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: Surveying Members and Case Managers on American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Data Access for Members - Deadline April 30, 2023

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

• ARPA 4.07 New Systems of Care Grants Available - Application Deadline May 12, 2023

Memo:

• Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Settings Final Rule - Heightened Scrutiny Determinations: Batch Two

General OCL Meetings:

• SCHEDULE CHANGE: Case Management Redesign (CMRD) Rule Revision Stakeholder Meeting Series

• Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) Listening Session

• Transitions Stakeholder Advisory Council (TSAC)

American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)-Related Meetings:

• Community First Choice (CFC) Council

• Direct Care Workforce Collaborative (DCWC) Training & Career Advancement Action Group

Announcements

FINAL REMINDER:

Surveying Members and Case Managers on American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Project 6.10 Data Access for Members - Deadline April 30, 2023

Background

HCPF seeks member and case manager feedback as part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) work for the ARPA 6.10 Member Data Sharing project. This project will provide members who receive long-term services and support (LTSS) access to information in their member record through smartphones, tablets, or other mobile technologies. Members will be able to access data collected by and maintained in the Care and Case Management (CCM) system, such as their assessments and support plans. HCPF will design an LTSS-focused mobile app for members.

About the Survey

These surveys are designed to gather direct feedback about what is most important to members who receive LTSS and case managers as it relates to data sharing. This includes members who receive services through home and community-based services (HCBS) waivers, the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), Nursing Facilities, Hospital Back-Up (HBU), and State General Fund programs.

Please complete the survey by Sunday, April 30, 2023.

Member Surveys:

• Survey in English

• Survey in Spanish

• Survey in Russian

• Survey in Vietnamese

Case Manager Survey:

• Case Manager Survey

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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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ARPA 4.07 New Systems of Care Grants Available

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.

Memo

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

• Informational Memo - HCBS Settings Final Rule - Heightened Scrutiny Determinations: Batch Two (April 25, 2023): HCPF invites the public to comment on a second batch of heightened scrutiny determinations under the federal Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Settings Final Rule. People receiving services at these settings may be participants in the following HCBS waivers: Community Mental Health Supports (CMHS) for Persons with Major Mental Illness; Elderly, Blind and Disabled (EBD); Persons with Brain Injury (BI); Persons with Developmental Disabilities (DD); Complementary and Integrative Health (CIH); and Supported Living Services (SLS).

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.

SCHEDULE CHANGE: Case Management Redesign (CMRD) Rule Revision Stakeholder Meeting Series

Based on progress made in this meeting series so far, and stakeholder input, OCL has made the following changes to the schedule. Please note the changes to existing dates in this series. The June 27 meeting remains the same. All of these meetings are on the OCL Stakeholder Engagement Calendar and can be uploaded to your individual calendar.

More information is on the CMRD webpage.

All the meetings listed below have the same webinar and phone access information:

Join via Zoom

Join via Phone:

(Toll-free) 1-877 853-5257

Meeting ID: 873 9014 4539, Passcode:597847

Case Manager Requirements and Functions, Continued

The meeting will be held:

Tuesday, May 2, 2023

9 to 11 a.m. MT

Case Management (CM) Rule Follow-Up

During this meeting, we will review the CM rules that were brought up during CM rule revision meetings. We will follow up with stakeholders on updates related to stakeholder feedback. All interested stakeholders are welcome.

The meeting will be held:

Tuesday, May 9, 2023

9 to 10:30 a.m. MT

Provider Requirement Rules

The meeting will be held:

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

9 to 11 a.m. MT

Home and Community Base Service Benefits and Service Rules, Part One

The meeting will be held:

Tuesday, May 30, 2023

9 to 11 a.m. MT

Home and Community Base Service Benefits and Service Rules Part Two

The meeting will be held:

Tuesday, June 13, 2023

9 to 11 a.m. MT

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Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) Listening Session

EVV Listening Sessions are informal opportunities for stakeholders to bring questions to HCPF about your EVV implementation and operation. No new policy or technical processes will be announced in these Listening Sessions. New information will be discussed in the Quarterly EVV Stakeholder meeting and published on this page. Email EVV@state.co.us to have a calendar invitation sent for this ongoing session.

The meeting will be held:

Thursday, May 4, 2023

10 to 11 a.m. MT

Join via Google Meet

Join via Phone:

1-208-715-5308, PIN: 438 295 119#

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Transitions Stakeholder Advisory Council (TSAC)

The primary function of this council is to provide guidance and recommendations regarding operational policy and procedural changes to the Transition Services Program and to create solutions to streamline community transitions. The Council will analyze barriers for transitions and provide recommendations for improved practices.

The TSAC meets monthly on the first Thursday from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. MT. All interested stakeholders are welcome.

For more information, see the Transitions Stakeholder Advisory Council webpage.

The next meeting will be held:

Thursday, May 4, 2023

2:30 to 4:30 p.m. MT

Join via Google Meet

Join via Phone:

1-347-480-3624, PIN: 515646803 #

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.

Community First Choice (CFC) Council

The CFC Council collaborates with and advises HCPF on the design and implementation of a CFC option in Colorado. The CFC Council consists primarily of individuals with disabilities, those 65 years or older, and their representatives to help ensure CFC is implemented in a way that best meets the needs of Coloradans with disabilities.

If you need assistance accessing the meeting webinar link or call-in number, contact the CFC team. For more information, see the CFC Stakeholder Opportunities webpage.

The meeting will be held:

Wednesday, May 3, 2023

10 to 11:30 a.m. MT

Join via Google Meet

Join by Phone:

1-260-230-1249, PIN: 719 313 221#

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Direct Care Workforce Collaborative (DCWC) Training & Career Advancement 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 first Friday of the month from 9 to 10 a.m. MT.

The meeting will be held:

Friday, May 5, 2023

9 to 10 a.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