Application Dates Set For ARPA Grant: 1.05 Training Fund - Provider Grant
Summary of project:
Through funding provided by Section 9817 of the American Rescue Plan Act, the Department has created the Training Fund Grant program with the primary goal of providing more training opportunities and incentives for workers to gain higher-level skills that would promote greater retention within the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) workforce. The Department has $9.5 million to allocate through the grant program for these purposes. See the full project description.
Total Award Amount $9,500,000 (combined total for individual and provider grants)
Maximum Award Amount $100,000
Who is Eligible
- · Currently enrolled HCBS waiver providers
- · Training vendor/provider that develops/delivers training/specialization for the HCBS workforce.
Request for Application
Learn more about grant eligibility and application requirements.
How to Apply
The following items must be completed and submitted by on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023, at 5 p.m. MT. Applications will be reviewed and awardees announced on a revolving basis.
- · Application (will open on Sept. 30, 2022 by 5 p.m. MST)
- · Cover letter signed by executive director or authorizing official
- · Project Budget
- · W-9 (please use this form)
- · Certificate of Good Standing from the Secretary of State (501(c)3 organizations only)
If you are unable to upload the documents to the application directly, email attachments to [email protected] with your provider/company name and point of contact information submitted on the application.
Materials
All documents required for the grant are in this folder. This includes the W-9 form, Request For Application (RFA) and Project Budget.
Application Due Date
Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023, at 5 p.m. MT. The revolving schedule and award announcement days are listed below, contingent on the availability of funds.
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Applications Received Between
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Award Announcement Date
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Oct. 1 - Nov. 30, 2022
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Dec. 15, 2022
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Dec. 1, 2022 - Jan. 31, 2023
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Feb. 15, 2023
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Feb. 1 - March 31, 2023
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April 14, 2023
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April 1 - May 31, 2023
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June 15, 2023
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June 1 - July 31, 2023
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Aug. 15, 2023
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Aug. 1 - Sept. 30, 2023
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Oct. 13, 2023
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Dollars to Digitize: An ARPA Grant Opportunity for HCBS and Behavioral Health Providers
We're excited to announce the Dollars to Digitize ARPA 6.06 Grant Program. Apply starting Oct. 3, 2022 to innovate your organization with new or enhanced digital technology!
The Department and Office of eHealth Innovation (OeHI) invite you to apply for an innovative funding opportunity to adopt, update, or upgrade your organization’s digital technology.
The Department and OeHI are distributing $18 million through an ARPA grant to HCBS and behavioral health providers to enhance and strengthen their services through digital technology.
This opportunity will allow your organization to become more efficient and financially viable, improve care coordination, and attract and retain more providers and staff.
Eligibility
- Medicaid-Enrolled HCBS Providers: A Medicaid-enrolled HCBS provider in Colorado that is actively billing for services provided to more than one person on a 1915(c) HCBS waiver.
- Medicaid-Enrolled Behavioral Health Providers: A Medicaid-enrolled behavioral health provider in Colorado that is actively billing Medicaid for fee-for-service or managed care behavioral health services to thirty (30) or more Medicaid members — regardless of whether those services are delivered to people on HCBS waivers.
What You Can Purchase
Your site may request up to $500,000 funding to adopt and upgrade your technology with digital equipment, electronic systems, and connections to state or regional information networks.
Visit the ARPA 6.06 program website for a list of allowable expenses.
Be sure to check our website on or after Oct. 3, 2022, to submit the 20-minute Intent to Apply form to see if you are eligible to apply for the ARPA 6.06 grant opportunity! |
Polis Administration Announces Increase in Minimum Wage, Continuing to Support Hardworking Coloradans
Colorado.gov | Tuesday, September 13th
DENVER — Today, Governor Polis and the Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) Division of Labor Standards and Statistics (DLSS) announced an increase to Colorado’s minimum wage, which is currently $12.56 per hour for 2022, and will increase to $13.65 per hour in 2023, an 8.68% increase. Annually adjusting the minimum wage for inflation is a voter-approved mandate in the Colorado Constitution. The new minimum wage will take effect on January 1, 2023.
“We are building a strong economy that works for all Coloradans,” said Gov. Polis. “This new minimum wage of $13.65 builds upon our work to save Coloradans money, reduce the cost of everyday items, and put money back into the pockets of hardworking Coloradans.”
Gov. Polis signed a law allowing local governments to set a higher minimum wage than the state standard. The Polis Administration continues to take action to save Coloradans money, including sending tax rebates of $750 to individuals and $1500 to joint filers, cutting the cost of a driver’s license and vehicle registration fees, and reducing the cost of a state parks pass to $29.
The minimum wage adjustments are based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is calculated and issued by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
DLSS issues minimum wage adjustments as a part of its annual wage law rule making process and pursuant to its mandate under the Colorado Constitution. Providing advance notice helps employers and employees plan their finances. The new minimum wage will take effect on January 1, 2023.
[HHAC’s Advocacy Team is in conversation with the Governor’s Office and HCPF regarding the impact of minimum wage increases on providers, and we are working on a reimbursement rate increase request to support the measure in the next legislative session.] |
Colorado Activists, Lawmakers Pursue Bill of Rights for Home Care Workers
Colorado Politics | By Hannah Metzger
Home care workers in Colorado are fighting for a bill of rights to assure better pay and working conditions for those who provide aging adult and disability care.
State lawmakers and activists from Colorado Care Workers Unite and SEIU Local 105 gathered at the state Capitol Tuesday to demand the creation of a "Home Care Worker Bill of Rights" during next year’s legislative session. They want the legislation to cover personal care aides, home health aides and nursing assistants.
“This care industry is broken and it almost broke me,” said Melissa Benjamin, a home care worker of 20 years and founding member of Colorado Care Workers Unite. “This year, 60% of home care workers will leave this industry. It’s long past time to pay attention.”
While the specifics have not been decided, advocates said the bill of rights would include a higher minimum wage, protections from bad bosses, a right to safe workplaces, minimum benefits, such as paid time off, and decision-making power for workers to improve the home care industry.
Benjamin said low pay and unsafe working conditions are driving home care workers away in record-high numbers, creating a serious worker shortage. By 2028, Colorado will need to fill 116,100 job openings in direct care due to workers leaving the industry and the state’s elderly population increasing, according to the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute.
Cassandra Matthews, a leader at Colorado Care Workers Unite, said she worked in home care for 23 years before recently leaving the industry because she could not afford to support her family.
“We are at the frontlines taking care of disabled people, elderly people, people who have no one at home to help them. We are needed, but we are not getting paid,” Matthews said. “I worked 16 hours a day taking care of other people’s families and not having time to take care of my own, because that’s the only way that I could afford to pay my bills. It’s not right.”
Another health care worker of 40 years, Angie Fulmer, said she’s had employers refuse to pay her for staying at a patient’s house too long even when they were suffering life-threatening medical conditions, and had employers threaten to revoke her care license for refusing to visit patients after she was exposed to COVID-19.
A formal bill title has not yet been filed in the legislature, but advocates said 39 Democratic lawmakers already signed on in support of the "Home Care Worker Bill of Rights," including Sen. Faith Winter, Rep. Lisa Cutter, Rep. Emily Sirota, Rep. Kyle Mullica and Rep. Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez — in addition to over a dozen candidates currently running for office.
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