Bolinsky Hails Aging Committee Work for Seniors
Key Takeaways
- Expand dental access for homebound seniors, veterans, and disabled patients through HB 5140
- Protect residential care home technology with penalties and family virtual monitoring under HB 5142
- Require annual training for homemaker companion agency workers, including Alzheimer’s and abuse detection via HB 5143
- Create a caregiver tax credit to help low-income families pay for home care starting in 2027
As the Ranking Member of the Aging committee, I enjoy working with the most non-partisan committee in the General Assembly. I am privileged to have wonderful working relationship with both my Democrat House and Senate chairs, Jane Garibay and Jan Hochadel.
This session the House has passed three bills from the Aging Committee regarding 10 dental hygienists serving underserved homebound patients, 2) technology in residential care homes, and 3) trainings for homemaker companion agency employees.
You can read about those four bills below:
HB 5140 will allow dental hygienists to serve underserved homebound patients in private residences, such as seniors, veterans, and the disabled, who would likely go without dental care. Dental hygienists currently are allowed by law to work in facilities such as senior centers and preschools without the oversight of a dentist, and this legislation expands upon that. The dental hygienist will have worked under the supervision of a dentist for more than two years.
HB 5142 extends protections for the use of technology to residents of residential care homes and sets a penalty for violation of the protections. It ensures residents in residential care homes can set up virtual monitoring systems so families have peace of mind, and they can keep an eye on their loved ones. In the case of roommates, permission must sign off on paperwork, which can change at any time.
HB 5143 requires homemaker companion agency employees to complete eight hours of basic training each year, including training on topics such as: helping individuals with Alzheimer’s, identifying abuse, identifying when care is above capacity of a homemaker companion, and hygiene assistance.
In the 2026 Connecticut budget I supported a provision that includes a new caregiver tax credit, allowing low-income residents to claim up to $2,000 for expenses related to caring for a family member at home. Taking effect in 2027 with credits received in 2028, it provides a 50% reimbursement on qualified costs like home modifications or health aides for caregivers with annual incomes under $50,000 (or $100,000 for couples).