• Health Care & Health Insurance

The Legislative Oversight Committee Concerning the Treatment of Persons with Behavioral Health Disorders in the Criminal and Juvenile Justice Systems has introduced a bill to enhance Colorado's behavioral health crisis response system. Key provisions include:

• Stakeholder Group Formation: By December 31, 2025, the Department of Public Safety (DPS), in collaboration with the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA), is required to convene a stakeholder group. This group will identify existing resources and model programs for responding to behavioral health crises, such as co-responder and mobile crisis response programs.

• Resource Compilation and Accessibility: DPS must compile a list of these resources and programs, making them publicly available on its website.

• Reimbursement Analysis: By January 1, 2027, the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF), the Department of Public Health and Environment, and the BHA are tasked with providing information to the General Assembly regarding reimbursement shortages and gaps within the behavioral health crisis response system. This includes exploring funding options at both state and federal levels to address these issues.

• Inpatient Mental Health Care Coverage: Upon receiving necessary federal authorization, HCPF is mandated to reimburse institutes of mental health disease for providing inpatient mental health care and treatment to members for up to 60 days, provided the average length of stay does not exceed 30 days per calendar year.

• Evaluation and Discharge Protocols: The bill stipulates that individuals detained under an emergency mental health hold must receive an evaluation, including an assessment to determine if they continue to meet the criteria for such a hold. Facilities are prohibited from discharging individuals unless they no longer meet the criteria, though transfers are permitted if appropriate medical care cannot be provided.

• Annual Reporting: The BHA is required to include in its annual report to the General Assembly the reasons for discharging each person placed on an emergency mental health hold.

• Behavioral Health Capability Reporting: By December 31, 2025, all behavioral health entities, facilities, and hospitals must provide information to the BHA about their medical and behavioral health-care capabilities.

• Behavioral Health Data Interoperability: Starting October 1, 2025, and annually thereafter until October 1, 2030, the BHA, in coordination with HCPF and the health information organization network, is required to prepare and submit a report to the General Assembly on behavioral health data interoperability.

This comprehensive approach aims to strengthen Colorado's behavioral health crisis response infrastructure, ensuring timely and effective care for individuals in crisis.

Legislative Oversight Committee Concerning the Treatment
of Persons with Behavioral Health Disorders in the Criminal and
Juvenile Justice Systems. No later than December 31, 2025, the bill
requires the department of public safety (DPS), in collaboration with the
behavioral health administration (BHA), to convene a stakeholder group
to identify existing resources and model programs that communities
throughout Colorado utilize when responding to behavioral health crises,
including, but not limited to, co-responder programs, alternative response
programs, and mobile crisis response programs. The bill requires DPS to
compile a list of the existing resources and model programs and make the
resources and information about the model programs publicly available
on DPS's website.
The bill requires the department of health care policy and
financing (HCPF), the department of public health and environment, and
the BHA to provide information to the general assembly on or before
January 1, 2027, regarding the reimbursement shortages and gaps within
the continuum of care for the behavioral health crisis response system and
the reimbursement and funding options at the state and federal level that
are available to address the shortages and gaps, including funding for
treatment in place.
Upon receiving the necessary federal authorization, the bill
requires HCPF to reimburse an institute of mental health disease for
providing inpatient mental health care and treatment to a member for up
to 60 days, as long as the average length of stay does not exceed 30 days
per calendar year.
Current law requires each person detained for an emergency
mental health hold to receive an evaluation as soon as possible after the
person is presented to a facility, and the evaluation may, but is not
required to, include an assessment to determine if the person continues to
meet the criteria for an emergency mental health hold and requires further
mental health care in a facility designated by the commissioner. The bill
requires the evaluation to include the assessment determination.
The bill requires a facility to only discharge a person placed on an
emergency mental health hold if the person no longer meets the criteria
for an emergency mental health hold; except that a facility may transfer
the person to another facility if the facility is unable to provide the
appropriate medical care to the person.
The bill requires the BHA to include in its annual report to the
general assembly the reason for discharging each person who is placed on
an emergency mental health hold.
No later than December 31, 2025, the bill requires each behavioral
health entity, facility, and hospital to provide information to the BHA
about the behavioral health entity's, facility's, or hospital's medical and
behavioral health-care capabilities.
Beginning October 1, 2025, and continuing annually until October
1, 2030, the bill requires the BHA, in coordination with HCPF and the
health information organization network, to prepare and submit a report
to the general assembly on behavioral health data interoperability.

• February 14, 2025: Senate Appropriations Committee Report
• February 06, 2025: Senate Health & Human Services Committee Report

• Past bill versions
• Past fiscal notes
• Committee activity and documents
• Bill History