The proposed legislation, General Assembly Raised Bill No. 5300, aims to enhance the personal needs allowance for residents of long-term care facilities by implementing cost-of-living adjustments. Specifically, the bill amends section 17b-106 of the general statutes to establish a state supplement payment for Medicaid recipients and those receiving federal Supplemental Security Income, increasing their personal needs allowance to seventy-five dollars per month. Furthermore, starting July 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, the bill mandates that this allowance be adjusted by an amount equal to twenty-five percent of the annual cost-of-living adjustment in the federal Supplemental Security Income Program, if applicable.

Additionally, the bill modifies section 17b-272 to allow patients in nursing homes, chronic disease hospitals, and state humane institutions who are medical assistance recipients to maintain a monthly personal fund allowance of seventy-five dollars, which will also be adjusted annually in accordance with the new provisions established in section 17b-106. The overall intent of the bill is to ensure that long-term care facility residents have a personal needs allowance that keeps pace with inflation and rising living costs.

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Raised Bill: