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

Announcement:

• 2023 National Core Indicator (NCI) - State of the Workforce Survey - Aging and Disabilities

Memo:

• Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Acupuncture Service Procedure Code Change

General OCL Meetings:

• Children’s Disability Advisory Committee (CDAC)

American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)-Related Meetings:

• Virtual Listening Session: Justice-Impacted Communities

• Direct Care Workforce Collaborative (DCWC)

• In-Person Listening Session: Justice-Impacted Communities (Steamboat Springs)

• DCWC Compensation & Benefits Action Group

• Changes in ARPA 2.02 Mobile Crisis Response Stakeholder Engagement

Announcement

2023 National Core Indicator (NCI) - State of the Workforce Survey - Aging and Disabilities

HCPF will be launching the NCI State of the Workforce (SotW) Survey for Direct Care Workforce Agencies serving members enrolled on the Community Mental Health Supports (CMHS), Elderly, Blind, and Disabled (EBD), Brain Injury (BI), and the Complementary and Integrative Health (CIH) waivers. The NCI-SotW is conducted across the country and will help Colorado measure improvement in the quality and stability of the workforce of direct care workers assisting aging and disabled adults. The NCI State of the Workforce is required to be conducted in Colorado by statute through House Bill 18-1407. HCPF requires reliable data on turnover, wages, benefits, and retention strategies to evaluate and develop policies and programs to support the direct care workforce.

In September 2023, agencies that provide services to the targeted population can expect to receive a link via email to complete the survey online. Each agency will fill out one survey about their employed direct care workers. Data collection is set to close on Nov. 30, 2023. The survey’s findings will be shared later in the year. For more information, please visit HCPF’s NCI Survey webpage.

As a thank you, agencies that participate in the survey will receive “Lunch on Us.” HCPF will be sending an electronic gift card for $100 to participating agencies to purchase lunch for administrative staff that assisted in completing the survey. Agencies that are found ineligible to complete the survey will not receive the incentive.

HCPF thanks agencies for assisting us with completing this mission-critical work that will help evaluate the stability of staff and services provided to the members we serve.

Memo

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

• Operational Memo (OM 23-055) - HCBS Acupuncture Service Procedure Code Change (Sept. 5, 2023): The purpose of this Operational Memo is to inform Case Management Agencies (CMAs) and Home and Community-Based Services Complementary and Integrative Health (HCBS-CIH) waiver providers of changes to the procedure and billing codes used for the acupuncture service.

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.

Children’s Disability Advisory Committee (CDAC)

The CDAC serves in an advisory capacity to HCPF and makes recommendations regarding issues related to benefits for children and youth with disabilities age 20 and younger, provider education interventions and application of standards. All interested stakeholders are welcome.

CDAC meetings are held the second Wednesday of the month from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. MT.

The next meeting will be held:

Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023

10 a.m. to 12 p.m. MT

Join via Google Meet

Join via Phone:

1-650-667-2698, PIN: 194 068 900#

ARPA-Related Meetings

Please find an ARPA-related meeting announcement listed below. Other ARPA-related meeting information is on the ARPA Stakeholder Engagement and Calendar webpage.

Virtual Listening Session: Justice-Impacted Communities

HCPF is hosting a series of listening sessions for Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid program) members and family members who are impacted by the criminal justice system. HCPF staff want to hear feedback, suggestions, and member experiences to help identify gaps in services and needs of this community. HCPF staff will ask questions about your experience enrolling in Health First Colorado and using your benefits.

Virtual and in-person sessions are available to give as many people as possible the opportunity to join. There also will be opportunities for people to give anonymous feedback.

The meeting will be held:

Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023

9 to 10 a.m. MT

Register Here

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Direct Care Workforce Collaborative (DCWC)

The DCWC works collaboratively with stakeholders to identify and move forward strategies to support the recruitment and retention of Colorado's direct care workforce. This group intends to meet quarterly (March, June, September, and December) on the second Wednesday of the month.

The meeting will be held:

Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023

10 to 11:30 a.m. MT

Join via Zoom

Join via Phone:

(Toll-free) 1-877-853-5257

Meeting ID: 993 1700 7314, Passcode: 396389

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In-Person Listening Session: Justice-Impacted Communities

(Steamboat Springs)

HCPF is hosting a series of listening sessions for Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid program) members and family members who are impacted by the criminal justice system. HCPF staff want to hear feedback, suggestions, and member experiences to help identify gaps in services and needs of this community. HCPF staff will ask questions about your experience enrolling in Health First Colorado and using your benefits.

Virtual and in-person sessions are available to give as many people as possible the opportunity to join. There also will be opportunities for people to give anonymous feedback.

The meeting will be held:

Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023

10 to 11 a.m. MT

Register Here

Location:

Old Town Hot Springs Community Center Community Room

136 Lincoln Ave.

Steamboat Springs, CO 80477

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DCWC Compensation & Benefits Action Group

This Action Group works collaboratively with stakeholders to identify and move forward strategies to support the recruitment and retention of Colorado's direct care workforce. This group intends to meet every other month on the third Friday from 1 to 2 p.m. MT.

The meeting will be held:

Friday, Sept. 15, 2023

9 to 10 a.m. MT

Join via Zoom

Join via Phone:

(Toll-free) 1-877-853-5257

Meeting ID:993 1700 7314, Passcode: 396389

- - - -

Changes in ARPA 2.02 Mobile Crisis Response Stakeholder Engagement

Colorado is expanding access to Mobile Behavioral Health Services with the roll out of the Mobile Crisis Response (MCR) and Behavioral Health Secure Transportation (BHST) initiatives.

As a result, HCPF concluded the biweekly MCR technical assistance meetings as of Aug. 31, 2023. If you have an MCR technical assistance meeting on your calendar for any of the following dates, please delete it. Thanks!

❌ CANCELED: Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023

❌ CANCELED: Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023

Continuing Crisis Services Stakeholder Engagement

HCPF will engage with crisis service stakeholders via two opportunities, going forward:

HCPF Crisis Services Monthly Open Office

These are informal, unrecorded meetings where stakeholders can ask questions and troubleshoot issues about Health First Colorado benefits. The meetings occur on the second Tuesday of each month from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. MT. Email hcpf_crisisservices@state.co.us for meeting information.

The next meeting will be held:

Tuesday, Sept 12, 2023

11 a.m. to 12 p.m. MT

Join via Zoom

Meeting ID: 870 3484 4338, Passcode: 184106

Crisis Services Bi-Monthly Technical Assistance Collaborative Meeting

These meetings are formal, recorded meetings where HCPF, the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) can provide updates and engage with stakeholders. The meetings will be held every other month on the fourth Thursday.

Individuals who have been attending the biweekly MCR technical assistance meetings do not need to reregister but should take note of the new dates.

The first meeting will be held:

Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023

11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. MT

Please Register in Advance

Please contact hcpf_crisisservices@state.co.us for more information.

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 webpage.

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

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 2022

• Subscribe to the newsletter

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