Resident Daniel Parks cites tenant and Medicaid protections and appeal rights to Department of Public Health

Daniel C. Parks, the resident at the center of the hearing, read aloud a provision he cited as Conn. Gen. Stat. 47a-23c and said the law protects seniors and individuals with disabilities who live in managed residential communities. Parks said residents funded by Title 19 (Medicaid) have specific protections and urged caution: "Do not sign anything right away," and he told the record that residents have the right to appeal an involuntary discharge to the Department of Public Health within "a short window of 10 to 30 days."

Parks described feeling pressured at Elam Park and recounted a prior discharge experience that he called a "heartbreak." He said staff had removed personal items and limited access to parts of the building, and he asked for help contacting the ombudsman and Connecticut Legal Services for seniors on Title 19.

Elam Park counsel responded that the statutes Parks cited apply to managed residential care and assisted-living services, while the facility where Parks lives is a residential care home governed by a different statutory framework. "The laws that you were citing from are applicable to managed residential care and assisted living services agencies," Jody Erdfarb told the hearing officer, and she emphasized the current proceeding focuses on compliance with Conn. Gen. Stat. 19a-535a.

The hearing officer cautioned Mr. Parks not to cross-examine counsel and accepted materials he and others had submitted into the record.