Meet Me in Person & Expanded Coverage Access for Personal Care Attendants

March 29, 2023
MEET ME IN PERSON THIS WEEKEND
 
WHAT'S YOUR REP BEEN UP TO?
A big thank you to Angélica & her team at Macondo for hosting our coffee hour in Stonington! It is always great to see everyone come out! We provided our legislative update and heard from our neighbors about issues that matter to them!
 
Great day for the Mystic Irish Parade! Thank you to the organizers and our community participants for a fun day!
“Wherever you go, and whatever you do, may the luck of the Irish be there with you.”
 
We had a blast at the 2023 Stonington Energy Fair! Thanks to Sharon Lynch and the incredible team that organized an awesome, free opportunity for neighbors to learn about our electric future.
 
Thank you to Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center's Giving Garden's Craig Floyd for all he does to combat food insecurity in our communities.

And a huge shout out to teachers, students, staff, and volunteers at Stonington High School for putting together the Empty Bowls event to benefit a critical, local cause that provides fresh produce to many!
 
MORE HEALTH COVERAGE ACCESS FOR PERSONAL CARE ATTENDANTS
Personal care attendants (PCAs) will have additional access to affordable health insurance after an agreement was reached to expand the application deadline for PCAs to apply for the first round of the new premium assistance benefit.

PCAs, who provide valuable services and support to more than 7,000 of Connecticut’s Medicaid consumers so they can remain in their homes and communities, may now apply for the premium benefit through April 7. The special enrollment period for coverage through Access Health CT, the state's health insurance exchange, runs until May 15. For those who do not apply for assistance by April 7, another application period will be provided later this year with payment on or around September, in time for the traditional open enrollment period on Access Health CT.
 
Connecticut is one of the first states to do this, and I encourage all PCA s who are not enrolled in health coverage to sign up for this important benefit.
 
Access Health CT has a special enrollment period and dedicated telephone line with navigator assistance for PCAs so that they can easily find the best health insurance option for them and obtain enrollment support. The Access Health CT navigators also screen the PCAs for eligibility for the HUSKY and Covered CT programs. 
 
PCAs will soon receive communication with instructions on how they can access this important benefit.
 
END TO FREE BUS SERVICE

The Connecticut Department of Transportation is reminding transit users that bus fares return on Sunday, April 1 for all buses and ADA paratransit in Connecticut.

All public transit buses have offered free rides in Connecticut since April 1, 2022, because of a temporary state law. Federal restrictions prevent the state from extending this suspension for any longer than 12 months.

Anyone who travels via bus is encouraged to buy tickets ahead of time to avoid lines at customer service centers and at fareboxes when boarding buses. CTtransit tickets and passes can be purchased at retail locations in Connecticut, online, or through the mail.
CLICK HERE FOR ALL FARE OPTIONS
 
TAKE PART IN REDEVELOPMENT PLAN!
You’re invited to take part in the transformation of the former Claude Chester School in Groton. There are three proposals to re-use the space, including a state-of-the-art aquatics center for Groton! Town officials want to hear how YOU want to re-use this important community space.

Click here to complete the survey! Your feedback is invaluable!
 
TRAWL FISHING BAN REJECTED
I am proud to support our boating industry in the 41st district. The Environment Committee did just that by rejecting a bill that would have banned trawl fishing on Long Island Sound. Several boating company owners and fishermen provided powerful testimony explaining that their long-standing businesses would have collapsed if the proposal had passed.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE MOVING FORWARD

We voted to move an updated Environmental Justice Law out of committee last week. H.B. 5297 furthers environmental justice by requiring a report on recommended revisions to the state's law regulating air pollutants in lower income communities.
 
COMMUNITY EVENTS