ADAPT Meets with Colorado Governor's Office

When members of Colorado ADAPT met with Lorez Meinhold, Policy Director for Governor John Hickenlooper, we hoped that she had good news about whether or not the state of Colorado would apply for the Community First Choice (CFC) Option.

The Community First Choice Option is an option that states can include in their State Medicaid Plan. It contains some key elements included in the Community Choice Act (S. 683/H.R. 1670). A provision in the Affordable Care Act, President Obama's health care reform bill, CFC would provide people with disabilities who are eligible to be placed in a nursing facility or other institution with options to receive care in their homes and communities.

At a meeting with ADAPT in July, state officials were noncommittal, saying that they didn't know enough about CFC to decide if Colorado would apply.

Until recently, two barriers to states applying for the Community First Choice Option were: A change in the federal matching funds rate that would have negated the increased matching funds for states that apply for and implement CFC, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has not yet released the final regulations needed for the proper implementation of CFC.

Both barriers have been addressed. On September 19, 2011, while protesting at the White House during the President's press conference on the American Jobs Act, ADAPT received a call from the White House stating that the Community First Choice Option would be exempt from the new federal matching fund guidelines and retain it's increased federal match. The call was followed by written confirmation. On October 14, 2011, CMS officials in Washington, DC informed ADAPT that because the Community First Choice Option was established in law with an availability date of October 1, 2011, states could apply for and implement CFC, as well as receive the enhanced federal matching funds without the final rules being in place. In other words, states could apply today.

The Governor's office had encouraging news for Colorado ADAPT - barring any problems with the final regulations, the State intends to move forward with applying for the Community First Choice Option. We look forward to working with all of the agencies and people involved with the successful implementation of CFC as one large step toward ending the institutional bias and allowing people with disabilities to live free in our homes and communities.