Connecticut’s autism waiver program provides services like respite care, live-in companions and job coaching. That assistance can be invaluable for people with autism and their families.
But the waitlist for the program is long. Roughly 2,400 people are seeking spots. Some have been eligible for more than a decade.
State lawmakers tried to chip away at that problem in recent years by adding more capacity.
But as we discovered, much of that additional capacity remains unused — sparking disappointment and surprise from advocates, families and a lawmaker with oversight of the program.
To explore why, The Accountability Project spoke with several Connecticut families who have struggled securing assistance for a loved one with autism.
In Hamden, we visited 18-year-old Keighan Kosminoff, who relies on his mother for help with daily activities. Karen Kosminoff, a single parent, juggles working full-time and helping Keighan with school, meals and transportation.
Karen said she believes her son could learn to accomplish more on his own if the family had additional support.
"He needs help to become independent, because I believe he's capable," she said. "But things like life coaches aren't covered by insurance, and I can't afford them."
The state Department of Social Services (DSS), which runs the program, has struggled with short-staffing and doesn’t have enough case managers to run the program.
Sheldon Toubman, an attorney for the nonprofit civil rights organization Disability Rights Connecticut, told me that was a "bombshell piece of information."
"Everybody, including me, thought the issue was slots," Toubman said when I talked to him last year. "And you're telling me, ‘No, it doesn't matter. You can open up slots. There won't be services,' which is really, really highly problematic."
Jalmar De Dios, a spokesperson for DSS, said his department is also grappling with a lack of available autism service providers in Connecticut, which limits the agency's ability to fill the slots.
Medicaid reimbursement rates are lower in Connecticut than in neighboring states. Some autism service providers in Connecticut don't accept Medicaid patients, or limit the number they see as they struggle to keep up with their own costs.
De Dios said DSS is waiting to hire more case managers until it can stabilize the provider network.
Nevertheless, the agency recently added more administrative capacity. After a series of stops and starts, it began soliciting candidates for two open case manager positions in late October 2025, shortly after we posed questions about the unfilled positions.
Bonnie Roswig, a senior attorney at the Center for Children's Advocacy, said Connecticut needs to pay providers fair wages, and also address administrative shortcomings at DSS.
"The state is not committing the resources, not only to the program, to their staff, but also in terms of reimbursement rates," Roswig said.
