PEAK | CBMS March 2015 Enhancements for Community Partners

Early Childhood Focused Programs ● Employee Benefits Division Food Assistance ● Medical Assistance On Sunday, March 22, 2015, numerous enhancements will be made across PEAK and CBMS to reduce application processing times, reduce errors, and improve the overall applicant and client experience. The proceeding information is a high-level overview of the PEAK and CBMS enhancements and the impact they may have on stakeholders. HELPFUL LINKS PEAK Outreach Initiative – Training & Materials: http://www.tinyurl.com/peakoutreach Department of Health Care Policy and Financing – Health Care Reform Resources: http://www.colorado.gov/ HCPF/ACAResources Department of Health Care Policy and Financing – Training Topics, Reference Documents, and Guides: http://www.colorado.gov/pacific/hcpf/eligibility-partners

TRAINING PEAK Outreach Initiative Webinars: These webinars will provide detailed information on the enhancements to PEAK functionality that will go live on March 22. Wednesday, March 18, 2015 | 2-3:15 p.m. ÂÂ Register at https://cc.readytalk.com/r/kj0wh45gfo6&eom Monday, March 23, 2015 | 9-10:15 a.m. ÂÂ Register at https://cc.readytalk.com/r/ioh4qe28x55d&eom Presumptive Eligibility Site Webinars: Trainings for PE Staff by the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing will be announced at a later date. ÂÂ For more information contact [email protected]

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT Post-Build Call: Summary of System Performance and Known Issues for Community Partners. Thursday, March 26, 2015 | 3-3:45 p.m. ÂÂ Conference Line: 1-877-820-7831 / Passcode: 349141#

Colorado.gov/PEAK

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ENHANCEMENTS PEAK Early Childhood Program Additions

Several Early Childhood Focused programs will be added to PEAK, allowing Coloradans to screen and/or apply for the programs listed below.

PROGRAM

EARLY CHILDHOOD FOCUSED PROGRAMS

Child Find Services The Child Find system provides eligibility evaluation and determination for special education and related services to families with children aged three (3) through five (5) years. Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP) CCCAP provides child care assistance to families that are working, searching for employment, or are in training, and families that are enrolled in the Colorado Works Program and need child care services to support their efforts toward selfsufficiency.

AM I ELIGIBLE

APPLY FOR BENEFITS

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ÂÂ Apply for Benefits Process: PDF applications will be produced and sent to county eligibility workers who will manually enter the information into CHATS. Future builds will address the automation of this process. Early Intervention Colorado (EI) The Early Intervention Colorado program provides developmental supports and services for children, birth through two years of age, who have special developmental needs. Head Start Program Head Start is a federal program that promotes the school readiness of children aged birth to five from low-income families by enhancing their cognitive, social, and emotional development. ÂÂ Apply for Benefits Process: Head Start will route applications directly to local entities such as counties and school districts. These entities will manage the follow-up and determination process. School Nutrition Programs The National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Special Milk Program (SMP), Afterschool Care Snack Program (ACSP), Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP), and Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) are programs that help fight hunger and obesity by reimbursing organizations such as public schools, residential child-care institutions, and after-school programs for providing healthy meals to children.

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EMPLOYEE BENEFITS DIVISION

ENHANCEMENTS Adult Financial Rules Regarding Child Support

Child Support income will be exempt in the determination of eligibility for Adult Financial programs (Aid to the Needy Disabled, Old Age Pension, and Health Care Allowance), per program rule. The effective date of this project is May 1, 2015.

Interactive Colorado Works and Adult Financial Forms on PEAK

The “Lawful Presence Affidavit” form for Colorado Works and Adult Financial Programs will now be interactive on the PEAK site and auto populate for clients when necessary. This will allow clients to complete and turn in all required information at once.

Sponsored Income/Resource Calculations for Colorado Works and Adult Financial

For non-citizen applicants, changes are being made to accurately reflect the income of their sponsors in eligibility and benefits determinations.

Client Correspondence Updates

Colorado’s Food Assistance program worked to make their Notice of Action letters to clients more accurate and easier to understand. As a result, clients will receive fewer notices with conflicting or wrong information.

