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

Announcements:

• Money Follows the Person (MFP) Demonstration Announcement

• Organized Health Care Delivery System (OHCDS) and Home Modifications for Supported Living Services (SLS) and Children’s Extensive Supports (CES) Waivers

• Announcing the launch of the Direct Care Workers Satisfaction and Engagement Survey!

• 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

Friday Feature:

• The Family Support Services Program (FSSP) and the FSSP Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Webpages

Announcements

Money Follows the Person (MFP) Demonstration Announcement

HCPF is excited to announce the award of a $43 million Money Follows the Person (MFP) demonstration grant by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). MFP is a federal grant program that creates a path to community-living for people living in Medicaid Long-Term Care (LTC) facilities.

This award represents a culmination of efforts that include the state’s former MFP demonstration - Colorado Choice Transitions (CCT) - and the implementation of permanent Transition Services resulting from House Bill 18-1326 in January 2019. In collaboration with local, State and Federal partners, HCPF will implement the new MFP demonstration to expand services and supports available to people who wish to live in the community.

On March 31, 2022, CMS announced changes to the MFP guidelines that included new Supplemental Services to offer support that is not traditionally covered by Medicaid. MFP Supplemental Services will enhance the core components of Colorado’s Transition Services - options counseling, transition coordination, and housing resources. The new services will provide eligible Colorado residents with short-term rental assistance, short-term food assistance, pre-tenancy support, peer mentorship, and environmental adaptations that provide modifications to a home environment while the person resides in a facility.

HCPF is finalizing policy requirements to move implementation forward and will be developing training and communications to provide operational guidance prior to implementation, targeting Fiscal Year 2024-25. There will be ongoing discussion to support implementation at the public Transitions Stakeholder Advisory Council (TSAC) scheduled on the first Thursday of each month.

For more information, please see the CMS announcement.

If you have questions about this announcement or wish to be included in the TSAC meetings, please contact Matt Bohanan.

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Organized Health Care Delivery System (OHCDS) and Home Modifications for Supported Living Services (SLS) and Children’s Extensive Supports (CES) Waivers

This is a reminder to all Case Management Agencies (CMAs) that there are upcoming changes to Home Modifications that are using OHCDS as a delivery model.

• Effected Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023, OHCDS will no longer have the Home Modification benefit as a delivery model.

• This will be for all Home Modification projects regardless of cost.

• Any projects using OHCDS as the delivery model will need to have billing completed by Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023.

• If any CMA has a non-Medicaid contractor that may be interested in becoming a Medicaid contractor, please reach out to Emily Walsh.

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Announcing the launch of the Direct Care Workers Satisfaction and Engagement Survey!

We want to hear from the direct care workforce to understand their satisfaction with wages, compensation, benefits, career advancement, training, and job fulfillment.

The survey cycle begins Monday, Oct. 2, 2023, and will remain open for at least 30 days. This year’s survey questions incorporate feedback from the first survey. All data collected is confidential. The data collected will be used to support workforce initiatives and provide data for future analysis, budget projections, policy planning, stakeholder engagement, and improve quality assurances.

The survey will be available by email and survey link. If you are a direct care worker and want to take part, please contact email hcpf_dcworkforce@state.co.us to request a link.

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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.

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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.

Friday Feature

The Family Support Services Program (FSSP) and the FSSP Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Webpages

About the Family Support Services Program (FSSP)

The FSSP provides support for families who have children with intellectual and developmental disabilities or delays with costs that are beyond those normally experienced by other families. The primary purpose of the FSSP is to support children with intellectual and developmental disabilities or delays remaining within their family setting and prevent out-of-home placements.

About the features on this page

The FSSP webpage includes information about the the following:

• A program description

• Benefits and services that may be provided through FSSP

• A link to the new FSSP Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page - see the arrow in the image above

• Those who qualify for FSSP

• How to apply for the FSSP

The FSSP page also includes a link to the newly created FSSP Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page. Please check out this new page!

We hope you'll bookmark the FSSP webpage and share this resource with your organizations and networks.

We welcome your ideas about helpful pages we might include in the Friday Feature. Please send any ideas to John Barry.

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