were given enhanced powers to discipline facilities that fall short in care practices, ensuring accountability and maintaining high care standards.
Moreover, these recent legislative changes have significantly enhanced the flexibility and responsiveness of the Ombudsman Program, ensuring that individuals receiving care can access essential services more rapidly and in their preferred settings.
Collectively, these measures improve the operational transparency, safety, and quality of care in Connecticut’s nursing, residential, and community care settings, thereby enhancing the quality of life for older and vulnerable populations.
Key Bills Passed During 2024 Legislative Session - By Title and Public Act:To read more about these and other bills go to www.cga.ct.gov and the “quick bill search” link and insert the bill number only.
HB-5001: Supporting Connecticut Seniors and Improving Nursing and Home-Based Care (Public Act 24-39)
This comprehensive bill addresses several aspects of long-term care and home care improvements, aiming to enhance transparency, care quality, and resident protections. Key provisions include:
- Home Care Provider Registry: The bill mandates the creation of a state-run home care provider registry by January 1, 2025. The registry will be available online and will list qualified providers to promote awareness, provider recruitment, and retention.
- Quality of Care Links: The bill requires the Department of Social Services and the Department of Public Health to include direct links to Medicare’s Care Compare tool to enable easier access for families when assessing nursing home quality.
- Expansion of Fingerprinting Locations: To enhance background checks for home care and health service providers, the bill expands fingerprinting locations statewide.
- Identification Requirements: From October 1, 2024, all home health care agency employees must wear ID badges during appointments to ensure better service verification and security.
- Presumptive Medicaid Eligibility: Establishes a system for presumptive Medicaid eligibility for home care applicants, allowing them to receive care for up to 90 days while their full eligibility is determined.
- Ombudsman Notification: Requires that the Long-Term Care Ombudsman be notified within 30 days of licensing Assisted Living Service Agencies (ALSAs) providing services to Managed Residential Communities (MRCs).
- MRC Notifications: MRCs must notify residents 30 days before any changes in ALSA providers to give adequate time for residents to adjust.
- Consumer Guide: Requires the State Ombudsman, in consultation with the Department of Public Health, to develop a comprehensive guide for MRC residents, including details about their rights and relevant information.
- Centers of Excellence Program: Introduces incentives for nursing homes that meet specific evidence-based standards for providing high-quality, person-centered care.
- Municipal Agents for the Elderly: Expands the duties of municipal agents to assist seniors in accessing housing resources and requires the development of a contact directory for these agents.
HB-5046: Promoting Nursing Home Resident Quality of Life (Public Act 24-141)
This bill focuses on enhancing the quality of life for nursing home residents by setting clear standards for care and management. Key provisions include:
- Room Capacity Limits: As of July 1, 2026, no new nursing home residents can be placed in rooms with more than two beds, reducing overcrowding and improving privacy.
- Nursing Home Waiting Lists: Nursing homes must admit residents transferring from facilities that are closing, regardless of their waiting list position, to minimize the risk of transfer trauma.
- Enforcement of State Laws: Extends penalties for nursing homes that violate state laws, ensuring consistency with penalties for violations of federal laws.
- Managed Residential Care Homes: Requires MRCs to include fee adjustment information in their residency agreements, provide 90 days’ notice for fee increases, and offer refunds for certain fees if they are unable to meet a resident’s needs.
- Fee Disclosure: ALSAs must disclose fee increases at least 60 days before they take effect and provide a history of fee increases for the past three years if requested.
- Nursing Facility Management Oversight: Expands the criteria for issuing nursing facility management certificates and increases penalties for non-compliance.
SB-1: Concerning the Health and Safety of Connecticut Residents (Public Act 24-19)
This bill strengthens health and safety protections in nursing homes and other health care facilities. Key provisions include:
- Workplace Violence Prevention: Requires healthcare facilities to adopt and implement workplace violence prevention standards, which may also be a condition for Medicaid reimbursement.
- Combating Loneliness and Isolation: Establishes working groups to address loneliness and isolation among older adults, including a pilot program that uses technology to foster social engagement.
- Direct Care Definition: Establishes a statutory definition for "direct care," which includes hands-on tasks like feeding, bathing, toileting, and lifting, ensuring these tasks are included under minimum staffing levels.
