Category: State News

Sen. Tony Hwang, ranking Senator on the CT General Assembly’s Transportation Committee, today applauded the State Senate’s passage of HB 6746, which he co-introduced. The bill now heads to the governor for his signature.

The state of Connecticut has already begun installing wrong-way driving technology on several on-ramps of I-84, Route 2, I-95, I-395, Route 291, and I-391. There are also plans to install the technology on I-91 in Windsor at the northbound HOV exit and Exit 42 northbound and southbound. 

The legislation will eventually install wrong-way detection systems at over 120 highway exit ramps that are deemed “high risk” by state transportation officials who have studied nearly 700 ramps statewide.

“These improvements of warning signage and electronic sensors on our roadways will hopefully prevent future senseless and preventable tragedies,” Sen. Hwang said.  “Wrong-way collisions killed 23 people in 2022 in Connecticut in 13 different accidents. The state recorded only two wrong-way crashes in 2020 and four in 2021. This law will help to hopefully stop wrong-way drivers and save lives.”

The improvements call for a combination of warning lights, signs, electronic messages, and rumble strips to deter drivers from mistakenly getting on an exit.

“Wrong way driving deaths in Connecticut are up 500%”,  according to Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto. “More than 80% of wrong-way drivers are found to be impaired. It is so important people think twice before they get behind the wheel. Driving drunk is a dangerous decision that can hurt and kill people. We need people to drive sober because one wrong move can be deadly.”

“We extend our condolences to so many Connecticut families that have suffered an irreplaceable loss due to wrong-way driving,” Sen. Hwang said.  “And that loss is deepened at every gathering and holiday events because these are preventable tragedies.  As policymakers, we can help make our roads safer for everyone, and this bill is one way to do that.”

Sen. Hwang said he would continue to focus on all types of road safety improvement measures, such as driving impairment, distracted driving and cannabis.

“We want all drivers to rethink getting behind the wheel with any level of impairment,” Sen. Hwang said. “That requires making a conscious cultural and societal shift. It requires education and public awareness through open, honest and sensible discussions.  We need to reinforce that impaired driving is never acceptable.  We do not want to mourn another tragic loss of life.”

Anyone that witnesses a wrong-way driver should call 911 immediately with the location.

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that his administration is designating $30 million of federal COVID-19 relief funding that Connecticut received to make rental assistance stipends available for qualifying participants of CareerConneCT, the state’s signature workforce training program, as well as individuals participating in other federal-funded training programs.

Administered by the Connecticut Office of Workforce Strategy, CareerConneCT connects jobseekers with free, short-term job training programs that provide them with the skills needed to obtain employment in several high-demand sectors, such as manufacturing, information technology, health care, infrastructure and clean energy, commercial driving, and more. The program collaborates directly with Connecticut employers who are seeking to hire, giving participants an opportunity to directly connect with available job openings.

Participants in CareerConneCT also receive free supportive services while in training, including transportation, childcare, and housing. The rental assistance stipends will augment these supports, providing qualifying participants with between three to nine months of assistance, with a maximum of $15,000 per household. To qualify, participants must have a household income of 80% of the area median income (AMI). These one-time funds are limited, and anyone interested in participating is encouraged to enroll in CareerConneCT and apply for the stipends as soon as possible.

To enroll in CareerConneCT, jobseekers should register online at portal.ct.gov/careerconnect. Applicants will be matched with a case manager, who can apply for the rental assistance stipends on the participant’s behalf, in addition to connecting them to the appropriate training and additional supports. The stipends will be disbursed to eligible participants three months at a time base on prospective rent (not back rent) and are intended for those who are participating in the job training programs. Participants must have a landlord/rental lease and cannot be subleasing.

Governor Lamont said, “There are employers throughout Connecticut right now who want to hire and are in need of workers trained with specific skills. We created CareerConneCT with the goal of helping jobseekers obtain the skills necessary to fill available job openings, which can lead to a long-lasting, good-paying career. Housing and workforce are a natural pairing, and making rental assistance stipends available as part of this job training program will remove some of the barriers that prevent people from fully participating in the workforce.”

Connecticut Chief Workforce Officer Dr. Kelli Vallieres said, “Many CareerConneCT participants face multiple obstacles to participating in training programs. The rental assistance stipends will enable us to support more CareerConneCT participants with housing supports that many of our participants need to successfully complete training programs that put them on a path to meet their career aspirations. The stipends also free up existing CareerConneCT funding so that we can provide individuals with additional supports that will help them successfully complete training and attain meaningful employment and serve additional participants.”

