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| Friends and Neighbors,
I hope this message finds you and yours well.
Next Monday, August 16 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., join Senator Jorge Cabrera and me for a legislative update on the back patio of Copper City Bar & Grill, 82-84 Main St., Ansonia. |
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| This is a great way for you to connect with Senator Cabrera and me to discuss the issues that matter most to you. These informal discussions give me greater insight on how I can successfully advocate for you in Hartford.
I hope to see you there!
I'll also be holding a legislative coffee hour with the Derby delegation on August 20. Learn more about that event below in the "Community Events" section. |
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| Keeping open lines of communication is important to me as your feedback and insights enable me to better advocate on your behalf in Hartford. This session, there were numerous wins for working families, education, small businesses, healthcare, and more. Over the next several weeks, I'm going to be highlighting the bills that will impact your life the most and set Connecticut on a path to prosperity and equity. Below is a look at bills that help our seniors. |
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| HB 6689, An Act Concerning the State Budget for the Biennium Ending June Thirtieth, 2023, and Making Appropriations Therefor, and Making Deficiency and Additional Appropriations for the Fiscal Year Ending June Thirtieth, 2021, continues to phase out the state income tax on pensions and annuities - exempting an additional 28% over the next 2 years, which will exempt in total 70% of this income from state taxes for most seniors.
The state budget also increases funding for nursing homes, aging in place, Meals on Wheels and other services. |
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| HB 6458, An Act Lowering the Age of Eligibility for Property Tax Relief for Senior Citizens and Establishing a Task Force to Protect Senior Citizens from Fraud, gives towns the ability to to lower the age to provide property tax relief for seniors to 65, and as described, creates a task force to prevent seniors from fraud.
HB 6457, An Act Concerning Access to Recordings and Images from Technology Used by Nursing Home Residents for Virtual Visitation and Virtual Monitoring, expands the rights of nursing home residents and ensures their right to use technology to facilitate virtual visits with family and friends.
SB 975, An Act Strengthening the Bill of Rights for Long-Term Care Residents and Authorizing the Use of Resident Technology for Virtual Visitation and Virtual Monitoring, expands the nursing home patients' bill of rights to include a resident's right to treat their living quarters as their home, including purchasing and using virtual visitation and virtual monitoring technology.
SB 1046, An Act Concerning Long Term Care Insurance, puts in place strong consumer protections for long-term care insurance to prevent significant, unexpected rate increases and ensure affordable products are available. |
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| Last week, every county in Connecticut was designated an area with "substantial" community transmission of COVID-19 and New Haven, New London, and Hartford counties became the first counties to reach "high" risk level for COVID-19 community transmission. This designation by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention means there have been 100 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 within the past week. According to state public health data, the majority of COVID-19 cases have resulted from the Delta variant.
With the emerging threat of the Delta variant, it is more important than ever to roll up our sleeves for the COVID-19 vaccine and to wear masks while we are in indoor public spaces. The best way to stop the spread of COVID-19 and prevent serious illness is to get vaccinated and wear masks. Over a week ago, the CDC updated its masking guidelines to recommend everyone over 2 years wear a mask indoors regardless of their vaccination status.
If you need assistance scheduling your COVID-19 vaccine appointment, don't hesitate to reach out to me. Additional options include:
- Cornell Scott Hill Health Center, 121 Wakelee Ave., Ansonia: walk-in COVID-19 vaccination Monday - Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Griffin Hospital, 4 Fourth St., Ansonia: walk-in clinic every Monday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. in the building adjacent to Gattison Park
- Griffin Hospital Vaccination Centers in Shelton and Naugatuck offer walk- COVID-19 vaccination
- 10 Progress Dr., Shelton: Monday - Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday 7 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- 727 Rubber Ave., Naugatuck: Monday - Friday 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday 7 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- Naugatuck Valley Health District, 100 Bank St., Friday 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.: walk-in vaccine clinic or individuals can schedule an appointment in VAMS.
Residents can find additional vaccine sites by clicking here. They can also call CT's Vaccine Appointment Assist Line at 877-918-2224 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 7 days a week.
Griffin Health Mobile is offering a free day pass to Quassy with a first COVID-19 vaccination dose! Additionally, individuals who get their second vaccine at the location at 4 Fourth St can receive a $25 gift card to an Ansonia restaurant.
Click here to get a list of locations the mobile vaccine mobile will be visiting. |
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| STUDENT LOAN PAUSE EXTENDED |
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| In case you missed it, on Friday the U.S. Department of Education extended the pause on federal student loan payments until January 31, 2022. This will be the final pause. The department hopes this gives student loan borrowers enough time to plan for when payments resume and lowers the risk of default and delinquency. Interest rates on federal student loans will stay at 0% and debt collections efforts will be suspended. Read the Department of Education's full announcement here.
