Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.

Childhood Cancer Lantern
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Connecticut program

Medicaid that does not count parents' income (Katie Beckett)

A Medicaid route for children with intensive care needs that leaves parents’ income out.

What it is

A Medicaid route for children with intensive care needs that leaves parents’ income out.

Katie Beckett is one route to discuss when ordinary HUSKY income rules do not fit and your child has intensive care needs. DSS must check the level of care, the child’s own financial rules and whether a waiver place is available. A cancer diagnosis alone does not establish those tests.

Eligibility rules
  • The medical test is a hospital, nursing-facility or intermediate-care-facility level of care.
  • Parents disclose income, but DSS does not count it against the child.
  • The waiver serves children and young adults up to 22; the state has proposed lowering that to 18 from 2027. Your child's own income and savings still count, and there can be a family contribution.
What you get
  • Full HUSKY coverage after approval and a waiver place becomes available.
  • Approved home and community services.
  • Coverage that can sit behind a private health plan.
What the help covers
  • Waiver services follow the child’s approved service plan. Nursing hours still need their own medical review.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask the DSS Katie Beckett team at 860-424-4904 about an application and the waiting list.
  2. Ask the oncology team for a letter describing the care your child needs at home.
  3. Have your child’s ID and household income ready, even though parents’ income is not counted.

Department of Social Services. 860-424-4904 · Official page ↗

After you apply
  • A place on the waiting list is not coverage. Ask DSS how long the wait is and which date sets your position.
Good to know

There is a waiting list, and being on it is not coverage. Ordinary HUSKY A is faster if your income fits.

Other details
  • Ordinary HUSKY A avoids this waiver’s waiting-list route when the child meets its income test.

Federal background: A Medicaid option you may hear called Katie Beckett.

Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Do our child’s home-care needs meet the Katie Beckett test? Could you explain the waiting list and any costs, and help us apply if this is a useful route?”

Why I’m asking: I want to know whether our child can get Medicaid when our income is above the usual line.

More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules

Who does what

The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.

You

The application includes the oncology team’s description of care at home. DSS explains waiting-list placement.

Your social worker

The oncology social worker helps gather the medical record and explains the level of care in the words the waiver asks for.

The care team

The doctor documents the disability and the level of care a hospital would otherwise give.

Who decides
The Department of Social Services decides, on the child's disability and level of care, and manages the waiting list.
Ask your social worker
“Could Katie Beckett help our child, and could you explain the application, medical review and waiting list?”

How to apply

First step: An application begins through DSS at 860-424-4904, with the child’s medical and financial information.

  1. DSS confirms capacity, wait time, the date and rule establishing waiting-list position, and any exceptions. A position on the list is not active Medicaid.
  2. Ask the oncology team to write what care your child needs at home and at what level.
  3. As of September 17, 2026, the current waiver serves ages 0–22. An age-18 maximum for the term after December 31, 2026 is proposed, not an approved current rule. DSS confirms approved renewal and transition terms.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Call the Katie Beckett line at 860-424-4904 and ask to start an application and be placed on the waiting list.

What to gather

  • Child's ID and Social Security number
  • The oncology team's letter about care needed at home
  • Household income, which is disclosed but not counted against the child

How long: DSS confirms capacity, wait time, the date and rule establishing waiting-list position, and any exceptions. A position on the list is not active Medicaid. The current waiver term ends December 31, 2026.

What a yes looks like

A HUSKY card for the child and a service plan describing the care approved at home.

What a no looks like, and the next move

If it is the level of care, ask the oncology team what wording the waiver needs. If it is a place on the list, ask where you sit and when you will be reached.

Watch out

  • DSS confirms capacity, wait time, the date and rule establishing waiting-list position, and any exceptions. A position on the list is not active Medicaid.
  • A leukemia diagnosis by itself is not the test; the level of care at home is.
  • As of September 17, 2026, the current waiver serves ages 0–22. An age-18 maximum for the term after December 31, 2026 is proposed, not an approved current rule. DSS confirms approved renewal and transition terms.

Dates that change this

2027-01-01: As of September 17, 2026, the current waiver serves ages 0–22. An age-18 maximum for the term after December 31, 2026 is proposed, not an approved current rule. DSS confirms approved renewal and transition terms.

2026-12-31: The approved waiver runs to December 31, 2026. A renewal is drafted but not approved, so the terms from January 2027 are unknown.

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.

What it is worth

Full Medicaid for the child without counting the parents' income, after a waiting list.

Covers: Full HUSKY coverage for the child · Home and community services the waiver approves · HUSKY can coexist with work insurance. The work plan pays first. For covered, authorized care during eligibility, an enrolled Medicaid provider generally cannot bill private cost sharing even when HUSKY pays nothing extra. Noncovered services and advance agreements need separate review.

Legal protection: Parents' income is disclosed but is not counted against the child

What it costs the family: DSS confirms the child’s financial eligibility and any contribution. Excluding parents’ income does not settle those tests.

The eligibility facts, as published

Age
As of September 17, 2026, the current waiver serves ages 0–22. An age-18 maximum for the term after December 31, 2026 is proposed, not an approved current rule. DSS confirms approved renewal and transition terms.
Age max exclusive
23
Income
the parents' income is disclosed but not counted
Insurance status condition
none: it sits behind a private plan
Residency
Connecticut
Level of care
hospital, nursing-facility or ICF level of care
Processing standard
unknown

Decisions this site cannot make: DSS waiver eligibility: disability, institutional level of care, and a waiting list

Expect friction on: DSS confirms capacity, wait time, the date and rule establishing waiting-list position, and any exceptions. A position on the list is not active Medicaid.

The trap: DSS confirms capacity, wait time, the date and rule establishing waiting-list position, and any exceptions. A position on the list is not active Medicaid.

Where I read this

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