Any Questions?

On Monday, March 19, 5:30 – 7:00 PM, the Colorado Departments of Health Care Policy and Financing, Human Services, and Public Health and Environment is inviting stakeholders to attend a community forum in Westminster, or by joining in by phone, to discuss the redesign of Colorado's long-term services and supports system. Details on how to participate are below.

As you may know, the Departments have submitted a proposal to the Joint Budget Committee that included a suggestion to relocate the Division for Developmental Disabilities, the State Unit on Aging and the Children's Residential Habilitation Program from the Department of Human Services to the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. This proposal will require new legislation to make this change.

The departments are inviting families, partners and stakeholders to provide input on this proposal.

We at Imagine! are concerned, given the previous 50 years of thoughtful legislation, that the proposal has not received the consideration that such a significant change in our system should merit. Do the potential benefits outweigh the risks? Therefore, we are encouraging all interested parties to attend this community forum, and to seek answers to important questions, such as:

Why is it so important to have this move completed by July 1st of this year?

Will this move help get people off of the large waitlist we have for services? If so, how?

Will this move address the State’s current financial shortfall of funding for services for individuals who have intellectual and developmental disabilities? If so, how?

There are no fewer than twenty state programs, some operating independently, others in conjunction with one another, that address the needs of individuals who have intellectual and developmental disabilities in our State. Given that only some these programs will be moved in the proposed redesign, how will this redesign make it easier for families to navigate through the system?

It has been suggested that the move might bring more money into the system by opening up access to more federal grants and programs. What specific grants and programs only become available because of this move?

Forty-eight other states are designed similar to Colorado’s current configuration, which suggests that this is not a Federal mandate. Who then, is suggesting that this is good for Colorado?

The Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, as a Medicaid agency, is generally viewed as a public benefits manager, much the same as an insurance agent. How can we be sure that decisions moving forward are for the benefit of the individual and family?

What happens if legislation approving this redesign does not pass?

Here are the details about the upcoming community forum:

When: Monday, March 19, 2012, 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.

Where: Westminster Public Library -- College Hill Branch, 3705 West 112th Avenue, Room L-211, Westminster, CO 80031

For those unable to attend in person, you may join the discussion by phone:
1-877-820-7831 (toll free)
Participant pass-code: 447596

Please RSVP to Jerri Spear at jerri.spear@state.co.us or 303-915-8764.

We hope to see you there. This move could have a significant impact on how services and funded and delivered in the future. Make sure your voice is heard!

For more information, check out:
Colorado Long-Term Services and Supports Redesign Fact Sheet