Connecticut Housing Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno said, “The Department of Housing is committed to making sure people have stable housing while they are in workforce training because it is critical to expanding the workforce in Connecticut. Through this partnership with CareerConneCT, the Department of Housing is able to directly assist participants whose housing is insecure, so they can focus on their training without worrying about how they’ll pay their rent.”

These free, in-person events will take place in Meriden, Norwich and Waterbury

HARTFORD, Conn. (May 24, 2023) — Access Health CT (AHCT) today announced it will host three free, in-person enrollment fairs in June to help HUSKY Health enrollees who have been affected by recent legislation. HUSKY Health is Connecticut’s Medicaid program. The events will take place in Meriden, Norwich and Waterbury.

Medicaid Unwinding is a term the federal government is using to describe the process of resuming the regular annual review of households for Medicaid eligibility after a three-year hiatus during COVID. The eligibility redetermination process resumed April 1. The Medicaid Unwinding process will be taking place over a 12-month period.

Connecticut residents who remain eligible for HUSKY Health will likely be automatically reenrolled; those who need to take action will receive mail with instructions about when they need to take action.

Connecticut residents who are no longer eligible for HUSKY Health may become eligible for other no-or low-cost health coverage available through AHCT. Other options include the Covered Connecticut Program, which provides no-cost coverage for eligible residents, or a Qualified Health Plan (QHP) through AHCT, which is often available at a lower cost to residents if they qualify for subsidies. Those that need to choose a new health coverage option may enroll before the end of their Medicaid coverage to avoid a gap in coverage, and also will have 120 days to enroll after the loss of Medicaid coverage.

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Senator Tony Hwang today applauded the Senate’s passage of S.B. 7, An Act Strengthening Protections for Connecticut’s Consumers of Energy: bipartisan legislation which aims to strengthen oversight of the state’s utilities on behalf of consumers

“This is a first step to improving reliability and reducing the costs of electricity in our state,” said Sen. Hwang, who is the former Ranking Senator on the Energy and Technology Committee.

Many of the concepts in the legislation originated from S.B. 123, which was co-sponsored by Sen. Hwang in January.

They include reforms that will lower energy costs and improve reliability by incorporating more zero-carbon nuclear energy into our Renewable Energy Portfolio; improving cost transparency on consumers energy bill to include costs of supply, transmission, distribution, and state policies; strengthening the ability to protect ratepayers by putting guardrails around the settlement process for rate making; reducing the ability of utilities to recover the costs of travel and leisure for their directors and executives; and paying utilities more for positive performance rather than simply more sales.

“Electric rates in Connecticut are too high,” Sen. Hwang said. “We need to do all we can to drive down these unacceptably high costs. We need to put consumers first, and this bill moves us in the right direction.”

The legislation awaits a vote in the House of Representatives.

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State Completes Final Phase of Child Care Wage Support Payments

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood has completed the distribution of $70 million in state funding that was allocated by the governor and the state legislature in the most recently enacted state budget for bonus payments to the staff of child care and early childhood education providers statewide in Connecticut.

The initiative, known as Wage Supports for Early Childhood Educators, is intended to help stabilize the child care industry and support its workforce, which has historically been underpaid across the nation. Governor Lamont has been eager to uplift this essential workforce with the goal of retaining staff in childcare centers and homes. Approximately 21,000 early childhood educators and staff statewide are receiving the bonus payments.

“Early childhood educators and staff are an essential part of our communities and help make Connecticut the most family-friendly state in the country,” Governor Lamont said. “These workers not only provide safe and nurturing care to our youngest infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, they are a major part of developing their abilities to expand their education skills as they get older, and they enable parents and guardians to obtain their own employment to support their families. Child care is critical to our workforce and economy. We must support this important industry that is so vital to families, the workplace, and society.”

The Office of Early Childhood, with technical and customer support from the United Way of Connecticut, distributed the funding in two phases. The first phase totaled $15 million and was completed in the fall of 2022. The second and final phase totaled $55 million and completed this month. Payments were made by the state to the operators of the child care and early childhood education providers, which had to apply for the funding and then are responsible for distributing the bonus payments to their staff. The final phase includes a guaranteed per-person bonus payment based on the hours child care staff work. Full-time employees receive a $1,700 base payment and part-time employees receive a $650 base payment. Staff and programs can receive additional funds based on meeting specific criterial, such as certain Office of Early Childhood licensing, accreditation, and program participation in the Care 4 Kids program.

“Connecticut recognizes that the early care and education workforce is a vital part of our education and workforce system,” Commissioner Bye said. “They support our youngest learners and their families every day. These funds are designed to help to retain early education staff and enhance their wages that are well below other education professionals.”

Governor Lamont and Commissioner Bye today visited Bloomfield Preschool and Childcare Center, one of the many providers in the state that are receiving funding for their staff under this initiative, where they held a news conference to announce the distribution of this funding.

