2025 Mid-Year Training Dates and Registration

Registration for the 2025 Medicaid School Health Services Program (SHS) Mid-Year Refresher Training is now open. We will be hosting three (3) in-person sessions in different areas of the state, as well as a virtual option. Training will be conducted by the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF), Colorado Department of Education (CDE), and Public Consulting Group, Inc. (PCG). Topics to be covered may include updates about program compliance, Random Moment Time Study, Cost Reporting, Medicaid Administrative Claiming and updates from HCPF and CDE. 

These are technical training sessions geared towards the day-to-day operations of SHS program administration. For example, we review the cost reporting that school districts and Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) are required to submit to participate in the SHS program. Training sessions are not about policy. Training is not an open, public meeting and there is no opportunity for public comment.

2025 In Person Training Sessions

Please register for the in-person training by completing the Google Registration Form and selecting your preferred location. There are capacity limits to each location so please be sure to register early to ensure there is space available at the location you'd like to attend. All in-person sessions will be held from 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. with registration and light breakfast beginning at 8:00 a.m. 

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR IN PERSON SESSIONS 

2025 Virtual Training Sessions

We highly recommend attending in person to meet with your stakeholders and develop other program connections. However, we will be offering virtual sessions broken out by the four various components of the program. The dates, times, and registration links for the virtual sessions are below.

We recommend that all personnel involved in the SHS administration and reporting, such as Medicaid Coordinators, from every district attend one of the in-person sessions or each of the virtual training components. Financial staff and other Medicaid staff should attend those sessions that are relevant to them. Handouts will be posted to HCPF's website prior to the training.

Information and registration links can also be accessed on HCPF's website. If you have any additional questions, please let us know.

Annual Cost Reporting Fequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Can testing and evaluation materials be reported under the Direct Medical Other Costs section of the annual cost report if the student does not currently have a medical plan of care? 

A: Testing and evaluation materials can be reported under the Direct Medical Other Costs section of the annual cost report if it is used for a student being evaluated for a medical plan of care. This applies even if the student does not end up being prescribed a medical plan of care. 

Q: During the desk review, what is an acceptable response? 

A: When responding to desk review edits, please provide detailed explanations per the specific edit, confirm supporting documentation is on file, and state which methodology was used to report data. 

Q: What are some common desk review edits? 



A: 

• Annual payroll: Ensure costs are reported according to the accrual accounting methodology for direct service individuals listed on the Staff Pool List (SPL) as well as specialized transportation staff for the reporting period July 1 – June 30 
• Direct Medical Services Other Costs: Compare, by service type, the amount of direct medical other costs against the total amount of annual payroll. If the percentage variance exceeds a certain threshold, the district is asked to review the direct medical other costs reported 
• Specialized Transportation Other Costs: Verify the Year over Year comparison of reported costs under each transportation category. For example, if there was a large Year over Year increase in the maintenance and repairs category, the district will be required to provide an explanation 



Q: If I forgot to include payroll costs for salaried staff, can the annual cost report be re-opened? 

A: During the desk review, districts can request to have the cost report re-opened, allowing them to add any allowable costs that were initially missed.

PCG Claiming System Banners



To provide helpful information to district staff working on the annual and quarterly cost reports in the PCG Claiming System, PCG has implemented banners on the different Quarterly and Annual drop-down pages. These banners are located at the top of each annual and quarterly page with tips and links to relevant resources or a Click-2-Learn to guide for entering data. This new enhancement gives users a way to quickly refresh themselves on reporting requirements as they are completing their reports without having to leave the page. Below is a screenshot of the new enhancement using the Annual Salaried Staff page.



SHS Program Stakeholders

Before every stakeholder meeting, HCPF and CDE send a list of meeting topics for stakeholders to get feedback from the districts they represent. Stakeholders contact their member districts on the list of program topics and anything else their member districts would like to bring to the state’s attention during the stakeholder meeting. Make sure your stakeholder’s email address is added to your “safe list” so that correspondence does not go to your spam folder. Stakeholder email addresses can be found on the stakeholder website and under the blue banner on the SHS program website. Communicate with your stakeholder so that your district’s voice is heard at each meeting. Our first stakeholder meeting of the fiscal year was in October. At the meeting, HCPF and CDE received valuable feedback regarding annual training, the SHS newsletter, and new coordinator resources. Feedback about the SHS newsletter was positive with no changes suggested. Changes will be incorporated based on feedback for the other topics including:



• Sending a reminder to new coordinators who have a Local Services Plan (LSP) due in the upcoming year.
• Recording a “Medicaid 101” video for new coordinators to watch before annual training.
• Further refining stakeholder involvement in annual training breakout groups since feedback regarding stakeholder breakout group facilitation overall was positive and increased 2024 virtual annual training participation.  

