BLOOMFIELD, CT – Gov. Ned Lamont signed a pair of bipartisan elder-care bills into law Tuesday, saying that Connecticut should be a home for everyone to live in dignity.
Public Acts 24-39 and 24-141 – formerly House Bills 5001 and 5046 – were two of the Aging Committee’s priority bills for the short session, and will address some of the issues raised by advocates for the elderly population in the state, from the quality and availability of at-home care to the state of assisted living facilities.
Speaking from the Seabury Retirement Community in Bloomfield, Lamont said that he wants Connecticut to be a place where residents “can grow old with grace and dignity.”
Lamont said one of the important byproducts of the new act 24-39 is “transparency,” and giving more looks into the facilities in the state that he said need to be held accountable.
“We’re all here today, from both sides of the aisle, just to remind you that we’re glad you call Connecticut home,” the governor said.
The governor was joined by several members of the General Assembly from both sides of the aisle. Speaker of the House Matt Ritter said that change is more impactful and long lasting when both parties work toward it together, rather than one being dragged forward by the other.
“If we wanted to pass it with 90 votes in the House and 20 votes in the Senate we could do that. It would be a lot quicker, it would be a lot easier, but it wouldn’t be as meaningful,” Ritter said. “It’s about Democrats and Republicans, and Independents, working together.”
Rep. Michelle Cook, who serves on the Aging Committee, said that presumptive eligibility and other provisions in the new laws will go a long way to providing dignity to the growing elderly population.
“We should have the right to age in the place that we choose to,” Cook said.
Department of Social Services Commissioner Andrea Barton Reeves said that the new laws show an understanding that Medicaid recipients in nursing homes deserve care that brings dignity to the state’s elderly population.
Specifically, she said that one of the most beneficial parts of PA 24-39 – which will go into effect Oct. 1, 2024 – is the addition of “presumptive eligibility” for Medicaid recipients that are awaiting care.
Under the adjustment to current statute, it will be easier for elderly individuals to receive care in their homes that is covered by Medicaid.
Connecticut AARP Director Nora Duncan said that the transformative change for Connecticut’s seniors has been a long time coming.
“A lot of people don’t have the means to make those decisions for themselves,” Duncan said.
Giving aging people the choice to receive care where they want, instead of being ushered into a nursing home after receiving medical care, she said, is a change that is “going to impact people directly.”
The other bill, PA 24-141, will create more space for individuals that are living in nursing homes. Many stories have come out in recent years about a lack of private space for nursing home residents, with some even being put in bedrooms with three other residents.
Duncan and Cook said that the state needed to put more money toward providing adequate, dignified living spaces for its elderly population.
Multiple members of the House and Senate Republican Caucuses shared those thanks and support for the two new statutes.
Other Bills Signed This Week
More public acts signed into law by the governor this week include:
- PA 24-91, formerly House Bill 5002, which establishes an Early Childhood Care and Education Fund and an overseeing commission;
- PA 24-89, formerly House Bill 5157, which changes some of the provisions of the Housing Sustainability Fund, and;
- PA 24-110, formerly House Bill 5198, which changes several of the provisions in the Telehealth statute to require healthcare providers that use the program to be registered with the Department of Public Health.