Borrowers who do not have federal student loans that qualify for the extension can learn more about their relief options here. |
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| $16 MILLION FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES IN CT |
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This week, more than $16 million in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief II (ESSER II) funds was made available to 170 school districts across Connecticut, including Ansonia and Derby. This relief money will allow schools throughout our state to provide special education services to more than 80,000 students during the upcoming school year.
The ESSER II funding is critical to supporting equitable learning opportunities for students with varying educational needs. The more than $16 million in funds was set aside by the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) to supplement local special education COVID-19 recovery efforts through several initiatives piloted last school year by some of the recipient districts.
Where the money will go:
Addressing Delayed, Interrupted, Suspended or Inaccessible Individualized Education Plan (IEP) Supports and Services: Up to $13 million in funds will assist districts with addressing delayed, interrupted, suspended, or inaccessible IEP supports and services for students with IEPs in each school district.
Special Education Evaluations: Up to $1 million in funds will increase the capacity of state’s six Regional Educational Service Centers (RESC) to assist school districts in conducting special education evaluations, which will benefit approximately 240 students, as well as planning and placement teams.
Supplementary Tutoring and Reading Instruction: Up to $2 million in funds will assist 170 districts with supporting supplementary tutoring and reading instruction to address the needs of 3,092 students with an IEP and a primary disability category of SLD/dyslexia in alignment with the reading goals in the student’s current IEP.
Individualized In-Home Support for High Needs Students: Up to $272,000 in funds will provide for 8,000 hours of individualized in-home support through partnership with the Connecticut Department of Developmental Services to provide 1:1 in-home assistance and support for up to 200 students.
More than 50,000 students in Connecticut have already been impacted by these grants, with an emphasis and commitment on children and communities most impacted by the pandemic. I will remain committed to fighting for accessible enrichment programs and funding for all students throughout our state. |
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| If you are a landlord with a tenant behind on rent or are a tenant struggling to catch up on rent payments, the UniteCT program can help. Launched in March using federal emergency COVID-19 funds, this program provides up to $15,000 directly to landlords on behalf of tenants who have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and are working to catch up on payments. Households making up to 80% of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development area median income are eligible for the funds. For a household of 4 in Ansonia and Derby, the AMI is $78,500.
Landlords and tenants can initiate the online application process. Paper applications are not being accepted. Tenants and landlords can check their eligibility and start the online application by clicking the button below.
While the federal eviction ban has been extended to October 3, 2021, Valley landlords and tenants should still complete an application for the UniteCT program as processing times may impact when funds are disbursed to landlords.
Residents who need to access a computer can go to the Ansonia Public Library and Derby Public Library. |
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| ACCESS HEALTH CT SPECIAL ENROLLMENT PERIOD |
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| If you are still in need of quality, affordable health care, or want to save on your plan, it is not too late to get a plan through Access Health Connecticut (AHCT). If you haven’t looked recently, prices for healthcare have PLUMMETED on AccessHealth thanks to new state and federal laws - including our new CoveredCT program. This Special Enrollment Period ends on October 31.
I have heard from a resident who will be saving over $1,000/month on health insurance for her family! She reports the coverage is stronger too, with less out of pocket expenses. Don’t miss out on the special enrollment period.
The American Rescue Plan has virtually eliminated, or vastly reduced monthly payments (premiums) for many people with low and moderate incomes and has delivered Connecticut residents more than $5.5 million in new savings per month.
This financial help is offered only through Access Health CT and benefits many, including those with somewhat higher incomes who can face high premiums. If you need coverage please don't hesitate to reach out. For more information on the AHCT Special Enrollment Period and the American Rescue Plan, visit AccessHealthCT.com.
Access Health CT will continue to offer free help:
- Online: AccessHealthCT.com (Live chat: click “Live Chat” icon)
- Phone: 1-855-805-4325, Mon. – Fri., 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- If you are deaf or hearing impaired, you may use the TTY at 1-855-789-2428 or contact us with a relay operator
- Extended Call Center Hours for close of the Special Enrollment Period: Sat., August 14 and Sun., August 15 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
- With Enrollment Specialists in the community
- In-person help at either of AHCT’s Navigator partner locations*:
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Please feel free to contact me with any thoughts and concerns you may have on Kara.Rochelle@cga.ct.gov or 1-800-842-8267. Follow my Facebook page for regular legislative updates.
All my Best,
Kara Rochelle
State Representative
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