Update: April 15 7:45 p.m. – State Response to Coronavirus

Friends and Neighbors,

Governor Lamont this evening announced Executive Order 7AA.

This Order makes adjustments to certain statutes and regulations regarding long-term care facilities included previously in Executive Order 7Y, and permits the Department of Social Services to temporarily waive the statutory moratorium on new beds at certain nursing homes to accommodate COVID-19-related needs.

To watch the full video of the governor’s afternoon press conference, please click here:

The governor’s full press release can be read here: https://portal.ct.gov/Office-of-the-Governor/News/Press-Releases/2020/04-2020/Governor-Lamont-Coronavirus-Update-April-15

The Executive Order can be found here: https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/Office-of-the-Governor/Executive-Orders/Lamont-Executive-Orders/Executive-Order-No-7AA.pdf

Executive Order 7AA

Governor Lamont signs executive order waiving the moratorium on Medicaid beds at certain long-term care facilities

Governor Lamont today signed an executive order making further adjustments to certain statutes and regulations regarding long-term care facilities as part of the administration’s ongoing plan to keep protect and support the vulnerable population of residents who live in nursing homes during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Last weekend, Governor Lamont signed Executive Order No. 7Y, which implemented the state’s nursing home surge plan and includes the designation of certain long-term care facilities as COVID-19 recovery centers that will focus on supporting people discharged from hospitals.

To accommodate this emergency need, Governor Lamont today signed Executive Order No. 7AA, which permits the Department of Social Services to temporarily waive the statutory moratorium on new beds at certain nursing homes to accommodate COVID-19-related needs.

For more information related to the plan for long-term care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, read the list of frequently asked questions (FAQs).

This is the 28^th executive order Governor Lamont has signed since enacting the emergency declarations last month.

Connecticut Insurance commissioner approves no-cost life insurance coverage for front-line health care workers

Connecticut Insurance Commissioner Andrew N. Mais today announced that front-line health care workers in Connecticut and Massachusetts may soon be eligible to receive up to $25,000 of life insurance at no cost. The Connecticut Insurance Department has expedited approval of HealthBridge, a new Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) life insurance product that offers no-cost, guaranteed issue policies to front-line health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new HealthBridge coverage allows health care and other workers on the front lines of the pandemic to directly enroll for a no-premium payment three-year life insurance policy with a $25,000 death benefit for issue ages 18 to 50. Workers with issue ages 51 to 60 will receive a no-cost $10,000 death benefit.

Eligible individuals must be employed at a licensed hospital, urgent care center, or with an emergency medical services provider in Connecticut or Massachusetts and have exposure to COVID-19 patients. In addition to doctors and nurses, lab technicians, custodial staff, maintenance crews, cafeteria workers, and security personnel will also be considered for coverage. More details and enrollment information is available on MassMutual’s HealthBridge website.

For more information, read the press release issued today by the Connecticut Insurance Department.

Connecticut Insurance Department announces fully-insured health plan members can receive COVID-19 treatment with no out-of-pocket costs

All fully-insured plan health plan members, including those with high-deductible health plans, can now receive COVID-19 testing and treatment with no out-of-pocket costs.

Some employers, especially large ones, sponsor self-funded health plans. Insurance Commissioner Andrew N. Mais urges those employers to waive testing and treatment costs as well.

Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, together known as HUSKY Health in Connecticut, are also fully covering COVID-19 testing and treatment without any cost-sharing. Consumers should take note that there are some differences among commercial plans and policyholders should contact their insurer or employer to obtain additional information on important details.

For more information, read the press release issued today by the Connecticut Insurance Department.

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Governor Lamont Announces Implementation of System That Will Significantly Speed up Unemployment Claims During COVID-19 Emergency

Additional Weekly $600 Benefit in Federal Stimulus Funds Will Begin April 24; New Benefit Program for Self-Employed Individuals Will Begin by April 30

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that a new software improvement at the Connecticut Department of Labor was launched last night that will significantly increase the speed at which unemployment claim applications can be processed. Paired with the continued manual processing, the originally anticipated six-week wait period will be shortened to one week or less.

Like nearly every state in the country, Connecticut has received an unprecedented amount of unemployment claims as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic:

• Since March 13, the department received more than 350,000 applications, nearly the same amount that it typically receives over a two-year period
• Approximately 174,000 of those applications have already been manually processed prior to the deployment of last night’s software improvements
• During the last three weeks, more than $107 million in benefit payments have been provided, significantly more than the $15 to $16 million typically distributed

The department has been operating on a 40-year-old computer system to process the claims, which the Lamont administration had been in the process of upgrading prior to the pandemic.

Anyone who has applied for unemployment benefits is urged to monitor their email for a notification from the Department of Labor directing them to take action on next steps in order to receive their benefits (be sure to check any spam or junk folders as well). To receive the benefits in the fastest way possible, claimants are advised to utilize direct deposit to have their benefits sent directly to a checking or savings account of their choice. In contrast, due to the national pandemic, a shortage of debit cards could cause an additional three-week delay for the vendor to issue the card.

