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May 24, 2024

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


Announcements:


  • Resource Highlight - ABLE Accounts


  • Direct Care Workers' Rights Training - Live Webinar on May 30, 2024


  • Announcing the Supported Employment Services 2023 Point in Time Survey


  • REMINDER: Updated HCPF Guidance on Fee-For-Service Provider Billing in School Settings


  • REMINDER: New Training and Technical Assistance Program for Behavioral Health Providers


Memo:


  • July 1, 2024 Consumer-Directed Attendant Support Services (CDASS) Rate Increase


OCL Stakeholder Meeting Recordings:


  • Have You missed a Meeting of Interest to You?

Announcements

Resource Highlight - ABLE Accounts


ABLE Accounts are savings accounts specifically for some individuals who qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI); they allow individuals to save money outside of the restrictive resource limits of SSI and SSDI programs. Additionally, individuals who sign up for these accounts in 2024 get $25 in the account for free. This can be an effective way for individuals with disabilities to save tax free and spend on qualified expenses without impacting their qualification for SSI or SSDI.


The ABLE plan is sponsored by the state of Colorado and administered by the same organization that administers the state 529 plans. To be eligible, individuals must have a qualifying disability; typically, one that would entitle someone to Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). This qualifying disability must have started prior to the age of 26.


To learn more about the program and enroll, visit this Colorado ABLE information page. Remember, a new ABLE Account opened in 2024 will get $25 dispersed in their account. An eligible individual can open the account for themselves, or an authorized individual can open the account on their behalf. Please share with anyone you know who may be unaware of this benefit.


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Direct Care Workers' Rights Training - Live Webinar on May 30, 2024


The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE), Division of Labor and Statistics, will present next week a live webinar training for Direct Care Workers about their rights under Colorado wage and hour law. There will be a Question-and-Answer period at the end of the session to answer questions about labor law and how it applies to direct care workers.


Please share this with providers and workers who might be interested!


Additional information and training recordings about workers' rights can be found at CDLE's Direct Care Workforce webpage.


The meeting will be held:

Thursday, May 30, 2024

5:30 to 7 p.m. MT


Register via Zoom


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Announcing the Supported Employment Services 2023 Point in Time Survey


HCPF is excited to announce the start of the Health First Colorado Office of Community Living Supported Employment Services 2023 Point in Time Survey. The Point in Time Survey, as required in C.R.S 25.5-10-204, was developed as a tool to determine the number of members on the Home and Community-Based Services Developmental Disability (HCBS-DD) and Supported Living Services (HCBS-SLS) waivers, and State SLS, utilizing work-related and non-work-related services, as well as details about the jobs members hold.


This data will be used by HCPF to report progress made in implementing Employment First practices and measure the progress toward improving employment outcomes for HCBS-DD and HCBS-SLS waiver members. If you are an HCBS Supported Employment provider and were supporting members with employment on June 30, 2023, you will receive an email from HCPF with more information.


See the Health First Colorado Office of Community Living Supported Employment Services 2022 Data Report for 2022 survey data.


For more information, please contact us at HCPF_Supported.Employment@state.co.us.


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REMINDER: Updated HCPF Guidance on Fee-For-Service Provider Billing in School Settings


HCPF is clarifying and updating February 2024 guidance for community providers billing Medicaid fee-for-service when providing services to students in the school setting.


HCPF has been working with federal partners on this important subject. We received clarification that community providers may be allowed to bill fee-for-service for services provided to children during school hours and while at school.


There are specific requirements for providers to bill for these services, and as such, providers are encouraged to read carefully the May 3, 2024, letter about Community Providers in School Settings linked on the Private Duty Nursing webpage and the Home Health webpage. This information will also be included in the June 2024 Provider Bulletin.


Questions about this important update can be directed to homehealth@state.co.us.


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REMINDER: New Training and Technical Assistance Program for Behavioral Health Providers


Colorado is transforming its behavioral health system. The goal is to expand access to care and enhance the quality of care delivered to all people in Colorado. As part of this reform, HCPF has launched a Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) program to address the diverse needs and goals of behavioral health providers. The TTA program is designed for all behavioral health providers. The focus is on expanding benefits and services, improving access to care, and elevating quality.


The TTA program includes live virtual and pre-recorded training.


Register now for the remaining May office hours:


Office Hours Focused on Safety Net Reform Questions

Friday, May 31, 2024

12 to 1 p.m. MT.

Register Here


Visit the HCPF Safety Net Providers landing page and join the Behavioral Health Provider TTA newsletter for training announcements, links to pre-recorded training materials, and more!


HCPF is committed to supporting behavioral health providers through this transformation so they are prepared, informed, and have access to the resources they need.

Memo

This memo and other memos of interest are on HCPF's 2024 Memo Series Communication webpage.

OCL Stakeholder Meeting Recordings

Have You Missed a Meeting of Interest to You?

Other OCL stakeholder meeting recordings are on the OCL Stakeholder Engagement YouTube channel.


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


If you are not currently on the communications list receiving these emails,

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 2022


  • Subscribe to the newsletter


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