The Office of Community Living (OCL) within the Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF) has the following information to share below:

Announcements:

• Join Our Beta Test for the Direct Care Careers Center - Your Expertise Needed!

• REMINDER: Apply for an ARPA 7.02 Member Emergency Preparedness Surviving in Place Battery Backup Power Supply System

Memos:

• Case Management Redesign Member Exceptions Process

• National Core Indicator (NCI) - State of the Workforce Survey - Aging and Disabilities

Announcements

Join Our Beta Test for the Direct Care Careers Center -

Your Expertise Needed!

Hello Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Waiver providers!

We are excited to invite you to join the beta test for the brand-new Direct Care Careers Center, which will be a job search platform, employer matching and comprehensive resource hub for the direct care workforce. Our primary goal is to facilitate the entry of individuals into the direct care workforce and enhance the overall experience for job seekers and HCBS provider agencies.

The Direct Care Careers Center will offer a user-friendly interface with job boards, an effortless way for job seekers to find ideal positions and access to free training (coming spring 2024). Your valuable insights as beta testers will be crucial in refining the platform and creating a seamless and supportive environment for direct care workers and employers.

By participating in this beta testing phase, you will gain early access to the Direct Care Careers Center to post open positions and be matched with potential job seekers. To apply for consideration, please complete the Beta Testing Sign-Up Form.

Your expertise and feedback will play a key role in transforming the experience for direct care professionals. If you have any questions or need further information, feel free to reach out to us directly at HCPF_DCWorkforce@state.co.us.

Thank you for considering this invitation. We eagerly look forward to your participation and invaluable contributions.

- - - -

REMINDER: Apply for an ARPA 7.02 Member Emergency Preparedness Surviving in Place Battery Backup Power Supply Systems

HCPF has recognized the importance of being prepared for a power outage emergency for people who use life-sustaining medical devices. With funding made available through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and in collaboration with The Center for Inclusive Design and Engineering (CIDE), we will be distributing Battery Backup Power Supply Systems to eligible Health First Colorado members, assisting them in having the necessary equipment to be better prepared and in maintaining their health, safety and independence.

If you are interested in getting a Backup Power Supply System, please complete the application. Once received, the application will be reviewed, information verified, and a determination made if the applicant qualifies. There is a limited supply and a final decision will be made on eligibility and the availability of devices. All applicants will be notified of their results within two months of receipt of the application. All questions should be directed to Julia Beems at 303-315-1284 or julia.beems@ucdenver.edu.

For more information about the project visit the Surviving in Place webpage.

Memos

These memos and other memos of interest, are on HCPF's 2023 Memo Series Communication webpage.

• Operational Memo - Case Management Redesign Member Exceptions Process (Sept. 6, 2023): The purpose of this Operational Memo is to give operational guidance to all Case Management Agencies (CMA) on requirements for developing and implementing an exception process to the requirement for a member to receive services from a CMA in their defined service area. This applies to both current agencies and agencies transitioning through Case Management Redesign (CMRD).

• Informational Memo - National Core Indicator (NCI) - State of the Workforce Survey - Aging and Disabilities (Sept. 8, 2023): HCPF will launch the National Core Indicators (NCI) State of the Workforce (SotW) Survey for Direct Care Workforce Agencies serving members enrolled on the Community Mental Health Supports Waiver (CMHS), Elderly, Blind, and Disabled Waiver (EBD), Brain Injury (BI), and the Complementary and Integrative Health Waiver (CIH). The intended audience for this memo includes Aging and Disabled (AD) Services Providers, Direct Care Workforce Agencies, and Case Management Agencies (CMA).

Need to Make an Accommodation Request for One of Our General OCL or ARPA-Related Stakeholder Meetings?

Reasonable accommodations for all OCL- and ARPA-related stakeholder meetings will be provided upon request for persons with disabilities. Auxiliary aids and services for individuals with disabilities and language services for individuals whose first language is not English may be provided upon request. Please notify John Barry at 303-866-3173 or John.R.Barry@state.co.us or the 504/ADA Coordinator at hcpf504ada@state.co.us at least one week prior to the meeting to make arrangements.

📅 General OCL Meetings are on the OCL Stakeholder Engagement and Calendar.

📅 ARPA-Related Meetings are on the ARPA Stakeholder Engagement and Calendar.

Signing up for OCL and HCPF Communications

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you can sign up here.

See a list of all HCPF newsletters you can subscribe to.

Looking for Prior OCL Communications?

Do you know about the OCL LTSS newsletter archive? On this page, you can:

• Search OCL newsletters back to January 2021

• Subscribe to the newsletter

• Keep track of OCL announcements, meeting reminders, and memos