Additional federal stimulus benefits, including $600 in additional weekly payments, will begin April 24

Commissioner Westby today also announced that the processing for the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, which adds $600 in federal stimulus funds to every weekly state benefit payment, is scheduled to begin April 24. The additional funds will be included in Connecticut benefit payments the following week.

In addition, the Department of Labor expects to begin accepting claim applications for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance – the federal program that provides benefits for self-employed individuals and independent contractors – by April 30.

For more information regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on unemployment benefits in Connecticut, members of the public are urged to read the list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) provided by the Connecticut Department of Labor.

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NEW SPECIAL ENROLLMENT PERIOD FOR UNINSURED ENDS FRIDAY, APRIL 17

Important information about the documents needed to enroll

• The New Special Enrollment Period for uninsured Connecticut residents ends this week, on Friday, April 17, 2020.
• To help the enrollment process, Access Health CT is sharing information about the documents needed to successfully enroll during this time.
• CT residents who experience a Qualifying Life Event, like losing coverage due to job change/loss, can enroll in health insurance coverage with Access Health CT through a Special Enrollment Period at any time during the year—this is different than the New Special Enrollment Period for the uninsured, which ends Friday, April 17, 2020.

HARTFORD, Conn. (April 15, 2020)—The Access Health CT (AHCT) New Special Enrollment Period for Connecticut’s uninsured population ends this Friday, April 17, 2020. Uninsured individuals can sign up for health insurance coverage through Access Health CT during this time. The effective date for coverage for enrollments during the New Special Enrollment Period completed after Thursday, April 2 will be May 1, 2020. The only way to sign up for this New Special Enrollment Period is by calling 855-365-2428.

In the last month, 1,920 previously uninsured residents have enrolled in health insurance plans through the New Special Enrollment Period.

Information you need to enroll:

IMPORTANT: Individuals who experience a Qualifying Life Event, e.g. losing coverage due to job change, moving to Connecticut, getting married, having/adopting a child, etc. OR qualify for Medicaid/Children’s Health Program (CHIP), can always enroll online, in-person or over the phone and all help is free. More information here.

Access Health CT encourages everyone to maintain coverage during the public health emergency and beyond. Connecticut residents whose income has been impacted by COVID-19 should adjust their estimated 2020 income here, as they may be eligible for additional financial help to pay for monthly costs.

More information can be found at: https://www.accesshealthct.com/AHCT/LandingPageCTHIX

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Judicial Branch Updates

Remote Processing of Certain Civil and Family Matters

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the CT Judicial Branch has concentrated its efforts on mitigating the spread of the virus, focusing our work on handling only those Priority 1 matters that must be addressed. Beginning Monday, April 20 we will expand the scope of our work to include certain matters other than “Priority 1” matters.

Our goal is to incrementally increase the volume of court work that can be handled by Judges and court staff. Key to this initiative is the ability to process, review and/or resolve matters remotely. We will concentrate initially on civil and family cases.

More information on these efforts can be found here. A complete list of the matters which will be handled remotely beginning on Monday, April 20 can be found here.

We plan to continue to add to the list of matters that we will process. For the most up-to-date information, please visit the Judicial Branch’s website.

Supreme and Appellate Courts to Hear Cases Remotely

In an effort to continue hearing cases amid the pandemic, Connecticut’s Supreme and Appellate courts will hear arguments remotely in April and May, respectively. The case assignments will be available on the Judicial Branch’s website no later than Tuesday, April 21 for the Supreme Court and Tuesday, May 5 for the Appellate Court.

Audio recordings of these oral arguments will be available to the public on the Judicial Branch’s website following the argument.

More information can be found here.

Jury Service

Finally, notwithstanding the fact that our jury system still sends out jury summonses, we would like to reiterate that all jury service is suspended until further notice. If an individual has been summoned for jury duty, please be advised that her or his service has been cancelled and that the individual should not report.

We will continue to keep you updated as to the Judicial Branch’s efforts as this pandemic continues. Stay safe

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Track Your Federal Stimulus Check

By now you’ve heard that the Federal government is sending stimulus checks to help offset the loss of income from mandatory business closures and other issues related to the Coronvirus pandemic.

Those checks started going out this week via direct deposit (if applicable) and regular mail.

If you would like to check on the status of your Coronavirus stimulus dollars, the IRS website: https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment will give you information about:

• Your payment status
• Your payment type
• Whether we need more information from you, including bank account information

*You may need information from your 2018 or 2019 tax filing.

Please note: the site is experiencing exceptionally high volume and you may be prompted to wait.

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As of 4:00 p.m. tonight – Wednesday, April 15th – the state has diagnosed a total of 14755 cases of Coronavirus. Updated virus totals and Town-by-Town statistics can be accessed here: https://portal.ct.gov/Coronavirus

The total statewide number of COVID-19 associated fatalities is 868.

Latest COVID-19 Testing Data in Connecticut

Updated 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Total patients who tested positive: 14755

Fairfield County: 6480

Hartford County: 2570

Litchfield County: 490

Middlesex County: 379

New Haven County: 3758

New London County: 236

Tolland County: 216

Windham County: 89

Pending address validation: 537