Residential Care Homes

Residential Care Homes, often call boarding homes, are licensed by the Connecticut Department of Public Health, but do not provide a range of health care services. Under state law, they are required to provide food, shelter and “services which meet a need beyond the basic provision of food, shelter and laundry.”

Most often the additional service is the administration of medications. State law authorizes the administration of medications by unlicensed personnel in residential care homes who comply with certification requirements.

Residential Care Home residents who have received services from a DMHAS provider should continue to receive appropriate and necessary services from that provider. Services should not be terminated simply because the person lives in a residential care home. The resident has the right to move to a less restrictive setting and to receive services to pursue his or her interests and goals.

Residents of residential care homes are covered by the same Patient’s Bill of Rights that applies to nursing home residents. However, there is a separate statute that governs transfers and discharges at residential care homes which provides for hearings at the Department of Public Health.

CLRP may represent residents of residential care homes who have previously been represented by the program or cannot be served by Disability Rights CT.

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