Medical Assistance (MA) Site Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Medical Assistance Site (MA)?

A Medical Assistance (MA) Site is a designated site certified by the Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF) to accept and process the State authorized medical assistance application for the programs that are administered by HCPF. HCPF was authorized to establish MA sites by Statute (CRS 25.5-4-205 et seq). MA Sites use the Colorado Benefits Management System (CBMS) to determine eligibility for Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) and Health First Colorado (Colorado's Medicaid Program) programs.

How does an agency become an MA site?

Interested parties are required to submit a Letter of Interest (LOI) to become an MA site. The LOI should be mailed to Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF) at 303 E. 17th Avenue, Denver, CO 80203, attention Monica Owens, MA Site Contract Manager, or via email to monica.owens@state.co.us.

The LOI should include responses to the following information:

1. Why is your organization interested in becoming an MA site?

2. What population and/or communities will benefit from you organization becoming an MA site?

3. Is your organization currently functioning as an active Certified Application Assistance Site (CAAS), Out-Stationing, and/or Presumptive Eligibility (PE) site for HCPF? If so, does the staff assigned to these functions, currently have access to Colorado Benefits Management System (CBMS)?

4. Is your organization providing medical assistance and or insurance enrollment assistance to clients in any other existing role(s)?  If yes, please provide the following information:

   1. What are the staff roles and purpose of the existing application/enrollment assistance your organization currently provides?

   2. What date did the application/enrollment assistance start?

   3. Is your organization currently involved in a contract or agreement, to provide application and or enrollment assistance, with an agency other than HCPF?

   4. Does staff currently performing application enrollment for a separate agency have access to CBMS or the Shared Eligibility System (SES)?

   5. Does your agency plan to or have the capacity to keep existing application/enrollment and claims processing functions separate from the MA Site functions, if approved?

5. What are the anticipated staffing levels and locations(s), if your organization becomes an MA site?

6. How is your organization going to fund your ability to function as an MA site?

Once the Contract Manager (Manager) receives the LOI, the following process will occur:

1. A confirmation email will be sent to the Interested Party (Party) indicating whether the LOI is complete or incomplete. If incomplete, the Party should receive an email request for missing and/or additional information be provided to continue the LOI process.
2. Upon receipt of a complete LOI, the Manager will determine if the Party's responses met the specific criterions to become an MA site.
3. The Party will be sent an approval or denial response from the Manager via email or letter, within 30 business days from the receipt of the completed LOI.

Please contact MA Site Contract Manager, Monica Owens at 303-866-2286 or monica.owens@state.co.us for more information.