Joint Budget Committee
The Joint Budget Committee spent roughly three hours grinding through the Office of Community Living budget, approving most staff recommendations that slow enrollment and trim rates across Colorado's disability waivers — but two cost-cutting measures, the DD waiver cost-share revival and a residential rate cut for family caregivers, died on 3-3 ties. Members repeatedly wrestled with near-exponential waiver growth staff could not fully explain and warned that next year's choices will be harder.
Key Actions
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Notable Quotes
“There's something going on and your gut is right. The trend, the rate of growth in these waivers exceeds the population growth. And that begs the question of why.”
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Sign in to subscribeWe are once again figure setting on the Department of Healthcare Policy and Financing today on the Office of community living. Mr. Dermody, where shall we begin? Thank you, Madam Chair. Tom Dermody, Joint Budget Committee Staff. You know, I. We've got a lot ahead of us. This is not going to be an easy document. There are, I think, if I counted correctly, 19 decision items. But it's lots of pages, lots of probably lots of discourse. So I figured we'd skip over the summary section and just start right in with it, if that is okay with the committee. That would take us to page 10. This is going to be a relatively easy one compared to much of what you're going to have to discuss today. So page 10, R5, Office of Community Living. This is the medical forecast adjustment. This is a standard issue that we bring before you every year. Staff is recommending, using the department's February 26 forecast for enrollment and expenditures, to modify both the 2526 and 2627 appropriations. This is the best available information we have for actual costs for the current and upcoming fiscal year. And just in terms of a…
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