News & Insights
Expert guides, HCPF policy updates, and wage insights to help you navigate Colorado’s home care system with confidence.
70-Hour Caregiver Limit Exception: File by Nov 30
Phase 2 of Colorado’s weekly caregiver limit opened November 1. Here’s what has to be on file before January 1, plus Round 2 feedback, the November 13 board meeting, and a new Notice of Rights memo.
Colorado Medicaid Changes for Family Caregivers: One Page Now Tracks Them All
Seven Medicaid changes are now permanent. Eight more aren’t final, including a 7-hour weekly cap on Personal Care paid to parents. HCPF takes comments Tuesday and Wednesday. Our new tracker shows every change, its Board vote, and what it means for your hours, updated every Monday.
Colorado Personal Care & Homemaker Cuts: What HCPF Is Proposing
Colorado’s Medicaid agency put five proposals on the table to slow Personal Care and Homemaker spending. Here’s how each works, who it touches, and where Caregivers First Choice stands.
Colorado Know Your Rights Training
Every Colorado direct care worker (caregiver) now has a free, one-lesson state training to finish. Here’s exactly where to click, what to save when you’re done, and why we want every CFC caregiver holding that certificate early.
Colorado Medicaid Group Rate Rule: Where Things Stand
Colorado’s Medicaid group rate rule is still being drafted. Here’s what HCPF clarified at the September 11 hearing and what family caregivers should know.
Caregiver Cap Exception Success: What It Took and Gratitude to HCPF
Two Colorado families needed more weekly caregiving hours than the standard cap allows. Here’s what it took to win HCPF’s approval.
Family Caregivers: Colorado’s Workforce Shortage Solution
Colorado will need 83,777 direct care workers by 2028. Paying family caregivers is the workforce shortage solution the state is already funding.
HCPF Finalized the Weekly Caregiver Limit Rule. Here’s What Changed for Exceptions.
HCPF finalized the Weekly Caregiver Limit rule on Aug 14, 2026. Emergency windows, denial timelines, and exception criteria all shifted. Here’s the breakdown.
HMA vs. Personal Care vs. Homemaker
Confused why the same task pays differently in Colorado? See what separates HMA, Personal Care, and Homemaker, then read the full breakdown.
Weekly Caregiver Limit Colorado: What the New HCPF Guidance Means for You
HCPF’s new tips resource explains caregiver hour-limit exceptions. See the Phase 2 window and what it means for your hours.
Colorado’s Change of Condition Rule Needs an Outcomes Fix
When a caregiver resolves a temporary spike in need, Colorado treats it the same as any other hours cut. Here’s a fix that rewards success without disrupting long-term care.
How to Choose a Colorado Medicaid Home Care Agency That Values Your Experience
You have a choice in home care. Switch your Colorado Medicaid home care agency to get paid for your life experience with zero bloated overhead.
Colorado Medicaid Provider Rate Reduction: What It Means for Your Pay
Colorado’s Medicaid provider rate reduction is here. See why existing IHSS/CFC caregiver pay isn’t changing — check your own rate free.
Real Support, Real Pay: Navigating Colorado Caregiving Careers and Phased Hour Caps
Don’t navigate rolling caregiver hour limits alone. Learn how our team files your state exceptions or join our professional backup caregiving network.
Consumer Direction Was the Whole Point
Colorado’s new 56-hour caregiver cap does not reduce the care the state certifies a member needs. It limits who may be paid to deliver it. Tracing consumer-directed care to its civil-rights roots, this piece argues that capping a member’s chosen caregiver, in the homes where no other caregiver exists, breaks the promise the model was built on.
Colorado’s Caregiver Hour Cap Starts July 1: What Families Can Do Now
Colorado’s Medicaid caregiver hour cap begins July 1, 2026. See what’s changing, who files the exception, and what family caregivers should do now.
Introducing the Caregivers First Choice (CFC) Training Portal
The Caregivers First Choice (CFC) Training Portal puts required state and Medicaid caregiver training online — self-paced, on any device, for Colorado families.
To the Families Who Testified on Colorado Paid Caregiver Hour Limits: Thank You
The Medical Services Board passed MSB 26-05-05-B to implement the 56 Colorado Paid Caregiver hour cap. Read our inside look at the vote and our profound gratitude to the families who spoke out.
Colorado’s Family Caregiver Hour Limit Reaches Its Final Vote June 12. Here’s What’s at Stake.
Colorado is capping paid family caregiver hours. Read what’s at stake for IHSS & CDASS before the final June 12, 2026 vote and how to submit testimony.
Overburdened and Underpaid: Navigating Family Caregiver Pay in Colorado
Discover how institutional healthcare shifts systemic burdens to families while devaluing their labor. Learn how to secure fair compensation under Colorado Medicaid.
Community First Choice Colorado: The History of Consumer Direction and the Fight for Caregiver Respect
Discover how Colorado’s Community First Choice Medicaid option rewards family caregivers. Learn how to bypass the red tape and get paid for your tenure.
The Proposed Colorado HCPF 56-Hour Caregiver Limit: A Draft Rules Guide for 2026
An essential educational guide on the proposed Colorado HCPF 56-hour weekly caregiver limit draft rules for 2026. Discover how Caregivers First Choice is collaborating with the state to support family caregiver exemptions, simplify administrative reporting pathways, and preserve long-term care continuity for medically complex households.
Colorado Difficulty of Care Payments: How Your Caregiving Contributes to Medicaid and Housing Benefits
Learn how the shared-home rule protects your MAGI Medicaid and housing assistance. Understand the 2026 Community First Choice system and how to stay qualified.
The Center of the Wheel: Why the 56-Hour Cap Fails Families (and How We’re Fighting Back)
May 2026 Update: The Frizell amendment failed, but your hours are protected while an exception is pending. See how we fight for your complex care expertise.
