Plain-language descriptions of Colorado HCBS and LTSS services and waivers to help you get oriented.
Medicaid programs that pay for services helping people with disabilities or aging-related needs live in their own home or community instead of an institution. Wayfinder organizes providers and requests around the specific waiver(s) they serve.
The organization responsible for coordinating an individual's services — assessing needs, developing their support plan, and connecting them with provider agencies. Case managers on Wayfinder work on behalf of a CMA.
Organizations that deliver direct services to individuals, such as personal care, respite, or day programs. Provider agencies use Wayfinder to respond to requests for proposals and manage their service offerings.
The specific types of support a provider agency offers under a waiver, such as homemaker services, transportation, or supported employment. Services are what case managers search for when matching an individual to a provider.
The people receiving Medicaid HCBS services. Case managers create and manage individual records in Wayfinder to track their waiver enrollment, needs, and matched providers.
A case manager's request, sent to provider agencies, describing an individual's service needs so agencies can respond with their availability and fit. RFPs are the core way case managers find providers on Wayfinder.
A Medicaid State Plan option — not a traditional waiver — that lets eligible members self-direct their own attendant care, choosing and training their own caregivers, or receive services through an agency instead.
The Colorado state agency that administers Medicaid, including HCBS waivers, provider certification, and program policy.
Ongoing help with daily living activities for people with disabilities or aging-related needs, delivered at home, in the community, or in a facility.
A population served by several Colorado HCBS waivers, including conditions such as intellectual disability, autism, and cerebral palsy that originate before adulthood.
The person-centered plan that documents an individual's goals, needs, and the specific services authorized to meet them. Case managers develop and maintain support plans for each individual.
The enrollment queue used by some waivers when demand for funded slots exceeds availability. Individuals may wait months or years before a slot opens.