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

Announcements:

• FINAL REMINDER: ARPA 4.02 Promoting Single Occupancy Grant - Application Deadline May 12, 2023

• FINAL REMINDER: ARPA 4.07 New Systems of Care Grant - Application Deadline May 12, 2023

• National Core Indicator (NCI) State of the Workforce Survey-IDD: Deadline Friday, June 30, 2023

General OCL Meetings:

• Public Town Hall Meeting - HCBS Settings Final Rule Heightened Scrutiny Determinations

• Case Management Redesign (CMRD) Rule Revision: Provider Requirements Rules

• Nursing Facility Stakeholders Meeting

American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)-Related Meetings:

• Quarterly ARPA Updates Webinar - All Stakeholders

• Direct Care Workforce Collaborative (DCWC) Compensation & Benefits Action Group

• DCWC Value & Awareness Action Group

Announcements

FINAL REMINDER: ARPA 4.02 Promoting Single Occupancy Grant - Application Deadline Friday, May 12, 2023

In the midst of a global pandemic, congregate care residential settings providers saw the necessity for single occupancy rooms to prevent the spread of disease and promote independence and autonomy. Through funding provided by Section 9817 of ARPA, HCPF has created the 4.02 Single Occupancy Grant Program to offer payments for providers to convert more space to single occupancy rooms. HCPF has allocated $20 million for these payments, with a maximum of $1 million per awardee.

Eligible organizations can apply by Friday, May 12, 2023, using the online application. View the request for applications.

HCPF’s grant is focused on developing new ways Colorado’s home and community-based services residential settings can adapt and provide more independent and health-centered outcomes in a single occupancy setting. HCPF seeks programs that:

• Develop single occupancy from multiple person rooms

• Take steps to mitigate disease transmission in these room conversions 

With sustainability and longevity in mind, HCPF is requiring applicants to create a project outline with steps on how this conversion will happen and how once converted, this project will be sustained.

HCPF will evaluate the feasibility and sustainability of the applicant programs and whether the state of Colorado would benefit from these projects long term. Allocation of these funds will require strict reporting and will only be made to programs that include Health First Colorado and CHP+ members.

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

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FINAL REMINDER: ARPA 4.07 New Systems of Care Grant - - Application Deadline Friday, May 12, 2023

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, May 12, 2023, using the 4.07 online application.

View the Request for Applications.

Funds for the New Systems of Care Grants can be used to either 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.

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

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National Core Indicator (NCI) State of the Workforce Survey-IDD:

Deadline Friday, June 30, 2023

HCPF launched the NCI State of the Workforce Survey (formerly known as the Staff Stability Survey) in mid-March, for agencies providing services to individuals enrolled in the Supported Living Services (SLS) and the Developmental Disabilities (DD) waivers. The NCI State of the Workforce Survey is conducted across the country and will help Colorado measure improvement in the quality and stability of the workforce of direct support professionals assisting adults with Intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

Agencies included in the survey sample received the link via email, to complete the NCI State of the Workforce Survey online. Each agency will only fill out one survey about their direct care workforce. We ask that the survey be completed by Friday, June 30, 2023.

HCPF thanks agencies for assisting us with completing this mission-critical work. It will help evaluate the stability of staff and services provided to the members we serve. For more information, please visit HCPF’s NCI Survey webpage.

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.

Public Town Hall Meeting - HCBS Settings Final Rule Heightened Scrutiny Determinations

HCPF will host this public town hall meeting to allow interested stakeholders to comment on HCPF’s determinations relating to this second batch of settings subject to heightened scrutiny. Interested stakeholders may include individuals receiving services at these settings; their family members, friends, and advocates; advocacy organizations; providers that own or operate the settings; and others. All are welcome. It is not necessary to have a direct personal connection to a provider or setting to comment on it. If a commenter has such a connection, it is not necessary to disclose it.

The meeting will be held:

Monday, May 15, 2023

10 to 11 a.m. MT

Join via Google Meet

Join via Phone:

1-513-468-1239, PIN: 974 027 424#

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Case Management Redesign (CMRD) Rule Revision: Provider Requirements Rules

This meeting is part of a series of Case Management Redesign (CMRD) rule revision stakeholder feedback meetings. More information can be found on the CMRD webpage.

The meeting will be held:

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

9 a.m. to 11 a.m. MT

Join via Zoom

Join via Phone:

(Toll-free) 1-877 853-5257

Meeting ID: 873 9014 4539, Passcode:597847

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Nursing Facility Stakeholders Meeting

This meeting focuses on Medicaid-related developments related to Nursing Facility reimbursement and benefits. This includes, but is not limited to, procedural reviews, benefit interactions, policy clarifications, and cyclical business operations.

The Nursing Facility Stakeholders Meeting meets on the third Wednesday of the month. All interested stakeholders are welcome.

The meeting will be held:

Wednesday, May 17, 2023

1 to 3 p.m. MT

Join via Google Meet

Join by Phone:

1-401-379-3164, PIN: ‪406 137 468#

American Rescue Plan Act (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.

Quarterly ARPA Updates Webinar - All Stakeholders

This meeting provides an update for all interested stakeholders on key projects specifically funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 within OCL and the Health Policy Office (HPO). Other OCL and HPO updates will also be covered, as needed.

The audience includes Members, Family, Advocates, Case Management Agencies (CMAs), Community Centered Boards (CCBs), Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Providers, Nursing Facilities, Providers and Single Entry Point (SEP) Agencies.

Webinar documents are located on the OCL Webinar Page and the ARPA Page.

The meeting will be held:

Thursday, May 18, 2023

3 to 4:30 p.m. MT

Join via Zoom

Join via Phone:

(Toll-free) 877-853-5257

Meeting ID: 837 2638 7551, Passcode: 168309

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Direct Care Workforce Collaborative (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, May 19, 2023

1 to 2 p.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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Direct Care Workforce Collaborative (DCWC) Value & Awareness 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 normally meet every other month on the fourth Friday from 1 to 2 p.m. MT. This meeting has been rescheduled due to the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

The meeting will be held:

Friday, May 19, 2023

2 to 3 p.m. MT

Join via Zoom

Join via Phone:

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

Meeting ID: 969 4053 6000, Passcode: 115140

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 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.

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