Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, when a person who is ineligible for financial assistance due to his or her employability status is currently in or enters a residential substance abuse treatment facility, the Department of Social Services or the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services shall pay his or her room and board while at such facility, provided the person is eligible to receive medical assistance. Such assistance shall be paid directly to the treatment facility at a rate established by the Department of Social Services or negotiated by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

(1963, P.A. 543; P.A. 80-395, S. 2, 7; P.A. 82-214, S. 1, 6; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-16, S. 6, 89; P.A. 93-262, S. 1, 87; 93-418, S. 9, 41; P.A. 95-194, S. 9, 33; P.A. 96-268, S. 22, 34; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2, S. 55, 165; P.A. 02-89, S. 29; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-3, S. 97; P.A. 04-76, S. 13; P.A. 14-161, S. 4.)

History: P.A. 80-395 denied assistance or care to persons who have refused to participate in work, training or education program; P.A. 82-214 added the provision denying assistance to an employable person who wilfully fails to report for work in a program pursuant to Sec. 17-281a; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-16 added provisions re 9-month durational limit on assistance, possible 3-month extension of assistance, date a person determined unemployable who is subsequently determined employable is eligible for assistance provided to an employable person and the adoption of regulations; P.A. 93-262 authorized substitution of commissioner and department of social services for commissioner and department of income maintenance, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 93-418 made a technical change, effective July 1, 1993; Sec. 17-273b transferred to Sec. 17b-118 in 1995; P.A. 95-194 amended Subsec. (a) by establishing a 24-month period of eligibility for financial assistance and an opportunity to petition the commissioner every 12 months after such period for a 6-month extension for good cause, added Subsec. (b) providing for a person previously determined to be employable the opportunity to petition the commissioner for a review of employability prior to or upon discontinuance of assistance and made technical changes, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 96-268 excluded job-ready employable persons from general assistance financial benefits and referred such persons to the grant program administered by the Labor Department pursuant to Sec. 17b-689a and added Subsec. (c) re reimbursement for room and board at a substance abuse treatment facility, effective July 1, 1996; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2 amended Subsec. (a) by eliminating assistance or care to employable persons by the state or a town, limiting financial assistance under the general assistance program and the state-administered general assistance program to persons determined to be transitional individuals, as defined in Sec. 17b-689, eliminating obsolete provision concerning the request for extensions of support by employable persons, including transitional individuals who are not classified as such solely due to mental illness or substance abuse in the classification of those not subject to durational limits on assistance, amended Subsec. (b) by establishing a procedure for a transitional individual to petition the commissioner to review the determination of his status, added Subsec. (d) requiring this section to take effect no later than August 31, 1997, and made technical and conforming changes, effective July 1, 1997 (Revisor's note: The references in Subsec. (a) to “17b-115 to 17b-133, inclusive,” were changed editorially by the Revisors to “17b-116 to 17b-133, inclusive,” to reflect the repeal of certain sections by section 164 of June Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2); P.A. 02-89 amended Subsec. (a) to replace reference to Sec. 17b-133 with reference to Sec. 17b-132, reflecting the repeal of Sec. 17b-133 by the same public act; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-3, in repealing Secs. 17b-19, 17b-62 to 17b-65, inclusive, 17b-116, 17b-116a, 17b-116b, 17b-117, 17b-120, 17b-121, 17b-123, 17b-134, 17b-135, 17b-220, 17b-259 and 17b-287, authorized deletion of internal references to said sections in this section, effective March 1, 2004; P.A. 04-76 deleted former Subsecs. (a) and (b) re financial assistance to persons determined to be transitional individuals, deleted Subsec. (c) designator and provision in existing Subsec. (c) which referred to time limits in Subsec. (a) and deleted former Subsec. (d) re effective date of the section; Sec. 17b-118 transferred to Sec. 17b-195 in 2005; P.A. 14-161 deleted provisions re town payment and the general assistance program, added provision re Department of Social Services or Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services to be responsible for substance abuse treatment payments and made technical changes, effective July 1, 2014.

See Sec. 17b-190 re cash assistance for transitional individuals.

See Sec. 17b-688b et seq. re supported work, education and training programs.

Annotations to former section 17b-118:

Cited. 232 C. 599. Does not violate Art. I, Sec. 10 of Connecticut Constitution. 233 C. 557. Cited. Id., 701.