Connecticut Medicaid Office

Connecticut Medicaid office (DSS)

HUSKY Health and Access Health CT share one front door in Connecticut. A single household-income screen at the state's portal routes the applicant to HUSKY A, B, C, or D, the no-cost Covered Connecticut program, or a subsidized marketplace plan. The Department of Social Services (DSS) administers Medicaid; Access Health CT runs the marketplace; DSS itself says it partners with Access Health CT "in HUSKY Health and Covered CT enrollment."

What DSS covers beyond Medicaid

HUSKY Health is one of seven program families DSS lists on its landing page. The others — SNAP, Temporary Family Assistance, the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program, the Connecticut Home Care Program for Elders (CHCPE), Social Work and Protective Services for the Elderly, and Child Support Services — go through the same ConneCT intake portal. A change-of-circumstance report at the HUSKY level can ripple into the SNAP and TFA cases on file.

Three sign-in surfaces, one case

• ConneCT — connect.ct.gov is the apply-and-renew portal for every DSS benefit. You can apply for HUSKY without an account; setting one up lets you check status, upload documents, and report changes.
• MyDSS — mydss.ct.gov is the mobile-friendly account view; you can check EBT balance, pull a proof-of-benefits letter, and renew.
• Access Health CT — once you are enrolled in HUSKY A, B, or D, your account moves to accesshealthct.com for renewals and medical-coverage management.

DSS's central office is at 55 Farmington Avenue in Hartford. Address, income, and household changes go through the portal or the DSS Benefits Center phone line, not the central office in person.

Who qualifies for HUSKY Health?

Eligibility in Connecticut is organized by which HUSKY letter fits the household, not by a single Medicaid track. The letters carry meaning. HUSKY A and HUSKY D are both Medicaid but cover different populations; HUSKY B is the separate Children's Health Insurance Program; HUSKY C is Medicaid for people who are 65 or older or have a disability, and it is the channel for long-term services and supports.

The four HUSKY tiers, as DSS defines them

• HUSKY A — Medicaid for children, teens, parents, caretaker relatives, and pregnant individuals.
• HUSKY B — the Children's Health Insurance Program for children and teens up to age 19 whose family income is above the HUSKY A limit.
• HUSKY C — Medicaid for adults 65 and older and adults with disabilities, including long-term services and supports and the Medicaid for Employees with Disabilities (MED-Connect) program.
• HUSKY D — Medicaid for low-income adults without dependent children. This is the ACA expansion population.

Coverage paths that sit next to HUSKY

Two related programs fill gaps for households who are near HUSKY income limits but not under them.

• Covered Connecticut — no-cost health insurance, dental, and non-emergency medical transportation for Connecticut residents ages 19 to 64 who qualify based on income above HUSKY but below the program's ceiling.
• MED-Connect — Medicaid for working adults with disabilities, with higher earnings and asset disregards than HUSKY C.
• Medicare Savings Program — pays Medicare Part B premiums, deductibles, and co-insurance for eligible Medicare enrollees on a separate income test.

Autism Spectrum Disorder benefits inside HUSKY

DSS expanded Autism Spectrum Disorder evaluation and treatment coverage for Medicaid-enrolled members under age 21 effective January 1, 2015. The benefit applies to HUSKY A, C, and D members and pays for medically necessary ASD services through the same managed-care delivery system.

Federal H.R.1 work-requirement changes

DSS posts a standing notice that benefits have changed due to the federal budget reconciliation bill (H.R.1) and is publishing guidance on work requirements and exemptions for SNAP and HUSKY Medicaid. Households should check the current DSS bulletin before assuming their HUSKY eligibility carries over unchanged.

HUSKY Health income limits

DSS updates the HUSKY Health income chart every year on March 1 — not in January when the federal poverty level resets. The current chart, dated March 1, 2026, is published as a monthly and an annual PDF on the DSS HUSKY Health Income Charts page. Verify the figures there before relying on any specific dollar amount.

