How to start a hospice in Connecticut

Connecticut requires a Hospice agency license (also: hospice inpatient facility; short-term hospital special hospice) from Connecticut Department of Public Health, Facility Licensing and Investigations Section to operate a hospice. Fee: Per CGS 19a-491: hospice agency satellite patient service office $100 each; hospice inpatient facility $440 per site + $5 per bed; short-term hospital special hospice $940 per site + $7.50 per bed. The statute does not list a separate per-agency base fee for hospice agencies.

License required

Yes

License

Hospice agency license (also: hospice inpatient facility; short-term hospital special hospice)

Issuing agency

Connecticut Department of Public Health, Facility Licensing and Investigations Section

Fee

Per CGS 19a-491: hospice agency satellite patient service office $100 each; hospice inpatient facility $440 per site + $5 per bed; short-term hospital special hospice $940 per site + $7.50 per bed. The statute does not list a separate per-agency base fee for hospice agencies.

Renewal

Every 2 years · Licensing and inspection is biennial for most institutions; for Medicare/Medicaid-certified hospice agencies described in CGS 19a-493, satellite-office fees are charged on a triennial cycle.

Insurance and bonds

Hospice agencies must carry professional liability insurance or indemnity of at least $1 million per person per occurrence and $3 million aggregate.

Medicare certification

Medicare certification is separate from the state license (state survey or CMS-approved accreditor). CMS imposed a nationwide 6-month moratorium on new Medicare hospice enrollments (including new practice locations) effective 2026-05-13, extendable in 6-month increments; applications received by the Medicare contractor before that date are still processed, accreditation cannot be used for deemed-status entry during the moratorium, and a hospice undergoing a non-exempt ownership change within 36 months of enrollment must re-enroll as new and is therefore blocked. The federal notice leaves Medicaid/CHIP hospice moratoria to each state.

Regulation

Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 19a-490, 19a-491, 19a-493 (chapter 368v); Regs. Conn. State Agencies § 19a-495 (hospice inpatient facility / special hospice rules)

1. Apply to DPH on the Department's form with the information it requires (notarization not required)
2. Show evidence of ability to comply with DPH standards; DPH may require a consent order as a condition of licensure
3. Carry professional liability insurance before operating
4. Pass DPH licensing inspection and pay the statutory fees

Program

Connecticut Medical Assistance Program (HUSKY Health)

Enrollment portal

CMAP Provider Enrollment/Re-enrollment Wizard (www.ctdssmap.com)

Fiscal agent

Gainwell Technologies (Provider Enrollment Unit, Hartford)

Application fee

Connecticut's application asks institutional providers to pay or attest to prior payment of the federal fee at enrollment, re-enrollment and when adding a service location; DSS sends a letter after submission if a fee is due. Federal rule (42 CFR 455.460): the state must collect the CMS application fee from institutional providers that are newly enrolling or re-enrolling; individual physicians and non-physician practitioners are exempt, as are providers already enrolled in (or that already paid the fee to) Medicare or another state's Medicaid/CHIP. CMS set the fee at $750 for calendar year 2026.

Fingerprinting

The enrollment wizard states that fingerprint-based checks apply to providers placed in the high-risk level at enrollment or re-enrollment. Federal rule (42 CFR 455.434, 455.450(c)): providers the state places in the 'high' categorical risk level, and anyone owning 5% or more of such a provider, must submit fingerprints for a criminal background check.

Site visit

Federal rule (42 CFR 455.432, 455.450(b)-(c)): the state must do site visits before and after enrollment for providers in the 'moderate' or 'high' risk levels, and any enrolled provider must allow unannounced on-site inspections.

Revalidation

Connecticut calls revalidation 're-enrollment': most provider types re-enroll every five years, with a notice letter six months before their contract ends. Federal rule (42 CFR 455.414): every enrolled provider must be revalidated at least once every 5 years.

Full Connecticut Medicaid enrollment guide →

CON program

Yes

Program

Certificate of Need

Agency

Connecticut Office of Health Strategy, Health Systems Planning Unit (hospitals, surgery centers, behavioral health, imaging, ownership transfers); Department of Social Services for nursing homes and residential facilities for persons with intellectual disability

Services covered

• new health care facilities (hospitals, specialty hospitals)
• freestanding emergency departments
• outpatient surgical facilities
• mental health facilities
• substance abuse treatment facilities
• cardiac services
• termination of hospital services
• transfers of ownership of health care facilities and large group practices
• nursing homes (DSS)
• residential facilities for persons with intellectual disability / ICF (DSS)

Moratoria

CGS §17b-354 bars the Department of Social Services from accepting or approving requests for additional nursing home beds, with limited exceptions (e.g., beds restricted to AIDS or neurological rehabilitation patients, certain continuing care facility beds not used for Medicaid, and Medicaid bed relocations that meet a priority need in the state strategic plan).

Connecticut certificate of need details →

State minimum wage

$16.94 an hour

Effective

2026-01-01

Scheduled increases

Rises to $17.48 on 2027-01-01 (indexed to the employment cost index).

Rate pass-through

PA 25-168 raises nursing home Medicaid rates to fund wage increases for nursing, aide, dietary, housekeeping, laundry and maintenance staff: 3% on 2025-07-01, 3% on 2026-07-01 and 4% on 2027-01-01. A home that takes the add-on but does not raise wages may have its rate cut by the same amount. A further pool in FY2028 is aimed first at a $26/hour CNA minimum from 2028-01-01, to the extent funds allow.

HCBS 80/20 rule

Federal baseline: 42 CFR 441.302(k) requires the state to show that each provider spends at least 80% of Medicaid payments for homemaker, home health aide and personal care services under 1915(c) waivers on direct care worker pay and benefits. Compliance starts 2030-07-09 (for managed care, the first rating period starting on or after that date); annual payment-adequacy reporting under 441.311(e) starts 2028-07-09. A state may set a lower share for state-defined small providers and exempt providers facing hardship, each only through a public notice-and-comment process. The eCFR text has not changed since 2024-07-09. No state-published 80/20 implementation step (small-provider criteria, hardship exemption or reporting guidance) was found for this state in the official sources reviewed.

Hospice agencies (community based) — active organization NPIs (NPPES)

70 (as of Sep 13, 2026)

Medicare-certified hospices (CMS Care Compare)

28 (as of Aug 19, 2026)

Total Medicaid and CHIP enrollment (latest reported month)

895,290 (as of Jun 1, 2026)

All Connecticut Hospice Medicaid rates, ranked →