Expedited Food Assistance FOOD ASSISTANCE

CBMS will correctly take into account income for expedited Food Assistance for certain households to increase timeliness and accuracy.

Non‐Citizen Rent

Families that have a non-citizen as the Head of Household will have their shelter costs prorated correctly when determining the food assistance benefits amount to prevent the household from being overpaid, resulting in claims. This change will be effective May 1, 2015.

PEAK Food Assistance Applications

To comply with federal regulations, changes will be made to PEAK so that individuals applying for Food Assistance can submit an application with only a name, address, and signature. While it is best practice for an individual to complete the entire application, the regulation exists to reduce barriers.

Redetermination Process for Food Assistance Clients

This project will create more time for processing Food Assistance redeterminations when a technician needs to verify client information. This should lead to clients receiving fewer incorrect notices when they have turned in their RRR and additional paperwork on time.

MEDICAL ASSISTANCE

Additional Information Resource Packet Update

Clients who meet all eligibility criteria for the Working Adults with Disabilities (WAwD) Buy-In program and the Level of Care requirements for the Home and Community Based-Services (HCBS), Elderly, Blind and Disabled (EBD), and HCBS Community Mental Health Support (CMHS) waivers will no longer pend for income trust or Additional Information Resource Packet (AIRP). Changes to CBMS and PEAK pages will not be made.

Client Correspondence Spanish Translation Updates

All Medical Assistance correspondence and forms will be available in both English and Spanish.

Medicaid Buy-In Program

Clients who are eligible for the Medicaid Buy‐In programs Working Adults with Disabilities (WAwD) and Children with Disabilities (CBwD) have the option to opt out of the program. PEAK fields as well as the Medical Assistance Notice of Action for these programs will be modified to allow clients to opt out of the program by contacting the eligibility technician listed on the notice or through PEAK Manage My Account. Additionally, premium payments will not be due until applicants have been approved for one of the Buy-In programs. Client correspondence and CBMS pages will be updated accordingly. Page 3

ENHANCEMENTS Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) Parent/Caretaker Update

MEDICAL ASSISTANCE

To align with federal requirements, and to fully implement the MAGI conversion for this population, the MAGI Parent/Caretaker Federal Poverty Level (FPL) will be reduced from 107% FPL to 68% FPL. The Department has previously been granted approval through the State Plan Amendment process for this change, but implementation was delayed until now due to negotiations with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The Department is currently working to update its rules. The effective date of the FPL change will be April 1, 2015. A mass update to all Parent/Caretaker cases will occur and the new eligibility determinations for Parent/Caretaker cases will be made. If individuals are no longer eligible for any Medical Assistance program, they will receive a Notice of Action and will be able to shop outside of open enrollment on the Connect for Health Colorado Marketplace due to a loss of Minimum Essential Coverage. FAQs will be provided by the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing in the future.

Modified Adjusted Gross Income Presumptive Eligibility Updates

Presumptive Eligibility (PE) will be updated in CBMS to reflect the Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) rules for pregnant women and children eligibility categories. No changes will be made to PEAK screens or the application process. Training will be conducted for PE staff by the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing; details will be released at a later date.

Shared Eligibility System (SES) Enhancements - Phase II

Additional functionalities will be implemented with a majority of changes being enhancements to PEAK and CBMS pages. Below is a brief summary of the key enhancements occurring in this phase: ◊ Certain data will be auto-populated from Connect for Health Colorado customer accounts into the shared application, such as address and household relationships. This will prevent applicants from having to enter data more than once. ◊ Current Medical Assistance clients will no longer have to start a new application if they want to apply for Food or Cash Assistance. Instead, they will be directed to Report My Changes, where they will be asked only the essential questions needed to complete a Food or Cash Assistance application through PEAK. ◊ The My Benefits page in PEAK will be modified to include Advance Premium Tax Credit/Cost Sharing Reduction amounts if applicable. ◊ Additional Help Text will be added to application pages regarding Employer Health Coverage Information, COBRA, Retiree and Veteran’s Health Plan Information. ◊ The Health Plan Affordability page will no longer automatically display for applicants that denote they or a member of their household has COBRA or a Retiree Health Plan. ◊ Clients will be able to choose if they want correspondence to go to their Authorized Representative.

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