Sec. 17b-342a. Pilot program to provide personal care assistance under the home-care program for the elderly.

      Sec. 17b-342a. Pilot program to provide personal care assistance under the home-care program for the elderly. (a) The Commissioner of Social Services shall, within available appropriations, establish and operate a state-funded pilot program to allow persons who are sixty-five years of age or older and meet the eligibility requirements of the Connecticut home-care program for the elderly established under section 17b-342 to receive personal care assistance provided such services are cost effective as determined by the Commissioner of Social Services. Persons who receive personal care assistance services pursuant to the pilot program established by section 47 of public act 00-2 of the June special session* shall be included as participants of the pilot program established pursuant to this section. Personal care assistance under the program may be provided by nonspousal family members of the recipient of services under the program.

      (b) In conducting the pilot program, the commissioner or the commissioner's agent (1) may require as a condition of participation that participants in the pilot program disclose if a personal care assistant is a nonspousal family member, (2) shall monitor the provision of services under the pilot program, and (3) shall ensure the cost-effectiveness of the pilot program.

      (c) The commissioner shall establish the maximum allowable rate to be paid for such services under the pilot program and may set a separate lower rate for nonspousal family members providing services as personal care assistants in the pilot program if deemed necessary by the commissioner to ensure cost effectiveness of the pilot program and to conduct the pilot program within available appropriations.

      (d) Not later than January 1, 2007, the Commissioner of Social Services shall submit a report on the pilot program to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations and human services and to the select committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to aging. The report shall include information on the quality of services provided under the pilot program and shall be submitted in accordance with section 11-4a.

      (P.A. 04-258, S. 40; P.A. 05-209, S. 3; P.A. 06-188, S. 9; P.A. 07-130, S. 9.)

      *Note: Section 47 of public act 00-2 of the June special session was special in nature and therefore was not codified and has been repealed by section 5 of public act 05-209.

      History: P.A. 04-258 effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 05-209 amended Subsec. (a) by removing June 30, 2006, termination date for operation of pilot program, substituting "one hundred fifty" for "one hundred" re total number of participants in pilot program, deleting requirement that services be an alternative covered service to home health services in order to avoid institutionalization, replacing requirement that cost of pilot program services not exceed the average annual cost to the state per recipient of home health service under the home-care program with requirement that services be determined cost effective by commissioner and providing that persons receiving assistance under pilot program established by Sec. 47 of June Sp. Sess. Public Act 00-2 are included in pilot program established under section and amended Subsec. (d) to extend report date on pilot program from January 1, 2006, to January 1, 2007, effective July 6, 2005; P.A. 06-188 amended Subsec. (a) by increasing the number of participants in the pilot program from 150 to 250, effective July 1, 2006; P.A. 07-130 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting provision limiting number of participants in pilot program to 250, effective July 1, 2007.