(a) There is created a Department of Aging and Disability Services. The Department of Aging and Disability Services shall be responsible for providing the following: (1) Services to persons who are deaf or hard of hearing; (2) services for persons who are blind or visually impaired; (3) rehabilitation services in accordance with the provisions of the general statutes concerning the Department of Aging and Disability Services; and (4) services for older persons and their families. The Department of Aging and Disability Services shall constitute a successor authority to the Department of Rehabilitation Services in accordance with the provisions of sections 4-38d, 4-38e and 4-39.
(b) The department head shall be the Commissioner of Aging and Disability Services, who shall be appointed by the Governor in accordance with the provisions of sections 4-5 to 4-8, inclusive, and shall have the powers and duties described in said sections. The Commissioner of Aging and Disability Services shall appoint such persons as may be necessary to administer the provisions of public act 11-44* and the Commissioner of Administrative Services shall fix the compensation of such persons in accordance with the provisions of section 4-40. The Commissioner of Aging and Disability Services may create such sections within the Department of Aging and Disability Services as will facilitate such administration, including a disability determinations section for which one hundred per cent federal funds may be accepted for the operation of such section in conformity with applicable state and federal regulations. The Commissioner of Aging and Disability Services may adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, to implement the purposes of the department as established by statute.
(c) The Commissioner of Aging and Disability Services shall, annually, in accordance with section 4-60, submit to the Governor a report in electronic format on the activities of the Department of Aging and Disability Services relating to services provided by the department to persons who (1) are blind or visually impaired, (2) are deaf or hard of hearing, (3) receive vocational rehabilitation services, or (4) are older persons or their families. The report shall include the data the department provides to the federal government that relates to the evaluation standards and performance indicators for the vocational rehabilitation services program. The commissioner shall submit the report in electronic format, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to human services and appropriations and the budgets of state agencies.
(d) The functions, powers, duties and personnel of the former Department on Aging, or any subsequent division or portion of a division with similar functions, powers, duties and personnel, shall be transferred to the Department of Aging and Disability Services pursuant to the provisions of sections 4-38d, 4-38e and 4-39.
(e) The Department of Aging and Disability Services shall constitute a successor department to the former Department on Aging, in accordance with the provisions of sections 4-38d, 4-38e and 4-39. Wherever the words “Commissioner on Aging” are used in the general statutes, the words “Commissioner of Aging and Disability Services” shall be substituted in lieu thereof. Wherever the words “Department on Aging” are used in the general statutes, the words “Department of Aging and Disability Services” shall be substituted in lieu thereof. Any order or regulation of the former Department on Aging that is in force on the effective date of this section shall continue in force and effect as an order or regulation of the Department of Aging and Disability Services until amended, repealed or superseded pursuant to law.
(f) The Governor may, with the approval of the Finance Advisory Committee, transfer funds between the Department of Social Services and the Department of Aging and Disability Services pursuant to subsection (b) of section 4-87 during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018.
(g) The Department of Aging and Disability Services is designated as the State Unit on Aging to administer, manage, design and advocate for benefits, programs and services for older persons and their families pursuant to the Older Americans Act. The department shall study continuously the conditions and needs of older persons in this state in relation to nutrition, transportation, home care, housing, income, employment, health, recreation and other matters. The department 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 older persons. The Department of Aging and Disability Services is designated as the state agency for the administration of nutritional programs for elderly persons described in section 17a-302, the fall prevention program described in section 17a-303a, the CHOICES program described in section 17a-314, the Aging and Disability Resource Center Program described in section 17a-316a and the Alzheimer's respite program described in section 17b-349e.
(P.A. 11-44, S. 1; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-1, S. 28; P.A. 13-7, S. 5; P.A. 16-66, S. 50; P.A. 17-202, S. 62; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 17-2, S. 97, 731; P.A. 18-169, S. 8; P.A. 19-157, S. 67.)
*Note: Public act 11-44 is entitled “An Act Concerning the Bureau of Rehabilitative Services and Implementation of Provisions of the Budget Concerning Human Services and Public Health”. (See Reference Table captioned “Public Acts of 2011” in Volume 16 of the General Statutes of Connecticut, revised to January 1, 2019, which lists the sections amended, created or repealed by the act.)
History: P.A. 11-44 effective July 1, 2011; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-1 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing provision re creation of Bureau of Rehabilitative Services within Department of Social Services for administrative purposes with provisions re creation of Department of Rehabilitation Services and re Department of Social Services providing administrative support services to Department of Rehabilitation Services, and adding provision re successor authority, amended Subsec. (b) by replacing “director of the Bureau of Rehabilitative Services” with “Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services” and made conforming changes, effective July 1, 2012; P.A. 13-7 amended Subsec. (a) to make technical changes, amended Subsec. (b) to add provision allowing Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services to adopt regulations and to make technical changes and added Subsec. (c) re commissioner to submit annual report, effective July 1, 2013; P.A. 16-66 added Subsec. (d) re Department of Rehabilitation Services as successor department to Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities with respect to investigations of allegations of abuse or neglect, effective May 27, 2016; P.A. 17-202 amended Subsec. (a)(1) by replacing “the deaf and hearing impaired” with “persons who are deaf or hard of hearing”, amended Subsec. (a)(2) by replacing “the blind and” with “persons who are blind or”, and amended Subsec. (c) by replacing former Subdivs. (1) to (3) re individuals to whom services are provided by the department with “persons with disabilities”; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 17-2 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing “the deaf and hearing impaired” with “persons who are deaf or hard of hearing” in Subdiv. (1), and replaced “the blind and visually impaired” with “persons who are blind or visually impaired” in Subdiv. (2), amended Subsec. (c) by replacing “individuals” with “persons”, and replacing “hearing impaired” with “hard of hearing” in Subdiv. (2), deleted Subsec. (d) re Department of Rehabilitation Services to constitute successor to Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities, and repealed P.A. 17-202, S. 62, effective October 31, 2017; P.A. 18-169 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting provision re Department of Social Services to provide administrative support services, adding Subdiv. (4) re services for older persons and their families, amended Subsec. (c) by adding Subdiv. (4) re older persons or their families, added Subsec. (d) re functions, powers, duties and personnel of former Department on Aging, added Subsec. (e) re successor department to former Department on Aging, added Subsec. (f) re transfer of funds between Department of Social Services and Department of Rehabilitation Services, added Subsec. (g) re designated State Unit on Aging, and made technical changes, effective June 14, 2018; P.A. 19-157 amended Subsec. (a)(4) to replace “Bureau of Rehabilitative Services” with “Department of Rehabilitation Services”, replaced “Department of Rehabilitation Services” with “Department of Aging and Disability Services” and replaced “Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services” with “Commissioner of Aging and Disability Services”.