HB 7109 Connecticut House · 2025 Regular Session

AN ACT CONCERNING IMPLEMENTING CERTAIN RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE TRANSFORMING CHILDREN'S BEHAVIORAL HEALTH POLICY AND PLANNING COMMITTEE AND ABUSE INVESTIGATIONS INVOLVING BEHAVIORAL ANALYSTS.

HB 7109 implements recommendations from Connecticut's Transforming Children's Behavioral Health Policy and Planning Committee. It directs state agencies to use federal grant funds to develop new payment models that reward providers for improved child behavioral health outcomes, create better care coordination systems, and require at least one hour of in-person supervision for every ten hours of behavioral therapy provided to children under 26 with autism spectrum disorder. The bill also mandates a review of Yale University's IICAPS program for children at risk of hospitalization and updates definitions of "behavioral therapy" to clarify supervision requirements. Additionally, it directs health officials to examine private insurance coverage for urgent crisis center care for children.

Issues: ✓ Healthcare

Sub-Topics: Mental Health Insurance

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 27, 2025 Last action May 19, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

HS Joint Favorable Substitute → APP Joint Favorable Substitute · 7 edits

MODERATE

The bill was significantly rewritten to shift focus from expanding Medicaid coverage for applied behavior analysis services to implementing a federal grant program for behavioral health clinics and reviewing in-home psychiatric services. The original text establishing new Medicaid payment rates and coverage for behavior analysts was removed, while new sections were added to utilize federal grant funding for care coordination and payment models. Additionally, the bill now includes provisions to evaluate an existing in-home psychiatric program and update definitions related to behavioral therapy eligibility.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed from primarily expanding Medicaid coverage for applied behavior analysis services to implementing federal grant programs for behavioral health clinics and reviewing specific in-home psychiatric treatment models.

SCOPE

Removed original Section 1 that established Medicaid payment rate increases and coverage for applied behavior analysis services by board-certified behavior analysts.

Removed original Section 2 that duplicated the federal grant program provisions now found in the new Section 1.

FISCAL

Added new Section 1 to utilize federal Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics Planning Grant funds for developing reimbursement models, value-based payment systems, and care navigation tools.

Added new Section 3 to allow the Transforming Children's Behavioral Health Policy and Planning Committee to contract with Yale Child Study Center for federal funding analysis and randomized trials of in-home psychiatric treatment models.

REQUIREMENT

Added new Section 2 to require the Commissioner of Social Services to consult with Yale Child Study Center to review in-home psychiatric services and report findings to the Transforming Children's Behavioral Health Policy and Planning Committee.

Added new Section 5 to require the Commissioner of Health Strategy to review private health insurance coverage for treatment of children at urgent crisis centers.

DEFINITION

Modified Section 4 to change the effective date from January 1, 2026 to January 1, 2026 (unchanged) but corrected the referenced statute from section 38a-514b to section 38a-488b.

Raised Bill → HS Joint Favorable Substitute · 8 edits

MODERATE

This bill was revised from a 'Raised Bill' to a 'Substitute Bill' with significant substantive changes. The scope was expanded to include abuse investigations involving behavioral analysts in the title. Key policy changes include reorganizing Medicaid coverage provisions for applied behavior analysis services, adding new requirements for reporting, and replacing sections on psychiatric services with new definitions for behavioral therapy and applied behavior analysis under state law.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include abuse investigations involving behavioral analysts in the title, and the structure of Medicaid coverage provisions was reorganized to clarify implementation requirements.

TITLE

Added 'and Abuse Investigations Involving Behavioral Analysts' to the bill title, expanding the scope beyond just Medicaid coverage.

FISCAL

Reorganized Medicaid payment provisions to specify that rates will be increased within available appropriations and clarified that codes will be standardized using commercial insurer codes and other state Medicaid programs.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new subsection requiring the Commissioner of Social Services to submit a report by December 1, 2025, on progress and funding needs for applied behavior analysis services.

TIMELINE

Changed the effective date for Section 2 from 'from passage' to 'July 1, 2025' to align with other sections of the bill.

DEFINITION

Added a new definition for 'Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics Planning Grant' and expanded requirements for using grant funds to develop reimbursement and value-based payment models.

Added a new definition for 'Behavioral Therapy' in Section 4, specifying it includes applied behavior analysis and cognitive behavioral therapy for individuals under 26 years of age, supervised by licensed professionals.

SCOPE

Removed the original Section 4 regarding Intensive In-Home Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Services (IICAPS) and replaced it with a new Section 4 that defines 'Behavioral Therapy' under state law.

ENFORCEMENT

Changed the reporting deadline for the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics Planning Grant from September 1, 2025, to November 1, 2025.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

May 5, 2025

Lower · Passed

Joint Favorable Substitute

lower

Apr 29, 2025

Lower · Passed

REF. BY HOUSE TO COMMITTEE ON Appropriations

lower

Mar 19, 2025

Lower · Passed

Joint Favorable Substitute

lower

Feb 27, 2025

Committee

REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Human Services

lower

2 primary · 0 co-sponsors