ARPA HCBS Initiative 3.01 - Community Access to HCBS | Department of Health Care Policy and Financing

Overview

This project aided in better understanding who receives HCBS in Colorado and what services they receive, where the gaps are, and target outreach to ensure HCBS services are provided to all Coloradans who are eligible.

The ARPA 3.01 Community Access to HCBS project has three phases:

Internal data analysis:

Analyzed HCBS enrollment and utilization data to identify issues with access across the system. Based on the analysis, Department staff developed a report that identifies access issues across the system. This also includes conducting a literature review to inform the work. Reports are posted below.

External stakeholder feedback and recommendations:

Based on issues with access identified through data analysis, the Department contracted with a vendor to gather feedback from stakeholders. The purpose of this engagement and the recommendations is to create opportunities for the Department to more fully serve members and all eligible Coloradans with disabilities. The engagement is designed to achieve three outcomes: building and strengthening relationships with community partners, understanding members’ and advocates’ experiences, and identifying community-driven solutions.

Implementation plan:

Once recommendations are gathered, the project team will put together an implementation plan based on the recommendations to begin creating better access to HCBS.

The APRA 3.01 Community Access to HCBS aims to understand barriers people experience in HCBS and identify community-driven solutions. An important part of this project is building new and deepening relationships with organizations and connectors who help communities navigate the landscape of public services. The hope is that these relationships will continue and be incorporated into HCBS-related policy work well into the future.

Project Update

December, 2024

ARPA 3.01 Community Access to HCBS continued in a second phase of stakeholder engagement aimed at better equipping the Medicaid Certified Application Assistance Sites (CAAS) network with information about how to help community members enroll in HCBS. Further, the team engaged with community-based organizations who specifically serve American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN) communities to better understand how to support those communities through HCBS. Through these efforts during the second phase, the team reached over 40 organizations across the state and provided information and materials about how to enroll in HCBS. These materials were developed through a collaboration between ARPA 3.01 and ARPA 3.04 projects and can be found on the Learn About LTSS webpage

Project Reports

Community Access to Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS)

September 2023

These reports analyze the literature around HCBS access as well as issues unique to Colorado's HCBS programs.

Uncovering Community-Driven Strategies and Solutions for Increasing Awareness and Enrollment in Home and Community Based Services

November 2023

The report details the findings from the learning exchanges that were conducted as part of the ARPA 3.01 Community Access to HCBS. It provides a set of comprehensive recommendations to increase awareness, and improve enrollment in HCBS, focusing on building trust, integrating HCBS into the system, establishing accountability structures, and engaging users in materials design. In addition, it outlines how community-driven organizations currently support people in their communities in navigating complex health care systems to get their needs met.

Network Partners’ Perceptions, Experiences and Solutions to Access Barriers within the Program

November 2023

This report details the findings from engaging the HCBS network (defined as the Office of Community Living Stakeholder Newsletter listserv) in identifying barriers and solutions to access, enrollment, and utilization of HCBS as one component of the larger study.

Report

Meetings

Virtual Summit #1 - Creating Community Access within Colorado’s Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS)

April 4, 2023

Meeting Background:

In February 2023, we sent out a survey request, and nearly 350 providers and 140 members and caregivers responded. Your responses are helping us identify barriers and solutions for awareness, enrollment, and use of HCBS services. Thank you!

Now, HCPF and the Office of Community Living want to share those results with you and create a space to brainstorm more solutions based on the data. We also want to provide more background information about where we are headed and what you can expect in the coming months and years.

Virtual Summit #2 - Discussing Project Findings and Next Steps to Increase Community Access to HCBS

June 6, 2023

Meeting Background:

Between March and May 2023, nine in-depth learning exchanges were conducted with community-driven organizations throughout Colorado, in addition to interviews with additional community-driven organizations as well as key state-run resource connection programs. Learning exchange partners are bridge builders, who deeply understand the nuances of their community as well as the many complex systems they engage with to get their health needs met.

HCPF’s Office of Community Living presented the findings from those sessions, including recommendations on how HCBS will work to increase access by partnering with community-driven organizations. Four representatives from community-driven organizations shared their expertise about how they work to navigate complex systems with their communities.

Contact

For more information on the OCL ARPA Community Access to HCBS project, please contact The Office of Community Living