Adult day providers ask for 10% boost and COLA; committee hears transportation costs threaten access
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Summary
Adult day centers told the Aging Committee that transportation—often up to 20–30% of per‑day costs—has become unsustainable under the current $102 daily reimbursement. Providers urged a 10% increase plus annual cost‑of‑living adjustments in HB 5305 to preserve routes and prevent provider closures.
Adult day service advocates and operators told the Aging Committee that transportation is a foundational service for adult day centers and that rising vehicle, insurance, fuel and driver costs are eroding program viability.
Chrissy Scatini (Connecticut Association of Adult Day Services) and Andre Brell (Juniper Home Care) described the current Medicaid‑reimbursed daily rate (about $102.91) and said transportation can consume up to 20–30% of that payment. They said accessible wheelchair vans and trained drivers are expensive to procure and operate and that a 10% bump in daily reimbursement plus an automatic cost‑of‑living adjustment would stabilize routes and preserve access for people who cannot drive.
Yvei Bing (Yale School of Public Health) summarized research that transportation is a common structural barrier to adult day enrollment and continuity, particularly in rural areas. Providers urged the committee to adopt HB 5305 to avoid service reductions that would push clients into costlier institutional care.
Committee members pressed for precise fiscal numbers and asked DSS to model costs; no final decision was made at the hearing.