A clearer path to
care at home.

Connect with your case manager.

Confirm Health First Colorado (Medicaid) status, who manages the case, and whether Community First Choice (CFC) services are authorized. If Medicaid or case management is not yet in place, ask the agency how to begin and what assessments are needed. A waiver, if applicable, may support other services.

Ask for copies of the current service plan, age-appropriate Direct Care Services Calculator, monthly allocation worksheet, and prior authorization. Ask which enrollment step is still outstanding.

Understand the roles

Ask the FMS who will be the legal employer / FEIN holder. That identity affects family payroll tax exemptions. An AR designation is separate from guardianship or power of attorney.

Questions for your case manager

• What is the member’s Medicaid status, assigned case manager, CFC status, and waiver, if any?
• Can we have the current age-appropriate care-needs assessment, task worksheet, allocation, service plan, and authorization?
• Which tasks are approved as personal care, homemaker, or health maintenance? What evidence is still missing?
• Does a caregiver’s relationship or legal responsibility affect approved services, and how should extraordinary care be documented?
• Does guardianship affect the proposed AR or attendant roles?
• Can the proposed caregivers enroll as attendants, and what is the backup plan when they are unavailable?
• Which forms does the AR sign, which do we sign, and which must the physician complete?
• How do existing waiver, nursing, day-program, or agency services fit alongside CDASS without duplication?
• Who owns the next handoff, and when should we follow up?
• If services are denied or reduced, where is the written decision and how do we request review or appeal?

Questions for Palco or PPL

• Who is the employer of record / FEIN holder? Which family tax exceptions apply to each attendant’s relationship to that person?
• What is each attendant’s exact employer “cost to you” percentage? What changes with overtime, wage bases, FAMLI, or employer experience rates?
• What current minimum and maximum regular wages apply at our work location?
• Does overtime apply to each attendant? How do weekly and daily/shift rules interact? Please provide the classification in writing.
• If an attendant lives with the member, how do we document difficulty-of-care treatment under HCPF IM 26-001? How will federal and Colorado wages appear on the attendant’s W-2?
• What employee deductions remain even if income qualifies for difficulty-of-care treatment?
• What live-in EVV exemption records do you require now, given the provider-portal process pause?
• What are payroll deadlines, timesheet approval steps, correction procedures, and start dates?

If enrollment stalls

Ask the case manager for the missing item and responsible person in writing. For forms or ASMP support, contact Consumer Direct. For payroll or hiring, contact the FMS. Ask about CDCO mediation for a care-plan disagreement.

For a denial or reduction, follow the appeal deadline on the written notice. Ask about continuation of benefits promptly; mediation does not itself pause an appeal deadline.