If your Connecticut Medicaid (HUSKY Health) was denied, cut, or terminated, you have the right to appeal and request a fair hearing, and you can often keep your benefits while the appeal is decided. Connecticut gives you 60 days from the date on your notice to ask for that hearing, and if you ask before the change takes effect, your coverage can continue until a hearing officer rules.

In This Guide

What You Can Appeal in Connecticut Medicaid

Federal law guarantees every Medicaid applicant and beneficiary the right to a fair hearing before the state agency. Section 1902(a)(3) of the Social Security Act requires each state plan to offer a hearing to anyone whose claim for medical assistance is denied or is not acted on promptly, and the implementing regulation at 42 CFR 431.220 extends that right to anyone who believes the agency acted in error or made an adverse determination.

In Connecticut, that right is administered by the Department of Social Services (DSS), which runs Medicaid under the HUSKY Health name. You can request a fair hearing when DSS takes an action that:

  • Denies your application for coverage
  • Terminates or reduces coverage you already have
  • Reduces the hours or amount of a service you were receiving
  • Denies a service through a prior authorization or level-of-care decision

The right reaches across the program, not just applications. If a DSS Notice of Action tells you that something is being denied, cut, or ended, that notice is the trigger for your appeal, and it carries the date your deadlines run from.

The Deadlines That Decide Your Connecticut Medicaid Appeal

Two deadlines govern a Connecticut Medicaid appeal, and they are not the same date.

The first is the request window. For Connecticut Medicaid, the hearing request must be made within 60 days from the date of the DSS Notice of Action. Federal law sets a ceiling of 90 days from the date the notice is mailed, and a state is allowed to use a shorter operational window below that ceiling, which is what Connecticut's 60-day rule does. Do not assume you have 90 days: the deadline that governs you is 60 days from the date printed on your Connecticut notice.

The second is the continuation window, which falls before the date of action. It is a separate and earlier deadline, and it is the one that keeps your benefits flowing while you appeal. It is covered in the next section.

One more protection applies to renewals. If your coverage was ended only because you did not return a renewal form or requested information on time, you do not always have to reapply. Under 42 CFR 435.916, if you submit the renewal form or the missing information within 90 days after the termination date, the agency must reconsider your eligibility without a new application.

How to Keep Your Benefits During the Appeal

Keeping your coverage during an appeal is called aid paid pending, and in Connecticut it is more generous for Medicaid than for other benefits.

For Medicaid (HUSKY), your benefits may continue if you make the hearing request any time before the date of the proposed action shown on your notice. That is a wider window than the one DSS applies to its other programs, which generally require the request within 10 days of the notice.

This continuation right comes from 42 CFR 431.230(a): when the agency sends the required advance notice and you request the hearing before the date of action, it may not terminate or reduce your services until a decision is rendered after the hearing. The trigger is the date of action on the notice, not the day it reached your mailbox.

The practical takeaway: when an adverse-action notice arrives, find the date of the proposed action on it and request your hearing before that date. Ask in writing, and act early, because the continuation deadline can come well before the 60-day deadline to request the hearing itself.

Managed Care and Your Appeal in Connecticut

In many states, a Medicaid member who is denied a service by a private managed care organization (MCO) must first appeal to that plan and exhaust its one internal appeal before a state fair hearing is available. Connecticut works differently.

Connecticut does not run Medicaid through risk-based managed care organizations. Since January 1, 2011, HUSKY Health has been self-insured, with all services coordinated through a single statewide Administrative Services Organization (ASO) rather than competing risk-bearing health plans. Because there are no risk-based plans, there is no separate plan roster and no plan-level internal appeal to complete before your hearing.

What this means for you is simpler than in a managed care state: when you disagree with a coverage or service decision, you request a fair hearing from the DSS hearing office directly. There is no health-plan appeal step standing between you and the state hearing.

How to Request a Fair Hearing in Connecticut

Connecticut Medicaid fair hearings are handled by the DSS Office of Legal Counsel, Regulations and Administrative Hearings (OLCRAH), the unit within DSS that hears these appeals.

The best way to request a hearing is to use the Hearing Request Form that is attached to your DSS Notice of Action. If that is not possible, a letter to the hearing office that is signed by the applicant or recipient and explains why a hearing is requested is also accepted. The letter should include the person's name, address, identification number, and which program decision is being appealed.

Requests go to the Office of Legal Counsel, Regulations and Administrative Hearings, 55 Farmington Avenue, 11th floor, Hartford, CT 06105. The Administrative Hearings main telephone number is 860-424-5760 within the Hartford calling area, or 1-800-462-0134 (toll-free) outside the Hartford calling area.

After you file, DSS generally schedules the hearing to take place within 30 days of receiving your request, and the hearing officer generally issues the final decision no later than 90 days after DSS receives the hearing request. That decision time can be extended if you ask for or agree to an extension, or when the Commissioner of Social Services documents an administrative or other circumstance beyond the agency's control.

Frequently Asked Questions

What date does my Connecticut Medicaid appeal deadline count from?

Count from the date printed on your DSS Notice of Action, not the day the envelope reached you. You have 60 days from that notice date to request a Connecticut Medicaid fair hearing. Federal law allows up to 90 days from the date the notice is mailed, but Connecticut uses the shorter 60-day window, so find the date on your own notice and count forward from there.

Will my benefits stop before my Connecticut Medicaid fair hearing is decided?

Not if you act in time. For Medicaid (HUSKY), your benefits may continue if you request the hearing before the date of the proposed action shown on your notice. This follows the federal continuation rule at 42 CFR 431.230(a). That continuation date is a separate and earlier deadline than the 60-day window to request the hearing, so file in writing before the date of action rather than waiting.

Do I need a lawyer for a Connecticut Medicaid fair hearing?

No. You can represent yourself, and you may also authorize an attorney, a family member, or another representative to act on your behalf. Free or low-cost help is available from legal aid organizations in Connecticut, and it is worth asking about representation for level-of-care and complex prior authorization disputes, where documentation from a treating provider often decides the case.

What if I miss the deadline, or do I have to appeal to a health plan first?

Missing the 60-day window can forfeit your right to a hearing, so file as soon as you can. If your coverage ended only because a renewal form or requested information was late, you may not need to reapply: submitting it within 90 days of the termination date requires the agency to reconsider your eligibility. And because Connecticut does not use risk-based managed care organizations, there is no plan-level appeal to exhaust first, you request the DSS hearing directly.

Learn More

MedicaidHow to Appeal a Medicaid DenialDenied Medicaid? You can appeal, and one deadline decides whether your benefits keep flowing during the appeal. Know your fair-hearing rights and act fast. MedicaidConnecticut Medicaid: The Complete GuideConnecticut Medicaid (HUSKY Health) covers seniors through DSS. Learn the $1,600 asset limit, spend-down, Medicare Savings Programs, and how to apply in 2026. MedicaidHow to Apply for Connecticut MedicaidHow to apply for Connecticut Medicaid (HUSKY Health) via ConneCT, phone, or in person. Covers the $1,600 asset limit, spend-down, documents, and appeals. MedicaidConnecticut Medicaid Estate RecoveryConnecticut Medicaid estate recovery applies to LTC recipients 55+. Learn who is protected, what DSS can claim, and how to respond to a claim.

Find personalized help navigating a Connecticut Medicaid appeal at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.

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Brevy Care Team

Expert eldercare guidance from Brevy's team of healthcare professionals and researchers.