Settlement would require state to hire 35 more workers

HARTFORD, Conn. – Under a settlement agreement reached last week in a federal lawsuit, the Connecticut General Assembly will be asked to add 35 positions to the Department of Social Services budget to help process Medicaid applications.

Federal law says the applications must be processed within 45 days, but many had been languishing well-beyond that time period which prompted New Haven Legal Assistance to file a lawsuit against the state back in January 2012.

Because the settlement reached exceeds $2.5 million, it will need to be approved by the General Assembly and the court will still need to certify it because it’s a class action.

“The proposed settlement is a reasonable compromise to end this litigation,” the Department of Social Services said Tuesday in a statement. “If approved by the General Assembly, DSS expects to hire 35 additional eligibility staff for processing long-term care applications.”

Since the Appropriations Committee budget already includes funding for an additional 17 positions, legislators will only be asked to add funding for the remaining 18 positions.

See the complete story at CT News Junkie.