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

Announcements:

• Creating Equitable Access within Colorado’s Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) - Register to Join Us on Tuesday, June 6, 2023, from 12 to 2 p.m. MT

• SECOND APPLICATION CYCLE NOW OPEN: ARPA 4.07 New Systems of Care Grant - Application Deadline Friday, June 2, 2023

Memos:

• Case Management Retention Payments and Case Management Redesign

• Support Intensity Scale / Support Level Rule Revisions

General OCL Meetings:

• OCL Webinar Format and Schedule Update

OCL Stakeholder Meeting Recordings:

• Have You Missed a Meeting of Interest to You?

Announcements

Creating Equitable Access within Colorado’s Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS)

Register to join us on Tuesday, June 6, 2023, from 12 to 2 p.m. MT via Zoom

Through the ARPA Initiative 3.01 - Equity Study, HCPF is working with stakeholders to identify barriers and increase equity across HCBS programs.

This has included:

• Internal HCPF Equity Study (to be released this summer)

• Agency/Provider and Member/Caregiver Survey reaching nearly 500 respondents across Colorado (conducted in February 2023)

• Virtual Summit #1 on April 4 with more than 115 participants

• In-depth learning exchanges with local grassroots, community organizations throughout the state

On June 6 from 12 to 2 p.m. MT, we will share what we have learned, and invite your further participation in a conversation about barriers and actionable solutions around awareness and enrollment of HCBS programs and services. 

The meeting will be held:

Tuesday, June 6, 2023

12 to 2 p.m. MT

Register here to participate via Zoom

This work has been supported by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) 3.01 Equity Study. You can also find more information about the project on the ARPA HCBS Initiative 3.01 - Equity Study webpage.

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SECOND APPLICATION CYCLE NOW OPEN: ARPA 4.07 New Systems of Care Grant - Application Deadline Friday, June 2, 2023

Please note: HCPF has approved and begun a second application cycle for the ARPA 4.07 New Systems of Care Grant to award the remaining grant funding not awarded in the first application cycle. The new deadline is Friday, June 2, 2023.

About the Grant

Through ARPA, Section 9817, HCPF has been authorized to distribute $15 million in a new grant opportunity to:

• Help enhance, expand and strengthen the HCBS direct care workforce in Colorado, and

• Support the facilitation of home sharing for older adults through the Systems of Care Grant.

• Eligible organizations can apply by Friday, June 2, 2023, using the 4.07 online application.

Funds for the New Systems of Care Grants can be used to build or supplement existing programs in one or more of the following areas of focus:

• Home sharing facilitation where at least one individual in the home sharing match is at least age 55 or older.

• Provision of college credit for prior learning (CPL) and work experience for Colorado Medicaid Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Direct Care Workers (DCWs).

• Tuition reimbursement distribution for Colorado Medicaid HCBS DCWs.

• Child care reimbursement distribution for Colorado Medicaid HCBS DCWs.

You cannot make any changes to your grant application once it is submitted.

View the Request for Applications.

For More Information

To submit any questions, email Austin Leffel. Learn more and start your application  today.

Memos

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

• Informational Memo - Case Management Retention Payments and Case Management Redesign (May 24, 2023): This memo is to inform Colorado Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Case Management Agencies (CMA) of the second round of Case Management retention payment grant opportunity and processes.

• Operational Memo - Support Intensity Scale / Support Level Rule Revisions (May 24, 2023): The purpose of this Operational Memo is to provide direction on the implementation of the revised Supports Intensity Scale (SIS) and Support Level rules effective March 30, 2023. The audience is case managers and case management supervisors at Case Management Agencies (CMAs).

• Attachment - HCBS Waiver Supports Intensity Scale (SIS) Assessment and Support Level Information and Disclosure – Updated May 2023

• Attachment - Supports Intensity Scale (SIS) Assessment Report Cover Letter – New May 2023

• Attachment - Support Level Review Request Form – Updated May 2023

General OCL Meetings

Please find a general OCL meeting announcement listed below. Other OCL meeting information is on the OCL Stakeholder Engagement and Calendar webpage.

OCL Webinar Format and Schedule Update

Thank you to everyone who has been able to attend and participate in our OCL webinar updates over the past several years. Born out of the confusion and concern in the first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020, these webinars have continued to be a valuable tool in our ability to share important updates and information about the work that we are doing for older adults and individuals with a disability. Since those early days in March 2020, the webinars have evolved in their content and structure and we are excited to share their next iteration, beginning next month, June 2023. 

Beginning in June, we will combine the webinar into one session with an audience of all interested stakeholders - members, family, friends, advocates, providers, case management agency staff, other state staff, and anyone else interested in the work of the Office of Community Living. We will also be extending the webinar from 60 minutes to 90 minutes. Finally, we will begin a new schedule for the webinars, offering these longer, combined audience updates twice annually - one in the summer (June) and one in the winter (January). 

As a result of this new plan, the originally scheduled webinars below will be removed from our calendar and website. Please ensure that your calendars reflect these changes:

Canceled Meetings

Please remove the following from your calendar:

❌ OCL Webinar - Disability Community

Thursday, June 15, 2023, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. MT

❌ OCL Webinar - Providers

Thursday, June 15, 2023, 3 to 4 p.m. MT

❌ OCL Webinar - Disability Community

Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. MT

❌ OCL Webinar - Providers

Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, 3 to 4 p.m. MT

Our next scheduled webinar with the new structure will be held: 

Thursday, June 15, 2023

9:30 to 11 a.m. MT

Register via Zoom

This revised webinar is now posted on the OCL Stakeholder Engagement Calendar. We look forward to seeing you there!

OCL Stakeholder Meeting Recordings

Have You Missed a Meeting of Interest to You?

These recordings are posted on the OCL Stakeholder Engagement YouTube channel as well on HCPF program-related webpages. There may be other recordings of interest to you on the channel, so please go to the channel and explore. The most recent meeting recordings are at the bottom of the page.

Below are links to recently uploaded OCL meeting recordings:

• SIS Assessment and Support Level Rule Changes - May 17, 2023

• Participant-Directed Programs Policy Collaborative (PDPPC) - May 24, 2023

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.usor the 504/ADA Coordinator at hcpf504ada@state.co.us at least one week prior to the meeting to make arrangements.

General OCL Meetings can be found on the OCL Stakeholder Engagement and Calendar webpage.

ARPA-Related Meetings can be found on the ARPA Stakeholder Engagement and Calendar webpage.

Signing up for OCL and HCPF Communications

If you are not currently on the communications list receiving these emails,

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