“The wage support grant is a step in the right direction and signifies to us, as early childhood educators, that the state of Connecticut appreciates the hard work that we do every day for our children, families, and communities,” Jessica Salvador, director of the Bloomfield Preschool and Childcare Center, said. “Most important, it demonstrates that the State of Connecticut values the importance of early childhood education.”

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(MIDDLETOWN, CT – May 30, 2023) – Connecticut State Troopers experienced a busy holiday

weekend, responding to thousands of calls for service, assisting motorists and arresting drivers operating

under the influence.

The Connecticut State Police had 5,880 calls for service, assisted 476 motorists, responded to 273

accidents with 2 involving serious injuries and 4 reported fatalities, made 36 DUI arrests, issued 518 citations

for speeding and 208 seatbelt citations. Troopers issued 576 citations for hazardous moving violations (to

include: unsafe lane change, following too closely, move over, etc).

These stats are reflective of the time period beginning at 12:00 a.m. on Friday, May 26, and ending at

11:59 p.m., on Monday, May 29, 2023.

2023 Memorial Day Weekend Enforcement Stats:

Calls for service: 5,880

Speeding: 518

Seatbelt violations: 208

Hazardous moving violations: 576

DUI arrests: 36

Motor Vehicle Accidents: 273

With reported injuries: 32

Serious Injuries: 2 – Middlefield, Windsor Locks

Fatalities: 4 – Greenwich (1), Middlebury (2), Brooklyn (1)

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The Connecticut State Police had 1,640 calls for service, assisted 115 motorists, responded to 119 accidents with 1 involving serious injuries and 1 reported fatality, made 7 DUI arrests, issued 127 citations for speeding and 68 seatbelt citations. We issued 251 citations for hazardous moving violations (to include: unsafe lane change, following too closely, move over, etc.). These are reflective of the time period beginning at midnight and ending at 11:59 pm, on Friday, May 26th, 2023.

2023 Memorial Day Weekend Enforcement Stats:

Calls for service: 1,640

Speeding: 127

Seatbelt violations: 68

Hazardous moving violations: 251

DUI arrests: 7

Motor Vehicle Accidents: 119

With reported injuries: 13

Serious Injuries: 1

Fatalities: 1

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(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong and United States Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery today announced a $399,440 settlement with Waterbury naturopath Marcos DeEscobar and his company Corebella Health, LLC to resolve allegations that they submitted false claims to, and received overpayments from, Medicare and the Connecticut Medicaid programs.

Corebella Health, LLC (“Corebella”) is a practice that provides medical and wellness services to patients in Waterbury. DeEscobar is a naturopath and the owner of Corebella. The allegations against Corebella and DeEscobar arise out of improper billing for allergy immunotherapy preparation, and office visits, also known as evaluation and management (“E&M”) services.

Services performed by a nurse practitioner are typically reimbursed by Medicare and Medicaid at a lower rate than those performed by a physician. There are circumstances where nurse practitioner services are considered “incident-to” physician services, and may be properly billed and reimbursed at the higher physician rate. Among other requirements, incident-to services require a certain level of physician supervision. The state and federal governments allege that Corebella and DeEscobar submitted, or caused to be submitted, false claims to Medicare and Medicaid for services that were supposedly rendered by physicians. In reality, the services were rendered by nurse practitioners, did not meet incident-to supervision requirements, and should not have been reimbursed at the higher physician rate.

When billing for the preparation and provision of allergy immunotherapy, providers must specify the number of units prepared for the patient. The state and federal governments allege that Corebella and DeEscobar received overpayments from Medicare and Medicaid for allergy immunotherapy preparation services by submitting claims for more units than were actually prepared.

Medicare and Medicaid generally consider E&M services that occur on the same day as a procedure to be part of the work of the procedure, and do not allow a separate payment for the office visit. However, when a significant, separately identifiable service is performed by the same physician on the same date of the procedure, the provider can use “Modifier 25” to bill for both the procedure and the E&M services. The state and federal governments allege that Corebella and DeEscobar caused improper claims to be billed to Medicare and Medicaid by adding Modifier 25 to E&M claims when providing allergy injections when, in fact, no significant, separately identifiable E&M services were provided.

To resolve their liability, Corebella and DeEscobar will pay $399,440.55 to the state and federal governments for conduct occurring between January 1, 2016, through December 31, 2018.

“It is alleged that De Escobar and Corebella systematically overbilled Connecticut’s Medicaid program. I thank HHS-OIG and our partners at the United States Attorney’s Office for their coordination and assistance in this matter. Abuse of taxpayer dollars is never acceptable, and we will not hesitate to use the full weight of our authority to protect our public healthcare programs,” said Attorney General Tong.