- Ambulance Prior Authorization: Prohibits health carriers from requiring prior authorization for medically necessary ambulance transport to hospitals, ensuring timely access to emergency care.
- Peer-Run Respite Center: Requires the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services to establish a peer-run respite center to provide support services to adults experiencing distress during a mental health crisis.
- Mental Health Admissions: Prohibits nursing homes from denying admission solely because an individual has received mental health services in the past, addressing potential discrimination.
SB-308: Implementing Task Force Recommendations for Wheelchair Repair (Public Act 24-58)
This bill introduces new regulations to improve the timely repair of wheelchairs, enhancing service quality for individuals relying on these devices. Key provisions include:
- Timely Repair Requirements: Requires wheelchair dealers to repair wheelchairs within 10 business days, provided the consumer has made the wheelchair available and necessary prior authorizations have been obtained. Repairs must be performed at the consumer’s home if requested.
- Complaint Mechanism: The Office of the Healthcare Advocate will maintain a complaint line for repair issues and report annually to legislative committees.
- Reporting Requirements: Dealers contracting with the Department of Social Services must report statistics on repair times annually to enhance oversight.
- No New Prescriptions for Repairs: Prohibits the requirement of new prescriptions or prior authorizations for repairs, unless the original prescription is older than five years.
- CRT and Wheelchair Repair Advisory Council: Establishes a council to monitor and recommend improvements to wheelchair repairs, ensuring timely service for users.
HB-5457: Nursing Home Waiting Lists (Public Act 24-17)
This bill mandates electronic waiting lists for nursing homes to improve transparency and streamline the admissions process. Key provisions include:
- Electronic Waiting Lists: Requires nursing homes to maintain their waiting lists in an electronic format by July 1, 2025.
- Non-Discrimination and Admission Order: Nursing homes must process admissions in the order applications are received, and they are prohibited from discriminating against indigent applicants based on their payment source.
- Active Management: Nursing homes must periodically confirm applicants’ interest in remaining on the list and can remove unresponsive applicants.
HB-5308: Absentee Voting for Nursing Home Residents (Public Act 24-34)
This bill ensures that nursing home residents can still participate in elections, even if they fall ill shortly before the election. Key provisions include:
- Absentee Ballots: Allows nursing home and hospital patients who become ill within six days before an election to vote via absentee ballot.
- Appointment of a Designee: Residents can appoint a designee to deliver the absentee ballot, ensuring that they can participate in the voting process despite health issues.
HB-5146: Disclosures of Financial Records (Public Act 24-84)
This bill ensures that financial institutions provide customer financial records to the Department of Social Services (DSS) within 20 days upon receiving a signed certification, speeding up the eligibility determination process for Medicaid and other state aid services.
WANT A BIGGER LOOK BACK?
Explore Our Advocacy Over the Years Page
Discover the milestones of our ongoing commitment to long-term care residents by visiting our "Advocacy Over the Years" timeline. This resource provides a comprehensive overview of significant legislative agendas, key bills, and pivotal issues we've championed throughout various legislative sessions. Stay informed about our past achievements and future initiatives in enhancing the quality of long-term care across Connecticut.
Federal Advocacy
Essential Caregivers Act
H.R.4280: The Essential Caregivers Act of 2024
The Essential Caregivers Act of 2024 (S.4280) aims to amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to mandate that skilled nursing facilities, nursing facilities, intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities, and inpatient rehabilitation facilities permit essential caregivers access during periods when regular visitation is restricted. Introduced by Senators Richard Blumenthal and John Cornyn on May 8, 2024, the bill defines essential caregivers as individuals designated by or on behalf of a resident to provide assistance, including help with activities of daily living, emotional support, or companionship. The legislation seeks to ensure that residents maintain critical support from essential caregivers, even during emergencies that limit standard visitation rights.
