Requesting A Hearing

The following people may request a hearing:

• The applicant for, or recipient of, DSS benefits;
• A nursing facility resident who receives notice of a proposed transfer or discharge from a nursing facility or who has been refused readmission to the facility after a hospitalization;
• An authorized representative, legal representative, family member who is part of the assistance unit or attorney acting on behalf of the individual;
• Anyone from whom DSS is attempting to recover income or assets;
• In the Medicaid program, a community spouse and a community spouse's authorized representative, or legal representative when the issue is about the assessment of spousal assets, the determination of the Community Spouse Disregard,the determination of deemed assets,the determination of the Community Spouse Allowance, the determination of the Community Family Allowance ( the amount the community spouse may receive when the spouse is institutionalized);
• In the Medicaid program, on behalf of a deceased person, the spouse, child or parent, legal representative or other person who is liable for the deceased person’s medical debts that could be covered by Medicaid;
• A child support obligor

How to Request a Hearing
The best way to request a hearing about DSS benefits is to use the Hearing Request Form that is attached to the Department’s Notice of Action. If that’s not possible, a letter to the Hearing Office that is signed by the applicant or recipient and explains why a hearing is requested is also acceptable. The letter should have the individual’s name, address, identification number and which program(s) decision(s) are being appealed.  For the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Access Health CT-Health Exchange hearings, it is also possible to ask for a hearing by telephone. Telephone numbers and addresses are listed in the Contact section of this website.

Generally, for all programs, except SNAP, the hearing request must be made within 60 days from the date of the DSS Notice of Action. For SNAP, the request must be made within 90 days from the date of the notice.

Continuation of Benefits
For benefits to continue pending the outcome of the hearing, in all programs except Medicaid (HUSKY), and with certain exceptions in the Temporary Family Assistance (TFA) program that are explained in the DSS notice, the hearing request must be made within 10 days of the notice of action. For Medicaid, benefits may continue if the hearing request is made any time before the date of the proposed action.

For hearings relating to involuntary transfer or discharges from nursing facilities or a nursing facility’s failure to readmit a resident, there will be instructions on the notice from the facility about how to request a hearing. For a failure to readmit, the resident has 20 days from the date of receipt of the notice from the facility to request a hearing. For involuntary transfers or discharges, the resident has 60 days from the date the facility issues the notice to ask for a hearing.  In order to stay the facility’s proposed transfer or discharge, however, the resident must request the hearing within 20 days of receipt of the notice. 

See Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 17b-60; 19a-535(c); 19a-537(h); 7 C.F.R. § 273.15(g)