Anyone with knowledge of suspected fraud or abuse in the public healthcare system is asked to contact the Attorney General’s Government Program Fraud Section at 860-808-5040 or by email at ag.fraud@ct.gov; the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit at 860-258-5986 or by email at conndcj@ct.gov; or the Department of Social Services fraud reporting hotline at 1-800-842-2155, online at www.ct.gov/dss/reportingfraud, or by email to providerfraud.dss@ct.gov.

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(MIDDLETOWN, CT – May 23, 2023) – As with all long, holiday weekends, Connecticut State Police is preparing for an increased number of vehicles on local and highway roads. Traditionally, the approach of Memorial Day signals the start of activities related to the gathering of family and friends at backyard barbeques and beaches. State Troopers will be on duty to ensure that highways are free of hazardous drivers as residents drive to their destinations.

Be assured that your Connecticut State Troopers will be patrolling state roads and highways during the three-day weekend. Troopers from each of the agency’s 11 troops will be conducting extra roving DUI patrols from the evening of May 25 through the evening of May 29.

Troopers ask operators to utilize lawful driving skills and plan for traffic delays as more drivers venture out this weekend. Safety should always be the top priority for all drivers whenever they get behind the wheel.

Some safety tips – and laws – that Troopers ask you to remember: BUCKLE UP, OBEY SPEED LIMITS, DON’T FOLLOW TOO CLOSE, REMOVE DISTRACTIONS WHILE DRIVING, STAY OFF THE CELLPHONE, and NEVER DRINK AND DRIVE.

Remember that the “Move Over” law requires motorists approaching any stationary vehicle to immediately slow to a speed below the posted speed limit and, if traveling in the lane adjacent to a stationary vehicle, to move over one lane, unless it is unreasonable or unsafe to do so. This includes other citizen vehicles and emergency vehicles such as ambulances, fire vehicles, law enforcement vehicles, highway maintenance vehicles, or licensed wreckers. Please pay attention to these vehicles

and those who may be working in the roadway.

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Federal funding will help close nursing shortage in Connecticut

[HARTFORD, CT] – Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and U.S. Representatives Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Jim Himes (D-CT) announced $2,997,368 million in federal funding for The WorkPlace in Bridgeport to train nurses and create equitable opportunities for frontline healthcare professionals. The funding is awarded through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Nursing Expansion Grant Program, designed to create equitable pathways to careers in nursing.

Over the next five years, The WorkPlace will train 200 entry-level nursing professionals through both classroom instruction and on-site experience. Participants can pursue either an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and be eligible to pursue a high-skilled nursing career upon completion of the program.

The universities and healthcare organizations participating in this training program include Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), Griffin Hospital, iCare, Hartford Health, Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA), Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, Goodwin University.

The nursing profession faces significant staffing challenges as the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects an average of 203,200 openings for registered nurses each year through 2031. A report shows that Connecticut needs 3,000 new registered nurses a year, but nursing schools in the state are graduating only 1,900 new candidates.

“This milestone grant will help train a new generation of nurses— meeting an urgent need to support health care heroes who feel overworked and overwhelmed. New nurses are especially necessary in communities with health care worker shortages, a result of superhuman burdens and burnout. Nobody does skill training better than The Workplace and we’re proud to have them as a partner. Each of these new nurses will be a force multiplier in the battle for better health outcomes,” said Blumenthal.

“This investment affirms our support for the training and mentorship of future health professionals from underrepresented backgrounds,” said DeLauro. “Through this funding we will be able to expand the nursing workforce pipeline by addressing education, practice, recruitment, and retention, while focusing on the health needs of underserved communities. It will bring greater employment equity in Connecticut and improve healthcare workforce diversity in our state – all while improving health outcomes for residents of our state.”

“It’s hard to imagine a more impactful program than one that connects unemployed individuals with pathways to careers and financial security, especially in a field as essential as nursing,” said Himes. “I’ll continue to work as hard as possible to bring back federal dollars to my district so that exceptional programs like The WorkPlace can achieve their mission of strengthening the workforce and making lives better in Bridgeport and across the state.”

“Healthcare is one of Connecticut’s largest employment sectors, but the combination of an aging workforce, employee turnover, and the COVID-19 pandemic has strained an already fragile system,” said Joseph Carbone, President, and CEO of The WorkPlace. “This funding will enable the upskilling of entry-level healthcare professionals to middle and high-skill positions such as LPNs and RNs. By leveraging our Health Career Academy, we will provide training pathways utilizing a high-quality curriculum resulting in more credentialed workers for the industry.”

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