HARTFORD, CT — The Department of Social Services is working to increase its staffing to handle new requirements and potential Medicaid changes, according to Deputy Commissioner Peter Hadler.
Hadler told the Medical Assistance Program Oversight Council (MAPOC) about the department’s early plans to mitigate rising costs and staffing needs as a result of changes to food and medical assistance in the federal budget.
“There’s no community that will not be impacted by this,” Hadler said.
The implementation of Medicaid work requires means the department will have to process more frequent eligibility certifications, which will cost millions of dollars. The department is already increasing staffing to handle the new requirements, and is now focused on the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) and helping clients meet the changes to work requirements for that benefit.
The department is also studying its data to identify clients who may be exempt from work requirements for Medicaid.
Hadler said the best case outcome would be to leverage data that DSS already has to identify people who do not need to go through additional steps to confirm their eligibility for Husky Part D.
One area the state is focusing on is the use of technology to improve the speed and ease of communicating with clients, as the department prepares for increased volumes of recertifications and questions and concerns from residents.
Easha Canada, deputy commissioner and chief strategy officer at DSS, detailed some of the improvements the department has made in recent years, including a virtual hold option to allow the department to call clients back, improvements to its website and document upload features, and expanding use of text messaging for annual renewals and document verification reminders to ensure clients get their information in on time. The department also recently unveiled a new chatbot, named Laurel, which can assist clients with routine questions and help them check their accounts, she said.
Canada also described a new interactive voice response (IVR) system that the department is scheduled to roll out during the fourth quarter of 2025. The system is designed to be a robust, 24-7 self-service option for residents to obtain benefit status and other general inquiries, she said.
Canada said full rollout of the IVR system will take three or four months, and be completed in early 2026.
Despite the continually shifting federal landscape, state Rep. Anne Hughes, D-Easton, expressed optimism about the state’s role in protecting clients.
“I have tremendous faith that we can meet this challenge,” she said. “It is very daunting, and yet we can meet the challenge with the right support and the right resources.”