Connecticut HB 5540: AN ACT CONCERNING THE MITIGATION OF BENEFITS CLIFFS.

Bill Text

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General Assembly  
Substitute Bill No. 5540  
February Session, 2026 
 
 
 
 
AN ACT CONCERNING THE MITIGATION OF BENEFITS CLIFFS.  
Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  in  General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section  1.  Section  17b-112 of  the  2026  supplement  to  the  general 1 
statutes  is  repealed  and  the  following  is  substituted  in  lieu  thereof 2 
(Effective July 1, 2026): 3 
(a)  The  Department  of  Social  Services  shall  administer  a  temporary 4 
family   assistance   program   under   which   cash   assistance   shall   be 5 
provided   to   eligible   families   in   accordance   with   the   temporary 6 
assistance  for  needy  families  program,  established  pursuant  to  the 7 
Personal  Responsibility  and  Work  Opportunity  Reconciliation  Act  of 8 
1996. The Commissioner of Social Services may operate portions of the 9 
temporary family assistance program as a solely state-funded program, 10 
separate  from  the  federal  temporary  assistance  for  needy  families 11 
program, if the commissioner determines that doing so will enable the 12 
state to avoid fiscal penalties under the temporary assistance for needy 13 
families  program.  Families  receiving  assistance  under  the  solely  state-14 
funded  portion  of  the  temporary  family  assistance  program  shall  be 15 
subject to the same conditions of eligibility as those receiving assistance 16 
under  the  federal  temporary  assistance  for  needy  families  program. 17 
Under  the  temporary  family  assistance  program,  benefits  shall  be 18 
provided  to  a  family  for  not  longer  than  thirty-six  months,  except  as 19 
provided  in  subsections  (b)  and  (c)  of  this  section.  For  the  purpose  of 20 

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calculating   said   thirty-six-month   time   limit,   months   of   assistance 21 
received on and after January 1, 1996, pursuant to time limits under the 22 
aid to families with dependent children program, shall be included. For 23 
purposes of this section, "family" means one  or more individuals who 24 
apply  for  or  receive  assistance  together  under  the  temporary  family 25 
assistance  program.  If  the  commissioner  determines  that  federal  law 26 
allows  individuals  not  otherwise  in  an  eligible  covered  group  for  the 27 
temporary  family  assistance  program  to  become  covered,  such  family 28 
may  also,  at  the  discretion  of  the  commissioner,  be  composed  of  (1)  a 29 
pregnant woman, or (2) a parent, both parents or other caretaker relative 30 
and at least one child who is under the age of eighteen, or who is under 31 
the age of nineteen and a full-time student in a secondary school or its 32 
equivalent. A caretaker relative shall be related to the child or children 33 
by blood, marriage or adoption or shall be the legal guardian of such a 34 
child or pursuing legal proceedings necessary to achieve guardianship. 35 
If the commissioner elects to allow state eligibility consistent with any 36 
change in federal law, the commissioner may administratively transfer 37 
any  qualifying  family  cases  under  the  cash  assistance  portion  of  the 38 
state-administered general assistance program to the temporary family 39 
assistance  program  without  regard  to  usual  eligibility  and  enrollment 40 
procedures. If such families become an ineligible coverage group under 41 
the  federal  law,  the  commissioner  shall  administratively  transfer  such 42 
families  back  to  the  cash  assistance  portion  of  the  state-administered 43 
general  assistance  program  without  regard  to  usual  eligibility  and 44 
enrollment  procedures  to  the  degree  that  such  families  are  eligible for 45 
the state program. 46 
(b) The Commissioner of Social Services shall exempt a family from 47 
such time-limited benefits for circumstances including, but not limited 48 
to: (1) A family with a needy caretaker relative who is incapacitated or 49 
of an advanced age, as defined by the commissioner, if there is no other 50 
nonexempt caretaker relative in the household; (2) a family with a needy 51 
caretaker relative who is needed in the home because of the incapacity 52 
of  another  member  of  the  household,  if  there  is  no  other  nonexempt 53 
caretaker relative in the household; (3) a family with a caretaker relative 54 

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who  is  not  legally  responsible  for  the  dependent  children  in  the 55 
household if such relative's needs are not considered in calculating the 56 
amount of the benefit and there is no other nonexempt caretaker relative 57 
in the household; (4) a family with a caretaker relative caring for a child 58 
who is under one year of age if there is no other nonexempt caretaker 59 
relative  in  the  household;  (5)  a  family  with  a  pregnant  or  postpartum 60 
caretaker relative i