Bill Tracker

Codifies the recent action by the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) to combine the Children’s Home and Community-Based Services (CHCBS) waiver and the Children with Life Limiting Illness (CLLI) waiver – into the Children with Complex Health Needs waiver program.

Requires public and governmental entities to administer case management-based services and activities in the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs of a qualified individual with a disability. Additionally, requires public and governmental entities to provide community-based services, including Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) to a qualified individual with a disability if the services are deemed appropriate by a treating professional, the individual agrees to receive them, and the services can be reasonably provided based on available resources and the needs of others with disabilities. A public or governmental entity is not required to comply with these requirements if doing so would require a fundamental alteration of the entity's program.

Allows local collaborative management programs (CMPs) to enter into agreements with Medicaid managed care entities. Additionally, specifies that courts may access relevant CMP records.

Makes changes to public hospital boards of trustees by allowing appointed public officials to serve on public hospital boards, requiring public hospital boards to meet annually (instead of each January), and removing the requirement that a hospital board trustee must examine hospitals twice per month. Additionally, moves the deadline for hospital boards to certify to a board of county commissioners the amount that is necessary to maintain the hospital for the next year from October 1st to December 1st.

In 1975, the General Assembly enacted the original "Interstate Compact on Placement of Children". In 2024, the General Assembly enacted an updated version of the compact. The bill clarifies that the original compact remains in effect until the updated compact is enacted into law by 35 states.

Requires county departments of human services to develop placement transition plans for a child any time a decision has been made by the county or the courts to move the child to a new placement, outside of emergency placements. The Colorado Department of Human Services must create training on the importance of transition planning and county child welfare case workers must complete the training.

Increases the number of “emergency detention beds” available under the statewide juvenile detention bed cap from 22 to 39 (increases the total number of detention beds to 254) and allows more flexibility on when the emergency beds may be used. Additionally, requires the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) to publish report monthly on the number of youths in detention and who are awaiting mitigating services. Finally, the bill creates the Deflection and Community Investment Grant Program in the Division of Criminal Justice in the Colorado Department of Public Safety to provide competitive grants for three years to implement a mixed-delivery system of trauma-informed health and development deflection programs for youth. 

Implements the legislative recommendations of the Colorado Child Support Commission by updating the child support guidelines schedule, updating the monthly incomes eligible for a reduced low-income adjustment, and replacing the current parenting time credit with a formula that provides parents credit for all overnights spent with that parent.

Requires the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing to streamline Medicaid reenrollment for individuals with stable incomes and to simplify the medical documentation process for assessing long-term care needs.

Changes the child relinquishment requirements for a parent in cases where the parent is a victim of sexual assault that resulted in the conception of the child to be relinquished. Additionally, requires the State Court Administrator to develop or modify an existing, standardized form for a petitioner to file to terminate another person's parent-child legal relationship because the child was conceived as a result of sexual assault.

Specifies that child abuse or neglect must not be based solely upon a parent's or child's indigence, unavailability of accessible services, unhoused status, or disability. Additionally, updates requirements for mandatory reporters of child abuse or neglect, as well as employers of mandatory reporters.

Reorganizes and updates statutes pertaining to the duties of the Office of the Child Protection Ombudsman. Specifically, the bill creates a new provision that pertains to the Office's access to information necessary to conduct an independent review of a complaint, clarifies when the Office may receive and conduct an independent and impartial investigation of complaints, and provides the Office access to facilities operated by the Colorado Department of Human Services.

Codifies the federal "Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978" into state law as the "Colorado Indian Child Welfare Act" (CO-ICWA) and provides additional protections for Indian children and children known to be Indian children under state law.

Makes several changes to administrative, eligibility, billing, and review requirements of the state’s Medicaid program under the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing.

Beginning July 1, 2027, a county department of human services must continually determine whether children and youth in foster care may be eligible for federal survivor benefits administered by the Railroad Retirement Board, Social Security Administration, or Veterans Administration. If eligibility is identified, the county must apply for those benefits on behalf of the child. The county must also continually review a foster child’s representative payee or fiduciary for federal benefits. If no payee or fiduciary is available, the county must assume the role but cannot use any of the federal benefits to pay for county costs related to providing support to the foster child.

Requires the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) to develop a standardized process for counties to report certain information about the Colorado Works Program by October 1, 2025. This includes counties providing information on TANF spending, supportive services, impacts of state policy changes on TANF caseload, and the number of denied program applications. CDHS must also develop recommendations on a standardized outcome measure for contracted services funded by TANF.

Clarifies what courts must consider when setting bail for a defendant declared incompetent to proceed and allows the defendant to receive inpatient services from the Colorado Department of Human Services for additional time after charges are dropped.

Requires the Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) to provide administrative access to the unified application for preschool providers and administrative units to allow them to assist families in completing the Universal Preschool Program application and maintaining enrollment in the program without the assistance of a local coordinating organization or CDEC.

Drafted by the Uniform Law Commission, the bill repeals the "Uniform Guardianship and Protective Proceedings Act" and enacts the "Uniform Guardianship, Conservatorship, and Other Protective Arrangements Act"

Creates the Fostering Success Pilot Program in the Department of Human Services. The Program has two components. First, it creates the Supplemental Support for Foster Students Program which awards $2,000 scholarships annually to a foster care provider, kinship foster care provider, or a non-certified kinship care provider who cares for a youth in the legal custody of a county department of human or social services until the youth graduates from high school. Second, it creates the Milestone Incentives Program which awards $1,000 to a youth for successfully graduating from high school.

Implements recommendations from the Timothy Montoya Task Force To Prevent Children From Running Away From Out-Of-Home Placement, including requiring the Child Protection Ombudsman to and conduct a survey of the physical infrastructure needed to deter children and youth from running away from residential child care facilities. Additionally, the bill requires a facility to notify the child’s or youth’s parent, legal guardian, or custodian within four hours after discovering the child or youth is missing from its care. 

Increases the amount retail food establishments pay to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), a county health department, or a district board of health to cover the cost of required health and safety inspections. 

Delays the change from the Medicaid fee-for-service structure to the Medicaid managed care structure until July 1, 2026 for children and youth who are in a qualified residential treatment program or a psychiatric residential treatment facility and in the care and custody of a county. Additionally, the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, in conjunction with stakeholders, must develop polices for this change by December 1, 2025 and implement the policies no later than July 1, 2026.