CBMS | PEAK September 2016 Enhancements for Community Partners

CBMS Users ● Employment & Benefits Division (EBD) Food Assistance (FA) ● Medical Assistance (MA) ● OIT On Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016, numerous enhancements will be made across PEAK and CBMS to decrease application processing times, reduce errors, and improve the overall user and customer experience. The following information is a high-level overview of the enhancements and the impact they might have on community partners. Please see page 6 for information on build training available to community partners.

USERS

PROJECT PEAK RRR Updates

Clients will be able to more easily understand for which programs they can submit an RRR. This includes all programs (Adult Financial, Colorado Works, Food Assistance, and Medical Assistance).

EBD

2016 Home Care Allowance (HCA) Grant Increase

The monthly benefit Home Care Allowance (HCA) amount and the Personal Needs Allowance amount will be increased to meet the 2016 Maintenance of Effort (MOE) requirement. The HCA grant will increase $55 for each tier. Clients will receive correspondence alerting them of the HCA grant increase.

Simplifying the Interim Assistance Reimbursement (IAR) Process

Clients will be required to complete a new IM-14 authorization form for each county from which they receive benefits to ensure that the State and Counties are successfully and consistently reimbursed for Aid to the Needy Disabled (AND) benefits. The form and a speed letter will be provided to clients.

FOOD ASSISTANCE (FA)

Adding Extra Days to Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) Notices

Verification Checklists and Notices of Adverse Action will allow extra mailing time for Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) clients so that they can retrieve their mail from the designated safe address before any action can be taken to reduce, deny, or terminate benefits. Verification Checklist Due Dates and Adverse Action time frames will be adjusted to account for the revised mailing times outlined below: Intake Adult Financial (AF) = 10+ 5 days Colorado Works (CW) = 10+5 days (case level) or 30+5 days (individual level) Food Assistance (FA) = 10+ 5 days

RRR/Ongoing AF = 10+5 days CW = 11+5 days (case level) or 30+5 days (individual level) FA = 10+5 days

Note: The projects listed in this document are scheduled for the September 2016 Build. Testing is still in progress. Projects are subject to change. Page 1

PROJECT Discrepancy Creation When Case Fails for Dual Participation Updates

FOOD ASSISTANCE (FA)

Invalid Food Assistance (FA) discrepancies will be prevented from being created when benefits are denied for dual participation in the application month. When clients attempt to apply for FA through Apply for Benefits (AFB) and PEAK recognizes the household is already active on FA in the application month, clients will be redirected to Report My Changes (RMC). The revised message PEAK users will see is: We have found that you are already on an active food, cash, or medical assistance case. Food Assistance is still active on your case until [discontinuance date]. Clients and PEAKPro users may upload documents through the month of case closure. If a PEAKPro user attempts to upload a document the day after the case is closed, the following error message will display: This case is closed. Documents cannot be uploaded for closed cases. Please contact the worker if you have any questions.

Exempt Financial Aid Income

Adult Financial (AF), Colorado Works (CW), and FA policies will be aligned to exclude financial aid income from eligibility calculations effective November 1, 2016. Financial aid verification will no longer be required to determine eligibility for students for CDHS programs. For ongoing Food and Cash clients with financial aid income that is currently countable, November benefits will be adjusted and will likely result in an increase to the grant.

Retain Eligibility for Qualified Non-Citizens

Qualified non-citizens, such as refugees, asylees, and victims of trafficking, are eligible to participate in FA without having to meet additional conditions. Some non-citizen individuals who were previously terminated due to a change in their non-citizen status will regain their FA eligibility if they are currently part of an active FA case. This may result in restorations and/or supplements, both of which would be valid per policy. Customers will be notified via a Change in Benefits Notice of Action (NOA) and a Restoration NOA, if applicable.

Client Correspondence Updates

MEDICAL ASSISTANCE (MA)

The appeals language contained within Medical Assistance (MA) Notice of Action client correspondence will be updated. These changes will more clearly communicate who to contact to file an appeal.

Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) Disregard -- Update Applicable Categories

The current Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) disregard is applied to all MA categories (MAGI and Non-MAGI) that use Federal Poverty Level (FPL) income limits. A recent Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) audit determined that this disregard should not be applied to all MAGI categories and certain NonMAGI categories. Updates will be made to no longer apply the COLA for all categories with the exception of the Medicare Savings Programs (https://www.colorado.gov/hcpf/medicare-savings-programs-msp). Members’ eligibility may be impacted when their income is increased due to a COLA.

Incarceration Updates

MA members will remain eligible for coverage of inpatient claims when hospitalized for at least 24 hours while incarcerated. As a reminder, effective June 1, 2016, Health First Colorado services are available to residents of Community Corrections facilities who are otherwise eligible, including individuals who reside at the facility involuntarily. Community Corrections facility residents applying for Medical Assistance through PEAK should not indicate that they are incarcerated in the application. For APTC/CSR/QHP eligibility, individuals will no longer be considered incarcerated if they are living in a halfway house.

