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

Announcements:

• Post Eligibility Treatment of Income (PETI) Updates and Training for Case Managers

• Direct Care Workers' Rights Training - Live Webinar Tomorrow Evening

• Office Hours Reminder: New Training and Technical Assistance Program for Behavioral Health Providers

Memos:

• Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Base Wage Rate Increase and Compliance Process 2024

• Group In-Reach in Nursing Facilities

General OCL Meetings:

• Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) Listening Session

American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)-Related Meetings:

• Community First Choice (CFC) Council Meeting

Announcements

Post Eligibility Treatment of Income (PETI) Updates and Training for Case Managers

Case managers will complete the PETI calculation worksheet in the Bridge on or after July 1, 2024. Case managers will no longer complete the manual process of using the PETI Excel worksheet to determine the Alternative Care Facility and Supported Living Program (ACF/SLP) rate and entering the ACF/SLP rate onto the Prior Authorization Request (PAR). Following system changes to the Bridge, case managers will complete the PETI worksheet in the Bridge to determine the ACF/SLP rate and the rate will populate on the PAR from the PETI worksheet.

PETIs and PARs with ACF/SLP start dates on or after July 1, 2024, that have already been created, will require a manual revision to be completed by the case manager. HCPF will send additional communication to case managers once the PETI and PAR revision process is complete. Please do not complete these manual revisions until further notice.

HCPF will offer three training sessions to case managers on the new PETI calculation worksheet and the required processes in the Bridge. Case managers who complete the PETI process will be required to attend one of these training sessions.

The training sessions will be held:

Monday, June 17, 2024, 9 to 10:30 a.m. MT

Tuesday, June 18, 2024, 3 to 4:30 p.m. MT

Thursday, June 20th 3 to 4:30 p.m. MT 

All Case Managers will need to register in advance for this webinar:

- - - -

Direct Care Workers' Rights Training - Live Webinar Tomorrow Evening

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 tomorrow evening:

Thursday, May 30, 2024

5:30 to 7 p.m. MT

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Office Hours 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.

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.

The TTA program includes live virtual and pre-recorded training. Register now for upcoming May trainings and office hours:

Office Hours Focused on Safety Net Reform Questions

Friday, May 31, 2024

12 to 1 p.m. MT.

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Memos

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

• Operational Memo - Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Base Wage Rate Increase and Compliance Process 2024 (May 29. 2024): The purpose of this Operational Memo is to provide Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) providers with the direct care worker (DCW) base wage increase information, process to demonstrate compliance with the wage increase, and the corrective action steps for those providers who do not meet the reporting deadline.

• Operational Memo - Group In-Reach in Nursing Facilities (May 29, 2024): The purpose of this Operational Memo is to inform the Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) and Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRC) of the launch of the new Group In-Reach Program. The program is designed to provide our Long-Term Care (LTC) Medicaid Members, living in nursing facilities, with a brief meeting regarding transition and community-based services in a group setting.

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.

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 the EVV Stakeholder Workgroup page. Email EVV@state.co.us to have a calendar invitation sent for this ongoing session.

These Listening Sessions are held on the first Thursday of the month from 10 to 11 a.m. MT.

The meeting will be held:

Thursday, June 6, 2024

10 to 11 a.m. MT

Join via Google Meet

Join via Phone:

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

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 Meeting

The CFC Council is in place to collaborate with and advise the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) on the design and implementation of a CFC option in Colorado. Primarily made up of individuals with disabilities, those 65 years or older, and their representatives, the council’s experience and expertise will help ensure that CFC is implemented in a way that best meets the needs of Coloradoans with disabilities.

Agendas, presentations, and other related materials for council meetings can be found on the CFC Stakeholder Opportunities webpage.

For more information, contact the CFC team at HCPF_CFC@state.co.us.

The meeting will be held:

Wednesday, June 5, 10 to 11:30 a.m. MT

Meeting topic:

CFC Council Updates

Join via Google Meet

Join via Phone:

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

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.

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