COVID Resources for County and Eligibility Partners

This page is a resource center for Health First Colorado and CHP+ County and Eligibility sites that may have questions about COVID-19. We will post updates on this page as they become available. We will continue to send out these communications via existing channels such as the County Connections e-newsletter and the HCPF Memo Series. Please sign up for these newsletters.

County and Eligibility Resources

• Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment general information about the COVID-19 Virus
• Medical Assistance Gap Coverage Letter - English
• Medical Assistance Reinstatement Desk Aid
• Medical Assistance Reinstatement Letter - English
• Resources for COVID-19 Unwind and Renewals

County and Eligibility Site Guidance

Executive Director and Eligibility Communications

Resources

• County COVID Locked-in % Allocation
• CDHS Information Memo IM-CP-2021-0002 COVID Vaccine Interest for Human Service Workers - 3/4/2021
• Arapahoe County Tips and Tricks for COVID Locked In Report - 10/8/2020
• CHSDA Presentation by Pueblo County on COVID PHE Workload - 10/6/2020
• Public Health Emergency Letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services - 9/14/2020
• Getting Health Care Coverage Through Health First Colorado and Child Health Plan Plus - A guide for prospective members.
• COVID-19 Emergency Waiver Overview - Updated 3/30/2020
• Continuity of Operations Plans (COOPs)Considerations for Medical Assistance - County human/social services agencies should utilize these considerations to update their COOPs for Medical Assistance.
• Risk Management for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

COVID-19 Memo Guidance for Eligibility Sites

All memos can be found on the HCPF Memo Series Webpage.

County Office and Eligibility Guidance

County departments should determine whether there are any gaps in their business processes for Medical Assistance eligibility or customer service necessary to ensure member service coverage and application processing. The Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF) has provided the below guidance for certain categories of county operations:

For General Operations

• Review and follow your Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) and update if necessary to accommodate the COVID-19 impact.
• Create a plan for communicating to staff and members if your county's workforce is impacted or your offices are closed and ensure work at home and related county communication clarity.
• Contact HCPF and CDHS to discuss office disruption or closing.
• Prepare for a possible increase in the number of customer service calls, member visits, and workload.
• Inform staff of where to find appropriate resources regarding COVID-19, such as those available from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, if asked by members to help reduce the spread of misinformation.

For Medical Assistance Financial Eligibility

• Encourage the use of PEAK, especially for new applications who can receive a Real Time Eligibility (RTE) determination. This allows for a quick eligibility determination, if done correctly by the member, and requires no immediate action by the county.
• Minimize in-person interaction for Medical Assistance eligibility. In-person interviews are NOT required for eligibility determinations. Counties should endeavor to utilize other contact methods when reaching out to members (a phone call is sufficient).
• Do not over-verify eligibility criteria for applicants/clients. Utilize electronic databases and interfaces, where possible, to minimize the need of the client to submit additional documentation. Utilize training from the Staff Development Center to ensure over-verification does not occur.
• Encourage the use of Health First Colorado mobile app for members to submit changes in their circumstances, upload documentation or find a provider.

For Medical Assistance Functional Eligibility

For Members

• Know where resources are for members. To find providers, encourage members to go to HealthFirstColorado.com or to reach out to their Regional Accountable Entity or CHP+ Managed Care Organization (who can also assist with finding a provider and can assist with care coordination). The HCPF Member Contact Center can assist with claims and billing issues (1-800-221-3943).