An update is included in this newsletter regarding the National Provider Identifier (NPI) Ordering, Prescribing, and Referring (OPR) Medicaid Provider ID Requirement and changes based on the feedback we received from stakeholders. 

Stakeholder Spotlight



Name: Eva Geske 

District/BOCES: Mesa County Valley School District 51 

As a stakeholder, what region(s) and districts do you represent: Delta 50, Gunnison Watershed, Montrose RE1J, Buena Vista R-31, Lake County RE-1, Park County RE2, Rio Blanco BOCES 

Years supporting SHS program: 3.5 years 

Biggest tip for new coordinators: The biggest thing that helped me was talking with the finance department and asking them for “view only” access to all employees pay information to see who was federally funded or not. This was to check their qualifications to be put on the Staff Pool List. 

Success story at your district: With Medicaid funds, we have been able to support our medical personnel in training, supplies, equipment, and salaries. When Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds went away, Medicaid was able to step in and support some of our medical personnel that had been previously funded through ESSER. 

Anything else you'd like to share:  It is important to talk with department heads and get invites to their meetings with medical providers. You can keep reminding the providers of the importance of good documentation and the value of having School Health Services part of our district.

National Provider Identifier (NPI) Ordering, Prescribing and Referring (OPR) Claim Identifier Project



All Physical Therapists (PTs), Occupational Therapists (OTs), and Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) included on direct service SPL are now required to have an NPI and valid Medicaid Provider ID. Because this CMS requirement went live starting Oct. 1, 2024, an in-depth review was completed of PTs, OTs, and SLPs on the Oct. – Dec. 2024 (OD24) SPL. Here are some tips and upcoming changes based on that review: 

• Proactively review InterChange to resolve denied claims before the 120-day timely filing period has passed. This can be done by reviewing the Explanation of Benefits (EOB) codes included on the denial. Follow this guide for steps to review submitted claims. 
• Utilize the provider enrollment page and the NPI OPR guide on the SHS program website for help troubleshooting provider enrollment. 
• Email hcpf_schoolhealthservices@state.co.us with NPI OPR and Medicaid Provider ID related questions for the fastest response time. 
• Utilize the resources on the HCPF Revalidation website including the Provider Revalidation Dates Spreadsheet  

As emailed on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, PTs, OTs, and SLPs included on the Jan. – March 2025 (JM25) SPL will be reviewed for valid Medicaid provider IDs. Vacancies for providers expected to have their Medicaid provider ID by Jan. 14, 2025, should be created by Dec. 13, 2024. This change is in response to stakeholder feedback to reduce the number of SPL changes required by program coordinators. This will allow HCPF to complete a review before the JM25 sample is generated. 

If you have certified your SPL but need to make changes, please contact PCG prior to the Dec. 13, 2025 deadline. 

This program area has been added to the Stakeholder Areas of Knowledge tool. If you would like to talk to a stakeholder about the NPI OPR and Medicaid Provider ID requirement, please utilize the tool under the blue banner on the SHS Program website for this and all other program topics.  

 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Comprehensive Guide

Changes are on the way to the SHS program based on the CMS Comprehensive Guide. Currently, we are completing in depth analysis of the upcoming changes to the Random Moment Time Study and transportation claiming. A status update will be given at mid-year training after this analysis has been completed. Please review previous training sessions and newsletters for details on the upcoming changes. 

Welcome to Newly Participating Districts/BOCES

Three districts/BOCES have started SHS program participation this fiscal year: 

• County of Weld School District RE3 
• County of Weld, School District 5J 
• South Central Board of Cooperative Educational Services 

As you know, relationships are key to understanding the program. Especially in rural school districts where employees wear many hats, learning the SHS program can seem overwhelming. Developing program connections is especially important for newly participating districts. Thanks to stakeholders and all coordinators for fostering a collaborative environment where all participating school districts/BOCES can succeed with program participation. 

If you know of a district or BOCES that is not currently participating in the program, please have them email HCPF_SchoolHealthServices@state.co.us to discuss participation.

Health Coverage for Kids and Families

During the Public Health Emergency (PHE), Colorado temporarily stopped eligibility renewals for people enrolled in Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid program) and CHP+, in accordance with federal directives. Since the PHE has ended, states have returned to regular operations and resumed eligibility renewals. This means that people once covered by Health First Colorado or CHP+ may have lost their health coverage after May 2023.

Health coverage is important for kids and their families. Kids who have health coverage are better prepared to do well in school and succeed in life. Data shows that when people lose health coverage, they don’t get the care they need, get sicker, and cause financial distress to themselves and the health care system. 

