Maria Horn

This is my State Capitol update for the week of August 8.

If you prefer to watch rather than read, click the image below to hear about the issues contained in this newsletter.

• New State Grant Program on Home Health Care Worker Safety. Click here.
• Lane Closure on Route 44 in Norwalk. Click here.
• CMS Listening Sessions. Click here. 
• New England States to Receive $389 million Grant. Click here. 
• Lead Free CT Campaign. Click here. 
• Statewide Efforts in Place to Combat Credit and Debit Card Skimming. Click here. 
• Sales Tax-Free Week is August 18-24. Click here. 
• Upcoming Events. Click here.

1. Caregiver Training Services: Individual or group training for caregivers to support a patient’s treatment plan.
2. Social Determinants of Health Risk Assessment: Administration of a social determinants of health risk assessment.
3. Community Health Integration Services: Person-centered planning, health system navigation, facilitating access to community-based resources, care coordination, and patient self-advocacy promotion services to address needs affecting medical problems.
4. Principal Illness Navigation Services: Similar to community health integration services for patients with a serious, high-risk condition, illness, or disease.

CMS is interested in learning more about rural providers' uptakes of the new services, barriers to adoption, ongoing questions related to implementation and billing, and opportunities to advance use of the health equity services for Medicare patients living in rural and Tribal areas. The listening session will last no longer than 60 minutes. Participation is voluntary. You may choose not to answer any questions that you do not wish to answer. You can end your participation at any time. There are no expected risks to participating in this listening session.
 
CMS will use the information learned from these listening sessions, along with other data, to inform strategies that CMS and HHS can take to support providers serving rural, Tribal, and geographically isolated areas. Specifically, findings from this listening session will be included in reports for CMS that may be publicly available. In those reports, any information you provide and quotations of your comments will not be linked to your identity or role. All information collected will be kept secure to the extent permitted by law.
 
If you are willing to participate in the listening session, please register for a session here:
 

We also encourage you to share this invitation with colleagues serving Medicare patients living in rural and Tribal areas.
 
If you have any questions, please contact RuralHealth@cms.hhs.gov.    
 
For more information about CMS efforts to ensure that people living in rural America have access to high quality, affordable healthcare please visit: go.cms.gov/RuralHealth or to read the CMS Framework for Advancing Health Care in Rural, Tribal, and Geographically Isolated Communities.

• Making older homes where children or pregnant people live lead safe;
• Collecting information on all known lead service water lines in Connecticut;
• Replacing lead pipes that bring water to homes, childcare centers, and schools;
• Supporting families who find lead in their home or water;
• Offering funding to get Connecticut communities lead-free;
• Having all Connecticut children tested for lead;
• Raising awareness of lead testing and safety among parents; and
• Educating communities, contractors, and landlords on lead laws and safety.

A key component of the Lead Free CT campaign includes the launch of a lead abatement program, which is providing homeowners and landlords with the opportunity to make older homes lead-safe by removing lead paint hazards at no cost. Funded by $20 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act, this limited-time program will help in the safe removal of lead hazards from homes, including family childcare settings. Participation in this program is entirely voluntary and free of charge to homeowners and landlords. The Connecticut Department of Public Health is partnering with the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center to administer the program.
 
To view eligibility details and apply, visit leadfreect.org. This is a limited-time program, so those who are interested are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

• Visually inspect the card reading device to see if something looks off or abnormal, such as sticky keys, an added bulk, or mismatched colors.
• Give the device a wiggle before using it to make sure it is intact.
• Inspect the card slot before inserting a card to see if it appears to be different or heavier than usual, or if any components seem loose or altered.

Whenever in doubt, consumers should always switch to another machine and alert a store manager or police.
 
Additional tips consumers can take to protect themselves from skimming include:

• Shield your PIN – Always cover the keypad when entering your PIN number and change it frequently. To avoid theft of benefits from EBT cards, change your PIN number before and after every transaction and make sure to change it just before the beginning of a new month when new benefits load.
• Use contactless payments – Select contactless payments, like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and chip cards, instead of using the magnetic stripe when you can.
• Monitor your accounts frequently – Monitor your accounts frequently for unusual activity. Set up alerts and watch for anything that seems unusual. If you detect your information has been compromised, contact your financial institution immediately.

In addition to notifying a store manager and local or state police whenever the presence of a skimming device is suspected, consumers who become aware of any scam activity can report it to the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection by filing a complaint online using “File A Complaint” tool at ct.gov/DCP.

During this tax holiday, most clothing and footwear items priced less than $100 are exempt from Connecticut's 6.35% sales tax. The exemption applies to each eligible item costing less than $100, regardless of how many of those items are sold to a customer in the same transaction. It applies to purchases made in-store, online, mail-order, and over the phone.

Click here for a list of exempt and taxable items. 

Shop smart – and locally whenever possible to support small businesses – to save during Connecticut’s Sales Tax-Free Week!

The Goshen Recreation Summer Concert Series is underway. Bring your family, friends, snacks, chairs, blankets, and come have a good time!!!

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Maria Horn
State Representative