Sec. 17b-4. Department of Social Services: Duties and services provided. Elderly and aging persons.
Sec. 17b-4. Department of Social Services: Duties and services provided. Elderly and aging persons. (a) The Department of Social Services shall plan, develop,
administer, operate, evaluate and provide funding for services for individuals and families served by the department who are in need of personal or economic development. In
cooperation with other social service agencies and organizations, including community-based agencies, the department shall work to develop and fund prevention, intervention
and treatment services for individuals and families. The department shall: (1) Provide
appropriate services to individuals and families as needed through direct social work
services rendered by the department and contracted services from community-based
organizations funded by the department; (2) collect, interpret and publish statistics relating to individuals and families serviced by the department; (3) monitor, evaluate and
review any program or service which is developed, operated or funded by the department; (4) supervise the establishment of pilot programs funded by the department in
local communities which assist and support individuals and families in personal and
economic development; (5) improve the quality of services provided, operated and
funded by the department and increase the competency of its staff relative to the provision of effective social services by establishing and supporting ongoing staff development and training; and (6) encourage citizen participation in the development of social
service priorities and programs.
(b) The Department of Social Services shall study continuously the conditions and
needs of elderly and aging persons in this state in relation to nutrition, transportation,
home-care, housing, income, employment, health, recreation and other matters. It shall
be responsible in cooperation with federal, state, local and area planning agencies on
aging for the overall planning, development and administration of a comprehensive
and integrated social service delivery system for elderly persons and the aged. The
department shall: (1) Measure the need for services; (2) survey methods of administration of programs for service delivery; (3) provide for periodic evaluations of social
services; (4) maintain technical, information, consultation and referral services in cooperation with other state agencies to local and area public and private agencies to the
fullest extent possible; (5) develop and coordinate educational outreach programs for
the purposes of informing the public and elderly persons of available programs; (6)
cooperate in the development of performance standards for licensing of residential and
medical facilities with appropriate state agencies; (7) supervise the establishment, in
selected areas and local communities of the state, of pilot programs for elderly persons;
(8) coordinate with the Department of Transportation to provide adequate transportation
services related to the needs of elderly persons; and (9) cooperate with other state agencies to provide adequate and alternate housing for elderly persons, including congregate
housing, as defined in section 8-119e.
(c) The Department of Social Services, in conjunction with the Department of Public
Health, may adopt regulations in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 to establish requirements with respect to the submission of reports concerning financial solvency
and quality of care by nursing homes for the purpose of determining the financial viability of such homes, identifying homes that appear to be experiencing financial distress
and examining the underlying reasons for such distress. Such reports shall be submitted
to the Nursing Home Financial Advisory Committee established under section 17b-339.
(P.A. 93-262, S. 4, 87; P.A. 98-239, S. 24, 35; P.A. 03-278, S. 61.)
History: P.A. 93-262 effective July 1, 1993 (Revisor's note: In 1997 a reference in Subsec. (b) to "Transportation
Department" was changed editorially by the Revisors to "Department of Transportation" for consistency with customary
statutory usage); P.A. 98-239 added Subsec. (c) to allow Department of Social Services, in conjunction with the Department
of Public Health, to adopt regulations to establish requirements re submission of reports concerning financial solvency
and quality of care by nursing homes and to require that such reports be submitted to the Nursing Home Financial Advisory
Committee, effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 03-278 made technical changes in Subsec. (b), effective July 9, 2003.