Home Modification is a Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Health First Colorado (Colorado's Medicaid Program) benefit that allows for specific modifications, adaptations, or improvements in an eligible participant's existing home setting.
Home Modification benefit is available in the following Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Waivers:
- Brain Injury Waiver
- Children's Extensive Support Waiver
- Community Mental Health Supports Waiver
- Complementary and Integrative Health Waiver
- Elderly, Blind, and Disabled Waiver
- Supported Living Services Waiver
Home Modifications are specific modifications, adaptations, changes, or improvements in your existing home setting which, based on your specific needs, are necessary to ensure your health, welfare and safety, enable you to function with greater independence in the home, and/or to prevent institutionalization or support deinstitutionalization. All modifications must be the most cost-effective means of meeting the need.
For waiver specific regulations about the home modification benefit, please review the Volume 8 Rules and Regulations 8.493 for Home Modification.
Home Modification, adaptations, or improvements may include, but are not limited to:
- Installing or building ramps
- Modifying bathrooms
- Installing grab-bars and other durable medical equipment as part of a larger Home Modification Project
- Widening doorways
- Modifying kitchen facilities
- Installing specialized electric and plumbing systems that are necessary to accommodate medically necessary equipment and supplies.
There is a $14,000 lifetime maximum for the Home Modification benefit for the Brain Injury waiver, the Community Mental Health Supports waiver, the Elderly, Blind and Disabled waiver and the Complementary and Integrative Health waiver (formerly Spinal Cord Injury waiver).
For Children's Extensive Support Waiver and Supported Living Services Waiver participants, the total cost of Home Accessibility Adaptations, Vehicle Modifications, and Assistive Technology shall not exceed $10,000 per participant over the five-year life of the waiver.
Operational Memo 22-050 - Home Modification Benefit Process Changes - November 2, 2022
- Home Modification Forms
These forms were created to improve the HCBS Home Modification benefit. The goal is to reduce miscommunication, shorten timelines, and increase the quality of work and participant satisfaction. The forms were created with input from the Home Modification Stakeholder Workgroup. These forms will be required for use by all case managers, occupational/physical therapists, and providers.
Home Modification Checklist Tool - Updated November 2022
- Optional tool to help case managers understand and complete the step by step process of completing a home modification.
OT/PT Home Modification Evaluation - Updated October 2022
- This form is intended to make the recommendations clearer by prompting for common issues, such as ranking the modifications by priority, including detail that providers need about a participant's ability to use the recommended modifications, and an area for the therapist to write down the participant's requests. This form is completed by the therapist with input from the participant, then sent to the participant's case manager. The case manager then requests bids from providers based on the recommendations in the evaluation.
Home Modification Provider Bid Request Form - March 2022
- This form is optional for case managers to use, but is an available resource for soliciting home modification bids from contractors. Please ensure that the Home Modification Evaluation form is sent alongside this form when soliciting bids from contractors. This form can be used as a cover sheet when soliciting bids from contractors.
Home Modification Provider Bid Form - Updated June 2022
- This form, similar to the OT/PT Home Modification Evaluation form, is used to reduce changes from recommendations by therapists and proposed work by providers, as well as streamline the Department's approval process. These bids will be created by providers with input from the member and sent to the participant's case manager.
CES/SLS Client Statement of Understanding - 2019
- This form identifies the participant's responsibilities and outlines the terms of agreement for the home modification project. This form must be signed prior to the start of construction.
EBD/CMHS/BI/SCI Client Statement of Understanding - 2019
- This form identifies the participant's responsibilities and outlines the terms of agreement for the home modification project. This form must be signed prior to the start of construction.
Home Modification Property Owner Consent Form
- This form authorizes the home modification to be completed at the participant's residence. The Consent Form outlines the scope of work to be completed and requires permission from the property owner prior to construction beginning.
- Home Modification Training, Look Book and Specifications
- Home Modification Webinars & Training materials
- Home Modification Checklist Tool - November 2022
- Home Modification Look Book - July 2017
- Home Modification Construction Specifications - January 2022
- Webinar: For Providers - Adding a New Specialty Type - December 2019
- Home Modification Stakeholder Engagement Meetings
Between August 2021 and March 2022, the Department and the Division of Housing received valuable input from stakeholders about needed improvements to the Home Modification benefit. Stakeholders submitted their comments by completing a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis.
The Department is happy to announce that based on important stakeholder feedback, significant progress has been made on improving the Home Modification benefit. Given this progress, the Home Modification Stakeholder Engagement workgroup has completed their work and is no longer actively meeting.
Complete the Home Modification Stakeholder Feedback Form to share feedback surrounding the Home Modification benefit.
To request meeting documents contact Emily.Walsh1@state.co.us.
Contact Us
Department of Health Care Policy & Financing
- Emily Walsh
Emily.Walsh1@state.co.us
303-866-5064
Division of Housing
- Naomi Hubert
Naomi.Hubert@state.co.us
303-864-7825