Colorado Chapters of The Arc 

Simplify the current system of services and supports for people with disabilities

• Implement Consumer Directed Attendant Support Services promptly for all Medicaid Waivers.  CDASS gives people with disabilities real choices to purchase the services they need and want from providers of their choice in settings they choose. Legislation was passed in 2005.  The state has yet to fully implement CDASS across all waivers.
• The state’s proposal for CDASS implementation for the SLS and CES waivers only covers personal care, homemaker, and home health services.  This option should be extended to all services in all waivers.
• Revamp Colorado’s HCBS Medicaid waiver system for people with disabilities to provide flexibility and timely responsiveness to changing needs.

Improve the efficiency of the system of long term services and supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities

• Improve training and support for case managers to coordinate services across the spectrum of natural family and community supports, private insurance benefits, the Colorado Medicaid State Plan, as well as HCBS Waivers.
• Streamline the application processes for accessing the Medicaid and Human Services systems. 

Ensure the transparent and accountable use of tax dollars

• Improve up front cost containment measures to determine private insurance coverage for services, medication and supplies that should be billed before Medicaid dollars are spent.
• Enforce requirements to collect funds from private insurers—not providers—for services paid by Medicaid that should have been covered.
• Assure that all Medicaid providers have systems in place to provide a clear track record of the use and disposition of local, state and federal tax dollars. 

Protect funding for people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities from further budget reductions

• People with disabilities and their families have suffered enough—no more cuts to services and provider rates.
• Ensure that any budget reductions in K-12 education protect children who need special supports and services.
• Address the Colorado Constitutional conflicts on fiscal issues (e.g. TABOR, Gallagher, Amendment 23).
• Improve state revenue for all general fund categories by closing corporate tax and exemption loopholes, better enforcement and collection efforts, and eliminating tax exemptions and credits that have outlived their usefulness.
• Develop a systematic and realistic plan to end waiting lists.
• Prevent insurance providers from relying on the educational system to provide medical treatment by excluding coverage for medically determined therapies.

Improve the quality of life for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities

• Develop quality assurance systems that go beyond compliance audits.
• Work to prevent care giver abuse by implementing a database of names of caregivers identified in incident reports.
• Reduce pejorative references in statute, ordinances, and regulations by requiring “People First” language in future legislation and rules at state and local levels.
• Ensure that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who are victims of crime are treated fairly and provided appropriate supports to protect their rights.

Expand Supported Employment opportunities

• Take full advantage of federal Ticket to Work programs.
• Transfer public funding for persons in non integrated work settings to support for competitive individualized employment.
• Work to leverage Medicaid and Vocational Rehabilitation dollars to expand competitive employment opportunities.

Protect the rights of students with disabilities

• Monitor IDEA and NCLB to ensure that focus on academic improvement does not diminish the rights and protections guaranteed to children with disabilities.
• Direct school districts to coordinate school based services with public and private services such as those covered by private insurance, the State Medicaid Plan, and those provided under HCBS waivers. 
• Require school districts to implement research based best practices that are designed to meet the learning needs of each child.
• Implement positive methods to support challenging behavior in schools.
• Fully implement new rules and guidance regarding seclusion and restraints of students with disabilities.
• Require school districts to implement easy to understand standardized progress reports based on data.
• Provide information to school districts to link children eligible for free and reduced lunch to the CHIP+ program.
• Ensure equal opportunity to the general education curriculum.