Federal Call to Action (Milbank)
Issue Brief: A Call for Federal Action to Improve Nursing Facilities
Policy Points
- To address longstanding quality concerns and disparities in nursing facilities, CMS should link federal funding to quality improvement and promote value-based payment
- To spur improvement in nursing facilities, CMS should expand its nursing facility guidance and include structural measures like staff turnover in its Medicare and Medicaid certification requirements
Abstract
- Nursing facility (NF) residents’ high infection rates and poor overall care experiences during the COVID-19 public health emergency have reinforced and amplified long-standing concerns about the quality and cost-effectiveness of NF care. In light of documented disparities in access, experience of care, and outcomes, these concerns are especially urgent for residents of color. While the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has taken some actions to promote a focus on quality, much more should be done to articulate federal policy and to inspire and incentivize improvement. Specifically, CMS should:
- Endorse linkage of any further public health emergency—related funding or other federal financial reimbursement to quality improvement.
- Align Medicare and Medicaid efforts to promote payment policies that are based on risk adjustment for complex care and incorporate value-based payment principles, eliminate unintended consequences of federal policies such as routine approval of nursing home bed taxes, and adopt a common foundation of quality measures.
- Expand existing guidance on rebalancing long-term services and supports.
- Enhance conditions of participation for nursing homes and hospitals by including structural measures such as census and staff turnover.
- Build out existing mechanisms like Care Compare to enhance public transparency, availability, and usability of cost report and ownership information and to provide timely and complete information on NF citations.
Watch Public Hearing and Committee Meetings Live
CGA Training: How to View Meetings/Hearings Virtually
To watch any public hearing and committee meeting live, visit the main website www.cga.ct.gov and check out the schedule of events / calendar on the front page. Click on the one you'd like to watch as the event occurs.
The General Assembly has established a Youtube channel for each committee (also accessible at cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/broadcastmedia.asp under the "CGA Live Streaming Feeds" heading).
How to Testify Virtually Online
CGA Training: How to Testify Virtually Online
CGA Website: A Guide on How to Contact Legislators and Testify Remotely
What to Expect When Testifying Remotely
Joining the Meeting: When you request to testify on a particular bill, you will be sent a calendar invite with a zoom meeting for the date/time of the event. Then, on the day of the event you will log into and join the zoom meeting and be placed in a holding room, but should still be able to see the meeting taking place. While in this waiting room/holding room. You will be on mute and your camera will not show. As the meeting progresses they will ultimately start accepting testimony from those who are approved and call them name by name to speak. Eventually it will be your turn to testify and they will call your name. When they call your name you will see rotating circle that says "Re-entering the meeting". At that time you should unmute and turn your camera on. You will then be allowed to speak.
How to Start Your Testimony: At the beginning of your testimony you will address the committee. Your testimony should begin with:
"Good afternoon Senator (CHAIR last name) , Representative (CHAIR last name), and distinguished members of the (Name of the Committee) Committee. My name is (your name) and I am here today to testify regarding (BILL NUMBER X) or (BILL NUMBERS X, Y, Z)."
If only testifying on behalf of one bill, say the bill number and full title and then tell your story or why your are for or against the bill. If you are testifying for multiple Bills, you can go through them one at a time by stating the bill number and full title of the bill and then the reasons why you are testifying on behalf of each one individually.
How to End Your Testimony: End by thanking them for hearing you today and let them know you welcome any questions.
*NOTE: Keep in mind each speaker has a total of 3 min to testify, so it is helpful to time and practice your testimony ahead of time so you know you wont be rushed and can get to all of your points during your delivery.
Upcoming Public Hearings
Listed on CGA Calendar of Events Page
The Nursing Home and Assisted Living Oversight Working Group (NHALOWG)
The Nursing Home and Assisted Living Oversight Working Group (NHALOWG) was formed to make recommendations on proposed legislation for the 2021 session addressing lessons learned from COVID-19, based upon the Mathematica final report (A Study of the COVID-19 Outbreak and Response in Connecticut Long-Term Care Facilities) and other related information, concerning:
- Structural challenges in the operation and infrastructure of nursing homes and assisted living facilities; and
- Changes needed to meet the demands of any future pandemic
Connecticut CT-N Network
Election and Absentee Ballot Information
Further Information About the Legislative Process
Take Action - Speak Up! Contact Your Local Representative Today
My Representatives Contact Sheet
How to Write an Effective Letter - Template Format