Update: April 23 10:45 p.m. – State Response to Coronavirus

Friends and Neighbors,

Governor Lamont this evening announced Executive Order 7EE.

The Order requires all managed residential communities and nursing homes provide daily status reports requested by the Connecticut Hospital and Long Term Care Mutual Aid Plan. The Order also allows the DSS Commissioner to waive certain Medicaid authorization requirements, Medicaid bed reserve day requirements for residents on leave from intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities, and requirements for certain signed medical deliveries.

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

Executive Order No. 7EE enacts the following provisions:

• Mandatory reporting by managed residential communities: Requires all managed residential communities, including assisted living facilities, to provide daily status reports to the state using the existing Connecticut Hospital and Long-Term Care Mutual Aid Plan.
• Mandatory reporting by nursing homes: Requires all nursing homes to provide daily status reports using the Connecticut Hospital and Long-Term Care Mutual Aid Plan.
• Civil Penalties for failure to comply with mandatory reporting: Subjects nursing homes that fail to comply with the mandatory reporting requirements of this order to civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation.
• Waiving certain Medicaid prior authorization requirements: Modifies state statutes and regulations to authorize the commissioner of the Department of Social Services to temporarily waive, suspend, or modify any prior authorization and other utilization review requirements.
• Waiving Medicaid bed reservation requirements for residents who are on leave from intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities: Authorizes the commissioner of the Department of Social Services to temporarily waive, suspend, or modify requirements to reserve beds for certain time periods for residents who are on home leave or who are hospitalized.
• Waiving requirements for signed delivery receipt for medical equipment, devices, and supplies: Authorizes the commissioner of the Department of Social Services to temporarily waive, suspend, or modify requirements for providers of medical equipment, devices, and supplies to obtain a signed delivery receipt from the Medicaid member as a condition of payment.

The governor’s full press release can be read here: https://portal.ct.gov/Office-of-the-Governor/News/Press-Releases

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

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State launches program to coordinate housing solutions for individuals re-entering society

The Connecticut Office of Policy Management (OPM) – in partnership with the Department of Housing, the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness (CCEH), United Way 2-1-1, the Department of Correction (DOC), and housing and homeless service providers across the state – is launching a new program to coordinate housing solutions for individuals re-entering the community from incarceration.

OPM has awarded an initial grant of $148,500 to provide flexible funds to assist re-entry clients, who would otherwise be discharging to homelessness, identify and secure alternative housing solutions. CCEH will be administering these funds, which are flexible and can be used for housing related costs such as moving expenses, security deposits, and rental assistance in order to prevent homelessness.

Key homeless service providers across the state have expanded their capacity to assist these clients prior to discharge, working with DOC, CCEH, United Way 2-1-1, and Court Support Services Division within the Connecticut Judicial Branch to coordinate solutions and reduce inflows into homelessness. The Transitions Clinic at Yale also offers important medical and mental health support coordination for individuals re-entering the community. Under this grant, funding for cell phones for reentering citizens is included to help individuals connect with telehealth providers such as Transitions to coordinate their healthcare needs remotely wherever possible and help prevent unnecessary use of hospital emergency rooms for non-emergency healthcare needs.

Regional lead agencies include Supportive Housing Works, Community Health Resources, New London Homeless Hospitality Center, Thames Valley Council for Community Action, Mental Health Connecticut, United Way of Greater New Haven, and New Opportunities.

This program is part of a larger, statewide multi-agency effort to improve outcomes for re-entry clients and decrease the intersection between the criminal justice system and homelessness. CCEH, OPM, and DOC conducted a data matching project that was released in 2019 and found that 20 percent of individuals in shelters had been incarcerated within the last three years.

More information can be found here: https://portal.ct.gov/Office-of-the-Governor/News/Press-Releases

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Updated DOL Information

The Connecticut Department of Labor (DOL) publishes and provides updates on their website in response to the coronavirus pandemic. They are currently working to process an unprecedented number of claims. Unfortunately, the large number of new claims is taxing the system and delays are being reported.

The Department of Labor (DOL) frequently updates their website FAQs/Q&As frequently.

More information can be found here: http://www.ctdol.state.ct.us/DOLCOVIDFAQ.PDF

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Governor Lamont Announces Members of the Reopen Connecticut Advisory Group

Panel of Local Health, Business, Workforce, and Education Experts Will Provide Recommendations to the Lamont Administration and Legislative Leaders on COVID-19 Strategy

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced the members who will serve on the Reopen Connecticut Advisory Group – the panel of local health, business, workforce, and education experts organized by AdvanceCT that will consult with his administration and legislative leadership on the reopening of Connecticut’s economy and education system as the nation emerges from the unprecedented public health emergency caused by COVID-19.

Each member was chosen because of either their expertise in the field of medicine and science; their experience as a member of Connecticut’s business community; their representation of the workforce; their proficiency regarding the needs of the state’s at-risk populations; or their leadership role within the education system.

Members of the advisory group, along with Governor Lamont’s Chief of Staff Paul Mounds, Jr., will be meeting weekly with the leadership of the Connecticut General Assembly for advice and counsel, including Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney, Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano, Speaker of the House Joe Aresimowicz, House Majority Leader Matt Ritter, House Minority Leader Themis Klarides.

For more information and the full list of Panel members, please go to: https://portal.ct.gov/Office-of-the-Governor/News/Press-Releases/2020/04-2020/Governor-Lamont-Announces-Members-of-the-Reopen-Connecticut-Advisory-Group

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As of 4:00 p.m. tonight – Thursday, April 23^rd – the state has diagnosed a total of 23100 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 1639.

Latest COVID-19 Testing Data in Connecticut

Updated 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 23, 2020

Total patients who tested positive: 23100

Fairfield County: 10008

Hartford County: 4303

Litchfield County: 751

Middlesex County: 545

New Haven County: 6064

New London County: 419

Tolland County: 359

Windham County: 129

Pending address validation: 522