A few ways schools can help:

• Learn about affordable health coverage options for Coloradans. 
• Share materials in the KeepCOCovered toolkit with parents and caregivers so they know their health coverage options and take action on their renewals. Flyers and social media are available in English and Spanish.
• Learn about ongoing eligibility renewals for Health First Colorado and CHP+ members by visiting Health First Colorado’s renewals webpage, available in English and Spanish. 

We appreciate your partnership in raising awareness about Health First Colorado and CHP+ enrollment and ongoing eligibility reviews. Together, we can help people learn about their health coverage options and Keep Coloradans Covered.

National Alliance for Medicaid in Education (NAME) Updates

Colorado brought their A-game, with 61 delegates in attendance at the 2024 NAME Conference in Denver (we tied with California for most delegates!). From the NAME Academy and the Local Educational Agency (LEA) Panel to the breakout sessions about Traverse Academy (Cherry Creek School District) and the SHS Stakeholder program, Colorado's spirit of collaboration and partnership was on proud display. NAME extends a HUGE thank-you to the many folks who volunteered to moderate sessions, assist with registration, organize the Step Challenge and Silent Auction, set up the Social Activity, and much more. It takes a team, and Colorado could teach a master class on how to pull together - you helped make the conference a success!

NAME is pleased to announce that the 23rd Annual Conference will be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Oct. 7, 2025 to Oct. 10, 2025! Don't forget, attendance at the NAME conference is an allowable expenditure of your Medicaid reimbursement. Registration for the conference will open in the spring - keep an eye on our social media and your inbox for more details!

If you have questions about NAME or how to get involved, you are welcome to contact info@medicaidforeducation.org or your Colorado representatives on the NAME Leadership Team:



Olga Gintchin - Region 3 State Medicaid Representative

Marie LeBlanc - Program Committee Chair

Marlee Hart - Communications Chair

Reimbursement Spending Report

The report is open now: 

Dates: Oct. 2, 2024 to Feb. 28, 2025 

School Health Services Program Reimbursement Spending Report Form

Please remember, narrative submissions are required, and each box needs a value to be entered. If there is a narrative prompt that does not apply to your program, enter ‘NA’ in that box.

Upcoming Deadlines

Feb. 28, 2025 

• Fiscal Year (FY) 2023-24 Reimbursement Spending Report to CDE due 
• Parental consent files due for districts/BOCES under comprehensive review 

Parental Consent Reviews

Part of the comprehensive review process includes a review of parental consents for the sample of students that districts/BOCES receive. If your organization is under a comprehensive review, here is a quick reminder of the process to review parental consents: 

Districts/BOCES under comprehensive review will receive notification on Jan. 6, 2025, from Tyler Marsh (marsh_t@cde.state.co.us). The second email will come from CDE’s secure file transfer system (Notify@transfer.cde.state.co.us).

Districts/BOCES will collect and submit parental consent forms for the sample of students they received and submit them via the secure file transfer system. 

Districts/BOCES have until Feb. 28, 2025, to submit their parental consent forms.

Secure emails are automatically deleted every 30 days. Districts/BOCES who have not submitted the requested documents by Feb. 5, 2025, may need to resend a new secure email. Reach out to Tyler Marsh for any questions. 



All CDE School Health Services Program support documents, as well as links to LSP documents and the reimbursement spending report, can be found on the CDE School Health Services website.

Need to Meet?

If you would like 1-1 support on reimbursement spending, the LSP, or the reimbursement spending report, feel free to email Tyler Marsh.

FY 2024-25 Stakeholder Dates

Jan. 9, 2025

9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Apr. 10, 2025

9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

All meetings will be via Zoom & In-Person

In person location:

303 E. 17th Ave,

Denver, CO 80203

Quarterly Cost Report

Jan. 2, 2025

Oct. – Dec. 2024 (OD24) quarterly cost report will be open for reporting

Jan. 31, 2025

OD24 quarterly cost report due

The School Health Services Program is a joint effort between the Colorado Department of Education and the Department of Health Care Policy & Financing. For questions related to:

• Receiving SHS reimbursement, please email HCPF’s School Health Services general inbox.
• Quarterly Cost Reporting or the Random Moment Time Study, email the Quarterly/RMTS Help Desk.
• Annual Cost Reporting, Cost Settlement, or Transportation claiming, email the Annual Cost Report Help Desk.
• Reimbursement Spending Report, Local Services Plan, or Parental Consent, email Tyler Marsh at CDE.

If you have any suggestions for the newsletter, please email the School Health Services Email Box.

Please notify all state program contacts of any SHS support staff changes at your district/BOCES. 

School Health Services

Public Consulting Group - Claiming System

Colorado Department of Education

Health First Colorado