Office of Community Living Updates: Oct. 25, 2023

Oct. 25, 2023

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

Announcements:

Join HCPF's Stakeholder Forum on Nov. 28, 2023, to discuss the Hospital Community Benefit (HB23-1243)

Reminder: 2023 National Core Indicator (NCI) - State of the Workforce Survey - Aging and Disabilities: Data Collection Closes on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023

Memo:

Revised 2024 Room and Board and Personal Needs Allowance Changes

General OCL Meetings:

Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) Listening Session

Transitions Stakeholder Advisory Council (TSAC)

American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)-Related Meetings:

Reminder: Listening Sessions for Health First Colorado Members and Family Members Impacted by the Criminal Justice System

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

Announcements

Join HCPF's Stakeholder Forum on Nov. 28, 2023 to Discuss the

Hospital Community Benefit (HB23-1243)

HCPF, in partnership with the Colorado Health Institute (CHI), seeks feedback on best practices for nonprofit hospitals to ensure diverse input from local community members in determining community priorities and best practices to collaborate and reduce redundant community needs assessments.

HCPF seeks feedback from nonprofit hospitals and health systems, community-based organizations and advocacy groups, local public health agencies, community health care providers, and others interested in hospital community benefit.

The meeting will be convened virtually via Zoom. Please register to receive details prior to the meeting. CHI will facilitate these sessions and is accepting written feedback or questions in advance at focusgroups@coloradohealthinstitute.org.

More information on hospital community benefit accountability is available on HCPF’s Hospital Community Benefit Accountability page.

The session will be held:

Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023

8 to 9:30 a.m. MT

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

Data Collection Closes on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023

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 Thursday, 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.

Informational Memo - Revised 2024 Room and Board and Personal Needs Allowance Changes (Oct. 23, 2023): The purpose of this Informational Memo is to inform case managers, members, and providers of changes to the Personal Needs Allowance (PNA) and room and board amount in accordance with cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Please note that changes have been made to correct errors in the prior memo, which include the 2023 Room and Board, as well as the 2024 minimum Personal Needs Allowance amounts in the table below. Note: This memo supersedes memo HCPF IM 23-037.

General OCL Meetings

Please find a general OCL meeting announcement listed below. Information about these and other OCL meetings is on the OCL Stakeholder Engagement and Calendar webpage.

Meeting Time Extended: Protective Oversight and Accompaniment Stakeholder Engagement - Meeting 2 of 2

NOTE: Due to the robust dialogue during the first of these meetings on Oct. 17, HCPF recognizes the need for additional time. This meeting has been extended by 30 minutes and will end at 11:30 a.m. MT.

This is the second of two identical meetings intended to provide stakeholders an opportunity to review and provide feedback on the Protective Oversight and Accompaniment Guide which was developed as an addendum to the approved Health Maintenance Activities (HMA) Documentation Guide.

Please note: If you attended the first meeting, held on Oct. 17, 2023, you are not required to attend this meeting. This meeting covers the same content.

See the meeting agenda and Accompaniment and Protective Oversight Addendum document on the PDPPC webpage.

The meeting will be held:

Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023

10 to 11:30 a.m. MT

Join via Google Meet

Join via Phone:

‪314-325-2826, PIN: ‪259 760 331#

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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, Nov. 2, 2023

10 to 11 a.m. MT

Join via Google Meet

Join via Phone:

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 meet monthly on the first Thursday of the month at 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. MT. All interested stakeholders are welcome.

For more information, see the Transition Stakeholder Advisory Council web page.

The meeting will be held:

Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023

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

Join by Google Meet

Join by Phone:

347-480-3624, PIN: 515646803 #

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.

Reminder: Listening Sessions for Health First Colorado Members and Family Members Impacted by the Criminal Justice System

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 members’ experiences enrolling in Health First Colorado and using Health First Colorado benefits.

Virtual and in-person sessions are available. You are welcome to join as many sessions as you want. Anonymous feedback can be provided through online surveys available in English and Spanish.

Virtual Sessions

Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023, at 9 a.m. MT

In-Person Sessions

Evergreen:

Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, 2 to 3 p.m. MT

ECHO

27888 Meadow Drive, Evergreen, CO 80439

Commerce City:

Friday, Oct. 27, 2023, 9 to 10 a.m. MT

Salud Family Health

6255 Quebec Parkway, Commerce City, CO 80022

Durango:

Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023, 10 to 11 a.m. MT

Ft. Lewis College Center for Innovation

Suite 225 (Main Mall, Second Floor)

835 Main Ave, Durango, CO 81301

Alamosa:

Friday, Nov. 3, 2023, 10 to 11 a.m. MT

Adelante Family Resource Center

600 Hunt Ave., Alamosa, CO 81101

Accommodation Requests for the Above Meetings

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 Hannah Hall at hannah.hall@state.co.us or the Civil Rights Coordinator at hcpf504ada@state.co.us at least one week prior to the meeting to make arrangements.

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Direct Care Workforce Collaborative (DCWC) Training and 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, Nov. 3, 2023

9 to 10 a.m. MT

Join via Zoom

Meeting ID: 969 4053 6000, Passcode: 115140

Join via Phone:

(Toll-free) 877-853-5257

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.

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