In the waning days of the legislative session, budget proposals are still in play from both the Governor and the Appropriations Committee, seeking to raise the out-of-pocket costs for frail elderly participants in Connecticut’s State-Funded Home Care Program (Category 2 of the CT Home Care Program for Elders).

Participants in this program need nursing home level of care but are able to remain in their homes with the assistance they receive from the program.

The State Funded Home Care Program served approximately 4,100 individuals in 2024. The state estimates that this proposal will cut an estimated $400,000 in FY ’26 and $500,000 in FY ’27, from the state budget.

To qualify for the State Funded Home Care program, individuals must be 65 or older, at risk of nursing home placement, and meet the financial eligibility criteria set by the state. Individuals accepted into the program can receive help at home for critical activities of daily living, including bathing, dressing, eating, taking medications and bathing. The cost for providing these services must be less than 50% of the cost of nursing home care. Currently, persons served by the program pay a flat 3% of their monthly costs of care. The budget proposals increase the cost from 3% to 5%, with a cap of $175 per month. The average out-of-pocket cost sharing will increase from $46 to $114 a month.

This increase may seem small to many of us, but through our work with low-income seniors, CT’s Legal Services Programs (CT Legal Services, Greater Hartford Legal Aid and New Haven Legal Assistance) are acutely aware that many low-income elders are working with very narrow margins in their budgets. With recent and ongoing increases in the price of food, energy and health care, any additional cost may be overwhelming. Frail elders may fail to apply or drop out of the program or opt not to receive preventative medical care in order to keep their out-of-pocket costs down.

This would be a shame. Connecticut has worked hard to support elders living in their homes in the community. The State-Funded Home Care Program is an important part of this effort.

Individuals without this service will have an increased risk of falling, being injured or becoming ill. These events can and do lead to emergency room visits, hospitalizations and nursing home stays – some of them permanent.

The consequences of not having adequate levels of home care are costly in both human and economic terms. Aging in place is what people want. It is also extremely cost effective for Connecticut’s taxpayers. Keeping the current 3% cost sharing rate will allow elders to continue to maintain their homes, pay their bills and stay out of hospitals and nursing homes.

Sara Parker McKernan is a Policy Advocate for New Haven Legal Assistance.