Page 2

PROJECT MAGI Updates to CHP+, Parent/Caretaker and Work Study Incomes

PEAK will be updated for certain Medical Assistance (MA) programs to ensure that the individual is determined eligible for assistance correctly and that the individual has access to the benefits to which he or she is entitled. ◊ Clients will be prompted to answer the new Minimum Essential Coverage (MEC) question to identify if the child(ren) they reported on the Medical Assistance application have MEC. Those who do not report MEC for their children will not be eligible for MA. ◊ Clients will be prompted to distinguish between work study used for living expenses and the taxable amount of work study income. ◊ Currently, if customers indicate that their citizenship status is unknown when applying for Health First Colorado/CHP+, their application is incomplete. Following the implementation of this project, if customers indicate an unknown citizenship status, they will have 10 days to provide their citizenship status. If customers answer “no” to the citizenship status question, the functionality will not be impacted. Customers will continue to have 90 days to provide documentation of their citizenship status if it cannot be verified by an electronic data source. ◊ Clients eligible for APTC or CSR will also continue to receive the standard 90-day Reasonable Opportunity Period (ROP) when they need to provide proof of their SSN or citizenship status.

PEAK: Add Former Foster Care + Update/Correct Names & Date of Birth (DOB)

Instructions will be added for Former Foster Care recipients who are trying to apply through PEAK. Additionally, members will be able to update/correct their names and date of birth in PEAK.

MEDICAL ASSISTANCE (MA)

PEAK: Show CHP+ in Benefit Summary

PEAK will be updated to correctly display “CHP+ Assistance” instead of “Health First Colorado” when appropriate on the Medical Assistance Details and Results pages. There will also be a PDF of the new CHP+ card. Members will also be able to more easily locate the page where they can request Health First Colorado and CHP+ cards more easily.

PEAKHealth App -- Add Voter Registration

The PEAKHealth app will be updated to ask MA recipients if they want to register to vote and provide the opportunity to register to vote. This is in compliance with the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) and aligns the app with current functionality in PEAK.

PEAKPro Updates -- VITAL

As part of the Colorado Medicaid Management Innovation and Transformation (COMMIT) Project, the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) will be transitioning to a new Long-Term Services and Supports Case and Care Management System – VITAL. MA Members may be able to have their eligibility determination for Long-Term Services and Supports sooner. Community Centered Boards (CCBs) will have access to PEAKPro beginning on September 19, 2016.

Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) + Home and Community Based Services Spinal Cord Injury (HCBS SCI) Update -- Remove County of Residence Restriction

A county check will no longer be part of the eligibility determination for PACE and the HCBS SCI MA categories. MA members will be able to access PACE and HCBS SCI services when their Long-Term Services and Supports case manager determines that they meet the Level of Care (LOC) to receive these additional services.

OIT

PEAK Registered Trademark

The State of Colorado will be granted registered trademarks for the PEAK suite of logos and word marks in the coming months. In September, the PEAK homepage will be updated to include registered trademarks “®” on the following three marks: ◊ Colorado PEAK® word mark ◊ PEAKPro® word mark in dropdown ◊ PEAK logo Page 3

PROJECT OIT

PEAK Manage My Account Process Security Updates

A number of Security measures for use of PEAK Manage My Account (MMA) will be added and updated. PEAK clients will need to verify their email addresses with this change. A verification code will be sent to the PEAK clients’ email address. PEAK clients will need to enter their verification codes in PEAK to confirm their email addresses. In addition, PEAK will be updated to no longer automatically send a new temporary password to PEAK clients when they have three (3) or more failed login attempts. To regain access, PEAK clients will have to enter their email addresses to be sent temporary passwords.

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PEAK Issue Reporting Community partners should send an email to [email protected] to report technical issues with PEAK. ÂÂ Check out the Reporting Technical Issues desk aid developed by Covering Kids and Families: http://cchn.org/ckf/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Reporting-Technical-Issues-with-PEAK-and-Connect-forHealth-Colorado.pdf Post-Build Call: Summary of System Performance and Known Issues for Community Partners Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016 | 3-3:45 p.m. ÂÂ Conference Line: 720.279.0026 (Local) or 1.877.820-7831 (Long Distance) | Passcode: 349141#

TRAINING September 2016 PEAK Enhancements Training ÂÂ Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016 | 1-3 p.m. Registration: https://cc.readytalk.com/registration/#/?meeting=b2jmzqmig80c&campaign=ikn9wclmpdwi ÂÂ Monday, Sept. 19, 2016 | 9-11 a.m. Registration: https://cc.readytalk.com/registration/#/?meeting=lu91h6b7jmkx&campaign=pcdmvx206dcm Webinar on New Policy for Certain Parents and Caretaker Relatives with Dependent Children Beginning on October 1, 2016, the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing is implementing a federal requirement that certain parents or caretaker relatives living with a dependent child under the age of 19 are required to enroll the child in qualifying health coverage, called minimum essential coverage to be eligible for Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid Program). Join the Department and PEAK Outreach for a webinar to learn more about this policy change and related changes on Colorado.gov/PEAK. ÂÂ Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016 | 1-2 p.m. Registration: https://cohcpf.adobeconnect.com/e7sslqxb7n9/event/event_info.html

HELPFUL LINKS PEAK Outreach Initiative – Training & Materials: www.peakoutreach.com

Colorado.gov/PEAK

TM

Page 4