Medication Switching Law
In 2011, the Epilepsy was able to get Public Act 11-44 successfully passed through the Connecticut General Assembly. This legislation, "AN ACT CONCERNING THE BUREAU OF REHABILITATIVE SERVICES AND IMPLEMENTATION OF PROVISIONS OF THE BUDGET CONCERNING HUMAN SERVICES AND PUBLIC HEALTH", made Connecticut become the first state in the country to require the pharmacist to receive the consent of a physician before substituting epilepsy medication. This new law, which went into effect on October 1st, 2011 will ensure that people with epilepsy receive a consistent supply of their medication. Prior to passage of this law substitution could and did occur without notice potentially leading to dire and life changing consequences.
If you’ve experience illegal switching of your epilepsy medication(s) please contact us, at
info@epilepsyct.com
Emergency Medication Law
In 2015, the Epilepsy Foundation of Connecticut successfully advocated for the passage of Public Act 15-215, "AN ACT CONCERNING VARIOUS REVISIONS AND ADDITIONS TO THE EDUCATION STATUTES."
This legislation allowed for critical access to the emergency seizure medication, Diastat, in a school setting. This was a great accomplishment for the Epilepsy community in Connecticut.
Katie Beckett Waiver Program
In 2019, the Epilepsy Foundation of Connecticut successfully advocated for adding additional state funding for the Katie Beckett Waiver Program. This additional funding, through House Bill 7092, allowed for wait times to be cut by years for those waiting to receive services through this critical waiver program.
The Katie Beckett Waiver Program is a program that allows the State of Connecticut Department of Social Services to provide Medicaid services to individuals 21 years of age and younger who have a physical disability and may or may not have a co-occurring developmental disability, who would normally not qualify financially for Medicaid due to family income.
Task Force For Employment Opportunities
Also in 2019, the Epilepsy Foundation of Connecticut helped to pass House Bill 7093, "AN ACT ESTABLISHING A TASK FORCE TO INCREASE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES."
Individuals living with epilepsy often struggle to gain and retain quality employment due to their diagnosis. This task force will be instrumental in exploring and identifying quality employment opportunities for vulnerable populations, including those living with epilepsy. We are also pleased to announce that our executive director, Linda Wallace, was appointed to the task force by the House Majority Leader, Representative Matt Ritter.
Halyn’s Law
In 2021 The Epilepsy Foundation of Connecticut Passed Halyn’s Law. The law honors Halyn Murtha who passed away from Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy two months prior to her 10th birthday in 2019. It will be instrumental in lowering instances of SUDEP in Connecticut by requiring the continuing medical education of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to include in-depth training on SUDEP. The law also allows for more information to be collected by the North American SUDEP Registry so risk factors associated with SUDEP can be identified.
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