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Advocates warn ending Community First Choice would push people into nursing homes
Summary
Disability advocates, providers and thousands of program participants urged the Human Services Committee to preserve Community First Choice (CFC), saying a proposed move to capped waivers risks wait lists and costly institutionalization for thousands of Connecticut residents.
Representative and committee leaders heard more than two hours of public testimony opposing the governor's proposal to move Community First Choice (CFC) from a state plan entitlement to a waiver-based authority.
Advocates and people who rely on CFC said the change would create wait lists and force people into nursing homes. "My life is in your hands," testified Joy Miner, a CFC participant who said she requires 24/7 care and warned that a nursing-home placement would be life‑threatening. Multiple speakers said CFC currently serves about 7,250 people and saves the state money by avoiding nursing-home placements.
Andrea Barton Reeves, commissioner of the Department of Social Services, told the committee the administration's proposal is a transition plan intended to preserve services while better managing program growth. "We're trying to do that in a way that is thoughtful, that is planful, that takes in all of the input and feedback from those that are currently enrolled in the program," Reeves said, adding the waiver approach would allow more case management and options for agency‑based care.
Committee members pressed DSS on implementation details. Senator Lesser and others asked specifically whether agency options could be implemented under the existing CFC authority; DSS officials said agency‑based services and more case management could be provided but cited technical limits in the Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) and provider capacity as barriers that a waiver might more easily address.
Speakers who rely on CFC said the distinction matters: unlike capped waivers, CFC is an entitlement with no waiting lists. "This program has enabled me to live in the community," said Mary Anne Langton, who described 76 hours per week of personal‑care assistance. Critics warned that moving to a waiver model — even if current enrollees are transitioned — would close new intake and create a waiting list that many people could not survive.
The committee did not vote on any measure. Members said they would continue asking DSS and OPM for detailed transition plans, MMIS upgrade timelines, and fiscal analyses comparing costs if people lose community‑based services and enter nursing homes.
