Connecticut CHESS NEMT Benefit Ended August 15, 2026

Connecticut’s Housing Engagement and Support Services program, known as CHESS, ended on August 15, 2026. CMS approved state plan amendment CT-26-0023 on August 14, 2026, effective the next day. It ends the CHESS benefit and removes the one line of the state’s NEMT rules that belonged to it: mileage paid through the Medicaid ride broker to CHESS provider staff who drove members in their own cars. Every other kind of Medicaid ride in Connecticut stays the same.

What changed on August 15, 2026

The Department of Social Services (DSS) posted notice of three amendments on June 16, 2026 and took comments until July 16. It submitted CT-26-0023 to CMS on June 30, 2026.

Amendment	What it does	Status
CT-26-0022	Ends the eligibility group for people receiving CHESS services	Approved August 14, 2026, effective August 15, 2026
CT-26-0023	Ends the CHESS benefit and takes its mileage out of the NEMT pages of the state plan	Approved August 14, 2026, effective August 15, 2026
CT-26-0024	Ends CHESS services in the benefit plan for HUSKY D adults	Proposed by DSS with an August 15, 2026 effective date

Before the change, the state plan listed mileage reimbursement for CHESS providers “who are using their personal vehicle” among the ride types the broker could pay. That phrase is gone from the approved pages for both the categorically needy and the medically needy. DSS’s notice put it plainly: CHESS providers will no longer be reimbursed for mileage under the state’s NEMT benefit.

What CHESS was

CHESS was a Medicaid home and community-based services benefit under section 1915(i) of the Social Security Act. It began on August 16, 2021 under a five-year approval. It served adults 18 and older with a mental health or substance use disorder diagnosis who were homeless or at risk of it, had a high risk of serious illness, and needed hands-on help or cueing with at least two daily tasks, such as transportation, managing medications, or keeping housing.

It paid for four services: care plan development and monitoring, pre-tenancy supports, tenancy sustaining supports, and non-medical transportation. The non-medical transportation service paid mileage at the IRS standard rate when provider staff drove the member in their own vehicle, or bought bus passes, for trips tied to goals in the member’s care plan. It was capped at $1,000 a year and could not duplicate a ride the NEMT benefit already covered.

DSS gave its reasons in the June notice. A program review found a chronic provider shortage, high demand against a limited number of housing vouchers and affordable homes, and staffing problems at providers. So the state chose not to renew the CHESS 1915(i) benefit or the 1915(b)(4) waiver that went with it, and let the program expire. The notice called the change cost neutral, with no fiscal impact in state fiscal years 2026 and 2027.

What did not change

The broker program itself is untouched. MTM Health remains the broker that arranges Medicaid rides for DSS, as of September 2026, and members book at 1-855-478-7350. DSS lists HUSKY A, C, and D and Covered CT enrollees as eligible for NEMT when they have no other way to get to a medical appointment.

The approved pages still list these ride types, among others:

Taxi and livery, including wheelchair accessible taxi and livery
Wheelchair vans, and invalid coaches licensed by the state Department of Public Health
Bus passes, public transit, and ADA paratransit
Mileage paid to members, family, friends, and companions or attendants in the state’s home and community-based waiver programs
Mileage for homemaker-companion agencies under the Connecticut Home Care Program for Elders
Independent driver-providers working through a transportation network company
Air and ground ambulance, and commercial air for specialty care not available in Connecticut or a bordering state

For how the program, permits, and insurance work, see our Connecticut guide and the MTM Health provider guide.

Who it affects

Livery and wheelchair van companies. Your MTM work does not change. The trip types you drive, and the way MTM sends and pays them, were not part of these amendments.

Agencies that provided CHESS services. Their staff can no longer claim mileage through the broker for driving a member in a personal car. The CHESS non-medical transportation service ended too, so CHESS no longer pays for trips to housing appointments, community services, or work.

Former CHESS members. A member who still has HUSKY A, C, or D keeps the regular NEMT benefit and can book medical rides through MTM like any other member.

What Connecticut NEMT providers should do now

Keep your MTM credentials current. Nothing in your broker agreement changed, and MTM still books HUSKY rides statewide.
Talk to the agencies you serve. If you drive for supportive housing or behavioral health programs, tell them that clients with HUSKY A, C, or D can still get medical rides booked through MTM.
Price non-medical trips as private pay. A ride to a housing office or a job is not a Medicaid trip. If an agency asks you to cover those, agree on a rate and who pays in writing first. See private pay NEMT.
Check coverage before each ride. Confirm the rider’s HUSKY coverage and that MTM booked the trip. See eligibility verification.
Keep mileage programs straight. Member and family mileage reimbursement goes on through MTM. Only the CHESS staff mileage ended.

For the bigger picture of who pays for rides, see who pays for NEMT.

Who to contact

Office	Contact	For
MTM Health, Connecticut Medicaid rides	1-855-478-7350	Booking and ride questions
DSS HUSKY eligibility	1-855-626-6632	Whether a member is covered
DSS Medical Policy Unit	Public.Comment.DSS@ct.gov, 55 Farmington Avenue, 9th Floor, Hartford, CT 06105	Copies of the amendments