What a managed residential community must provide in Connecticut

What is a managed residential community in Connecticut?

A managed residential community is a group of private apartments offering a managed living environment mainly for people 55 or older; it registers with DPH, must provide a set of core services, and must bring in a licensed assisted living services agency for any personal or nursing care.

The phrase rarely appears on a sign or brochure, but it is the legal identity of nearly every assisted living building in Stamford, Greenwich, Danbury or Shelton. Residents may live in an MRC without receiving any ALSA services, which is how many communities mix independent and assisted residents under one roof.

Which core services must every MRC provide?

Before any assisted living services enter the picture, an MRC must provide three regularly scheduled meals a day, housekeeping, laundry, transportation for certain needs, unit maintenance and social and recreational programs (19-13-D105(c)(3) and (4)).

• Three regularly scheduled meals a day
• Regularly scheduled housekeeping, laundry and transportation
• Maintenance of living units
• Social and recreational programs
• 24-hour security, an emergency call system in each unit, on-site laundry and common space

An MRC must also have an on-site service coordinator who reports to the administrator, helps residents meet personal needs, makes sure core services are available and coordinates with the agencies that serve residents (19-13-D105(c)(5)). Ask who the service coordinator is; that person is often the most useful contact for a family day to day.

Can a managed residential community give medications or nursing care itself?

No: unless it is itself licensed as an ALSA, an MRC may not administer medications, supervise residents' self-administration, provide rehabilitation therapy or provide nursing care, and must contract with a DPH-licensed ALSA instead (CGS 19a-564; 19-13-D105(c)(6)).

At a resident's request the MRC and ALSA may arrange ancillary services such as dental care, physical therapy, pharmacy or hospice (CGS 19a-694). In practice that means a family may sign one agreement for the apartment and core services and another for care, with separate price lists. Read both before comparing monthly costs between communities, because one community's base rate may include care hours that another bills separately.

What must an MRC residency agreement say?

Every MRC resident gets a written residency agreement covering services, charges and fees (including late fees and penalties), grievance procedures, termination terms, what happens if health deteriorates or a resident dies, and dementia special care unit services if they apply.

Agreements signed on or after October 1, 2024 must also explain how recurring fees can change, including any scheduled increases, and disclose every nonrefundable fee (CGS 19a-700). MRCs must give 90 days' notice before raising monthly or recurring fees (CGS 19a-694). Ask for the community's last three years of increases in writing; the law now requires the mechanism to be disclosed, and the history shows how it has been used.

Is Connecticut going to license managed residential communities?

Possibly: Public Act 26-13 directs DPH to convene a working group on whether licensing MRCs would improve residents' health, safety and well-being, with a report to the legislature due February 1, 2027.

The state auditors had recommended that DPH resume biennial inspections and complaint investigations of MRCs; DPH said it lacked the statutory authority. Until the law changes, the ALSA license and the MRC registration are the two state touchpoints, and the Long-Term Care Ombudsman (1-866-388-1888) serves residents of both.