Connecticut HB 5403: AN ACT EXCLUDING CERTAIN VETERANS' BENEFITS WHEN DETERMINING ELIGIBILITY FOR PUBLIC ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS.

Bill Text

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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 5403
February Session, 2026

AN ACT CONCERNING HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR
SURVIVORS OF UNPAID VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS AND STATE
MARSHALS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Subsection (i) of section 3-123bbb of the 2026 supplement 1
to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 2
thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 3
(i) (1) A nonstate public employer that provides coverage pursuant to 4
a partnership plan to a first responder or unpaid volunteer firefighter 5
who is killed in the line of duty shall continue to provide such coverage 6
to the survivors of such first responder or unpaid volunteer firefighter 7
who were covered under such plan at the time of such first responder's 8
or unpaid volunteer firefighter's death. Such coverage shall continue 9
without break for a period of one year after such first responder's or 10
unpaid volunteer firefighter's death, and may be renewed annually for 11
up to five years. Such nonstate public employer shall facilitate 12
continuation and renewal of such coverage. For purposes of this 13
subsection, "unpaid volunteer firefighter" means a uniformed member 14
of a fire department who performs firefighting duties for the fire 15
department but is unpaid for performing such firefighting duties. 16
(2) (A) A nonstate public employer that did not provide coverage 17

Substitute Bill No. 5403

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pursuant to a partnership plan to a first responder or unpaid volunteer 18
firefighter who is killed in the line of duty shall apply for coverage 19
pursuant to a partnership plan for those survivors of such first 20
responder or unpaid volunteer firefighter who were receiving health 21
care benefit coverage through a plan offered to such first responder or 22
unpaid volunteer firefighter at the time of such first responder's or 23
unpaid volunteer firefighter's death, at the request of such survivors. 24
(B) A nonstate public employer shall apply for such coverage 25
pursuant to a partnership plan (i) regardless of whether such first 26
responder was an employee of the nonstate public employer at the time 27
of such first responder's death, and (ii) despite such unpaid volunteer 28
firefighter not having been an employee of the nonstate public employer 29
at the time of such unpaid volunteer firefighter's death. For any first 30
responder who was not an employee of a nonstate public employer at 31
the time of such first responder's death, and for any unpaid volunteer 32
firefighter, the nonstate public employer to which the first responder or 33
unpaid volunteer firefighter provided services in the capacity of a first 34
responder or unpaid volunteer firefighter at the time of such first 35
responder's or unpaid volunteer firefighter's death shall apply for such 36
coverage. 37
(C) The Comptroller shall accept such application upon the terms and 38
conditions applicable to the partnership plan for enrollment and 39
provision of coverage to such survivors for one year. Such enrollment 40
and coverage may be renewed annually for up to five years. Such 41
nonstate public employer shall facilitate initiation and renewal of such 42
enrollment and coverage. 43
(3) In accordance with the provisions of subsection (b) of section 3-44
122a and subdivision (2) of subsection (c) of section 3-123eee, the 45
Comptroller shall reimburse a nonstate public employer making 46
payments pursuant to this subsection for the total cost of such payments 47
from the Fallen Hero Fund established pursuant to subsection (b) of 48
section 3-122a. 49

Substitute Bill No. 5403

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Sec. 2. Subsection (a) of section 5-259 of the 2026 supplement to the 50
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 51
thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 52
(a) The Comptroller, with the approval of the Attorney General and 53
of the Insurance Commissioner, shall arrange and procure a group 54
hospitalization and medical and surgical insurance plan or plans for (1) 55
state employees, (2) members of the General Assembly who elect 56
coverage under such plan or plans, (3) participants in an alternate 57
retirement program who meet the service requirements of section 5-162 58
or subsection (a) of section 5-166, (4) anyone receiving benefits under 59
section 5-144 or from any state-sponsored retirement system, except the 60
teachers' retirement system and the municipal employees retirement 61
system, (5) judges of probate and Probate Court employees, (6) the 62
surviving spouse, and any dependent children of a state police officer, a 63
member of an organized local police department, a firefighter or a 64
constable who performs criminal law enforcement duties who dies 65
before, on or after June 26, 2003, as the result of injuries received while 66
acting within the scope of such officer's or firefighter's or constable's 67
employment and not as th