Connecticut HB 5480: AN ACT CONCERNING THE DELIVERY OF HEALTHY HOME IMPROVEMENTS AND RETROFITS.

Bill Text

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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 5480
February Session, 2026

AN ACT CONCERNING PEER SUPPORT SERVICES UNDER THE
MEDICAID PROGRAM.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2026) (a) As used in this section, (1) 1
"peer support services" means recovery-focused behavioral health 2
services that allow an individual the opportunity to learn to manage 3
such individual's recovery with help from a peer support specialist; and 4
(2) "peer support specialist" means an individual who (A) has 5
experience recovering from mental illness or substance use disorder, 6
and (B) is certified to provide peer recovery support under a program 7
administered by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction 8
Services. 9
(b) The Commissioner of Social Services shall amend the Medicaid 10
state plan to integrate peer support services into care teams funded 11
under the medical assistance program and provide Medicaid 12
reimbursement to peer support specialists for such services. 13
(c) Not later than August 1, 2027, the Commissioner of Social Services 14
shall file a report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of 15
the general statutes, with the joint standing committees of the General 16
Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to human services and 17
public health on (1) the number of peer support specialists provided 18

Substitute Bill No. 5480

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Medicaid reimbursement, (2) the number of Medicaid enrollees such 19
specialists serve, and (3) any outcome data on treatment provided by 20
such specialists to such enrollees. 21
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 July 1, 2026 New section

Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
In Subsec. (c)(2), "they" was changed to "such specialists" for clarity.

HS Joint Favorable Subst.