Colorado:
Community First Choice: IHSS and CDASS

CFC is the benefit; IHSS and CDASS are delivery models

CFC is a Medicaid state-plan option that can coexist with an HCBS waiver when services do not duplicate each other. The important distinction is between the funding benefit and the way attendants are employed. Families should ask which services are now CFC and which separate waiver services remain in the plan.

CDASS gives the member or authorized representative employer and budget responsibilities with financial management support. IHSS involves an enrolled agency and a different support structure. Ask the case manager to compare these responsibilities before choosing; familiar program initials alone do not explain the family’s workload or employment terms.

Coverage, level of care and family roles all matter

CFC does not create a new financial eligibility category. The applicant needs the applicable Health First Colorado coverage and institutional level-of-care determination. A waiver participant may also have requirements for retaining the separate waiver. Ask the case manager to explain both decisions rather than assuming enrollment in one program proves eligibility for every service.

The state’s current FAQ permits legally responsible relatives, including spouses and parents, to provide specified services under IHSS or CDASS. Such care must follow the assessed tasks and restrictions. For a child, document the additional disability-related assistance beyond ordinary expectations for that age; routine parenting is not automatically billable care.

Start with the local Case Management Agency

A person seeking CFC should contact the local Case Management Agency about intake and assessment. Someone already receiving services should ask the existing case manager to confirm the current funding and authorization. Avoid restarting an entire application based only on an old webpage that still describes the transition as upcoming.

CFC assessment, financial processing, provider availability and employee onboarding are different stages. Ask what remains incomplete and who owns each step. A waiting list for a separate waiver should not be assumed to answer whether CFC assessment is available. Request a written decision and the review instructions if a service is denied.

Build the service plan before estimating wages

For CDASS, discuss the attendant support management plan, employer training, budget and selected financial management vendor. For IHSS, confirm the enrolled agency, supervision and worker enrollment process. The financial management comparison materials describe administrative support; they do not establish a statewide salary for every family caregiver.

Obtain the approved tasks, hours and actual worker wage. Colorado’s 2026 guidance changed legally responsible homemaker limits and introduced phased caregiver-hour limits. These limits constrain staffing; they are not automatic awards of that much care. Ask the case manager for the rule and effective date applicable to your arrangement.

Confirm live-in documentation and visit verification

Colorado has issued specific instructions about live-in EVV exemptions, including a pause in one portal submission process while providers retain supporting records. A shared home does not erase documentation duties. Ask the agency or financial management vendor for its current instructions, the applicable exception process and how different service types must be recorded. Keep authorization and actual work records aligned.

Your next steps

1. Contact the local Case Management Agency for CFC assessment.
2. Confirm Medicaid coverage, level of care and any separate waiver requirements.
3. Compare IHSS and CDASS responsibilities and worker eligibility.
4. Complete the service plan, training and employment or financial management enrollment.
5. Confirm current hour rules, wage, start date and EVV instructions.

Explore a pay scenario

The table uses a hypothetical amount of $18.00 per hour. This is not a rate verified for this state. Approved units depend on the assessment and written plan; the table does not establish a maximum or entitlement.

Monthly average = weekly × 52 ÷ 12. Overtime and taxes are not calculated.

Does caregiver pay qualify for IRS Notice 2014-7?

IRS Notice 2014-7 can exclude certain qualifying Medicaid waiver payments from federal gross income when the care recipient lives in the provider’s home. Sharing a home alone is not enough: the payment and program must qualify. This is not an exemption for all caregiver wages, all taxes or all state programs. Ask payroll which payments are covered and check the IRS guidance or a qualified tax adviser. Our calculator does not apply a tax exemption.

Questions families ask

Official sources and review notes

• Colorado HCPF: CFC implementation memo
• Colorado HCPF: CFC service transition bulletin
• Colorado HCPF: CFC FAQ, updated July 2026
• Colorado HCPF: FMS comparison chart
• Colorado HCPF: CDASS and children
• Colorado HCPF: live-in EVV exemption process memo
• Jefferson County: CFC information and official FAQ link

Sources describe the named programs; they do not endorse this website. Rules and provider arrangements can change. Check the linked agency before making a financial decision.