Conn. Gen. Stat. § 19a-551 (2026)

Each nursing home facility and residential care home shall: (1) On or before the admission of each resident provide such resident or such resident's legally liable relative, guardian or conservator with a written statement explaining such resident's rights regarding the resident's personal funds and listing the charges that may be deducted from such funds. Such statement shall explain that the nursing home facility or residential care home shall on and after October 1, 1992, pay interest at a rate not less than four per cent per annum and on and after October 1, 1994, pay interest at a rate not less than five and one-half per cent per annum on any security deposit or other advance payment required of such resident prior to admission to the nursing home facility or residential care home. In the case of residents receiving benefits under Title XVIII or XIX of the federal Social Security Act the statement shall include a list of charges not covered by said titles and not covered by the basic per diem rate provided by said titles. Upon delivery of such statement the person in charge of the nursing home facility or residential care home shall obtain a signed receipt acknowledging such delivery; (2) upon written consent or request of the resident or the resident's legally liable relative, guardian or conservator, manage such resident's personal funds, provided such consent by a resident shall not be effective unless cosigned by the resident's legally liable relative or guardian if such resident has been determined by a physician to be mentally incapable of understanding and no conservator has been appointed. As manager of such personal funds the nursing home facility or residential care home shall: (A) Either maintain separate accounts for each resident or maintain an aggregate trust account for residents' funds to prevent commingling the personal funds of residents with the funds of such facility or residential care home. Such facility or residential care home shall notify in writing each resident receiving Medicaid assistance or such resident's legally liable relative, guardian or conservator when the amount in the resident's account reaches two hundred dollars less than the dollar amount determined under the Medicaid program as the maximum for eligibility under the program and advise the resident or such resident's legally liable relative, guardian or conservator that if the amount in the account plus the value of the resident's other nonexempt resources reaches the maximum the resident may lose his or her Medicaid eligibility; (B) obtain signed receipts for each expenditure from each resident's personal funds; (C) maintain an individual itemized record of income and expenditures for each resident, including quarterly accountings; and (D) permit the resident or the resident's legally liable relative, guardian or conservator, and the regional long-term care ombudsman, and representatives from the Departments of Social Services and Public Health, access to such record; and (3) (A) refund any overpayment or deposit from a former resident or such resident's legally liable relative, guardian or conservator not later than thirty days after the resident's discharge and (B) refund any deposit from an individual planning to be admitted to such facility or residential care home not later than thirty days after receipt of written notification that the individual is no longer planning to be admitted. A refund issued after thirty days shall include interest at a rate of ten per cent per annum. For the purposes of this section “deposit” shall include liquidated damages under any contract for pending admission.

(P.A. 80-437, S. 2; P.A. 82-208; P.A. 89-13, S. 1, 2; 89-348, S. 5, 10; P.A. 90-230, S. 87, 101; P.A. 92-231, S. 4, 10; P.A. 93-262, S. 1, 87; 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; P.A. 99-176, S. 23, 24; P.A. 13-208, S. 56; P.A. 14-231, S. 60; P.A. 15-130, S. 1.)

History: P.A. 82-208 required nursing homes to pay interest at a rate of not less than 5% per annum on any security deposit or other advance payment required of patients prior to admission; Sec. 19-623a transferred to Sec. 19a-551 in 1983; P.A. 89-13 added Subdiv. (3) requiring nursing homes to refund any overpayment or deposit under certain circumstances; P.A. 89-348 amended Subdiv. (1)(A) re the written notification of a patient, who is a Medicaid recipient, when the patient's account reaches $200 less than the dollar amount determined as the maximum for eligibility; P.A. 90-230 made technical change to Subdiv. (2)(A); P.A. 92-231 changed the minimum rate of interest to be paid on any security deposit or advance payment required of a patient from 5% per annum to 4% per annum on and after October 1, 1992, and to 5.5% per annum on and after October 1, 1994; P.A. 93-262 authorized substitution of commissioner and department of social services for commissioner and department of income maintenance, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 93-381 replaced department of health services with department of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 99-176 substituted “regional long-term care ombudsman” for “regional nursing home ombudsman” and made provisions gender neutral, effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 13-208 made technical changes, effective July 1, 2013; P.A. 14-231 amended Subdiv. (3)(B) by making a technical change; P.A. 15-130 added references to residential care home and replaced references to patient with references to resident, effective July 1, 2015.

Cited. 13 CA 641.

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Sec. 19a-552. (Formerly Sec. 19-623b). Failure to comply with section 19a-551: Penalties. (a) Any person who violates any provision of section 19a-551 shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor.

(b) Any resident of a nursing home or residential care home or such resident's legally liable relative, guardian or conservator may bring an action in the Superior Court for any violation of section 19a-551. Any nursing home facility or residential care home determined by the court to be in violation of any provision of said section shall be liable to the injured party for treble damages.

(P.A. 80-437, S. 3; P.A. 81-236; P.A. 87-166, S. 5; P.A. 15-130, S. 2.)

History: P.A. 81-236 amended Subsec. (b) to increase the penalty from a class C to a class A misdemeanor; Sec. 19-623b transferred to Sec. 19a-552 in 1983; P.A. 87-166 deleted Subsec. (a) re nursing home's penalty for failure to comply with Sec. 19a-551 and relettered the remaining Subsecs. accordingly; P.A. 15-130 amended Subsec. (b) to add references to residential care home, replace reference to patient with reference to resident and make a technical change, effective July 1, 2015.

See Sec. 17b-601 re regulations concerning personal funds of recipients of state supplement program who are residential care home residents.

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