HUSKY Health income standards by tier

2024 parents and caretaker relatives transition

Public Act 24-81 reduced the HUSKY A income limit for parents and caretaker relatives from 160% to 138% of the federal poverty level. DSS published transition information for households affected by the change, including referral to Covered Connecticut and the Access Health CT marketplace for premium-subsidy alternatives.

Medicare Savings Program and HUSKY C resource limits

HUSKY C and the Medicare Savings Programs use both income and resource tests. The state publishes the figures alongside the HUSKY chart and updates them on the same cycle. Older adults and people with disabilities who would otherwise be over income for HUSKY C should also check the Medicare Savings Programs (QMB, SLMB, ALMB) before assuming they do not qualify for any HUSKY help.

How to apply for HUSKY Health

HUSKY Health applications go through the same ConneCT portal as SNAP, cash assistance, and long-term services. A single Form W-1E (W-1ES in Spanish) handles a mail submission for all of them. The fastest path is online; in person, by phone, and by mail are all supported.

Online — fastest path

Apply at connect.ct.gov. The pre-screening guide on the same site checks which DSS benefits the household may qualify for before submitting. You do not need an account to apply, but setting one up lets you upload documents and check status.

By phone for HUSKY A, B, or D

Call Access Health CT, the state's marketplace partner, to apply for HUSKY A, B, or D over the phone:

• Apply by phone — 1-855-805-4325, Access Health CT enrollment specialists.
• TTY — 1-855-789-2428.

HUSKY C and MED-Connect applications use DSS rather than Access Health; contact the DSS Benefits Center for those.

By mail

Download and mail Form W-1E (English) or W-1ES (Spanish). Include your DSS Client ID on every page if you already have one. Mail to:

DSS ConneCT Scanning Center
P.O. Box 1320
Manchester, CT 06045

In person at a DSS resource center

DSS resource centers accept walk-in applications, take drop-offs, and have outside drop boxes for after-hours returns. DSS asks you to allow 10 days for review before contacting them. Every resource center also offers Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) — a webcam-based on-demand interpreter service — for deaf and hard-of-hearing applicants.

Decision timing

Federal Medicaid rules give the state up to 45 days to decide a non-disability HUSKY application and up to 90 days for an application that requires a disability determination. Pregnancy presumptive eligibility decisions can happen at the hospital or qualifying clinic the same day; coverage can be retroactive up to three months before the application month when the applicant had qualifying medical bills during that window.

What HUSKY Health covers

DSS describes HUSKY Health as a comprehensive benefit package — preventive care, primary care and specialist visits, hospital care, behavioral health, dental, and prescription medications — delivered through state-contracted administrators. Connecticut runs HUSKY without the typical capitated MCO model used in most states; instead, it operates as a self-insured program with carved-out administrators for medical, behavioral, dental, and transportation.

What HUSKY Health covers

• Preventive care, primary care, and specialist visits
• Inpatient and outpatient hospital care
• Behavioral health services (outpatient counseling, crisis, inpatient psychiatric, substance use treatment)
• Dental services
• Prescription medications
• Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) for Medicaid-covered appointments

EPSDT for children

Children under 21 enrolled in HUSKY A, C, or D receive Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment benefits — the federal Medicaid mandate that pays for any medically necessary service for a child, including services adult Medicaid does not always cover. Autism Spectrum Disorder evaluation and treatment have been included in this benefit for HUSKY A, C, and D members under age 21 since January 1, 2015.

Long-term services and supports

DSS itself flags LTSS as "one of the most complex areas of Medicaid." Eligibility goes through HUSKY C with both financial and functional (level-of-care) tests. The Connecticut Home Care Program for Elders (CHCPE) helps people 65 and older stay in their own homes instead of moving to a nursing facility. Other waivers cover Personal Care Assistance, Acquired Brain Injury, and supports for the Department of Developmental Services population.

Coverage for children who do not qualify for federal Medicaid

Connecticut runs separate state-funded coverage for some uninsured children who do not qualify for regular HUSKY A Medicaid or HUSKY B CHIP because of immigration status. DSS publishes the eligibility detail on its Healthcare Coverage page; this state-only coverage is separate from federal HUSKY and is funded entirely by Connecticut.

Other state Medicaid pages