The act changes the term "epinephrine auto-injector" to "emergency-use epinephrine" in order to encompass alternatives to injecting epinephrine as a means to treat anaphylaxis in school settings. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Under current law, a sheriff may allow an individual to choose to stay in jail overnight after release when extenuating circumstances exist. The act makes facilitation of a connection to a service provider an extenuating circumstance. If an individual chooses to remain in jail overnight, the individual must be released by 10 a.m. the next morning. Under current law, to qualify for special needs parole, there is a distinction between inmates who are 55 years of age or older and those who are under 55 years of age. The act changes that distinction. The act makes an inmate eligible for special needs parole if the inmate suffers from a diagnosed severe cognitive impairment or serious impairment that limits the person's ability to function. If the inmate is under 55 years of age, the act provides for special needs parole if the inmate has served at least 25% of the inmate's sentence and is eligible for parole after serving 50% of their sentence including earned time; has served at least 35% of the inmate's sentence and is eligible for parole after serving 75% of their sentence including earned time; has served at least 40% of the inmate's sentence and is eligible for parole after serving 75% of the sentence; or has been diagnosed by a licensed health-care provider as having a terminal illness that is irreversible, unlikely to be cured, and likely to cause death; and has not incurred a class I code of penal discipline violation within the 12 months before the date of the application for special needs parole. An inmate who is 64 years of age or older and has served at least 20 years of their sentence and was not convicted of a class 1 or class 2 felony, unlawful sexual behavior, a crime that includes domestic violence, or stalking is eligible for special needs parole. The act makes a person eligible for special needs parole if the person has a condition such as advanced or metastatic cancer; end-stage renal disease; end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder; end-stage heart disease; end-stage liver disease; progressive neurodegenerative disease such as Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; intractable seizure disorder; severe dementia; or Alzheimer's disease. The act provides that when a health-care provider who is providing care or recently provided care to the person makes a determination that the person's medical condition meets the standard for special needs parole, then a referral must be made to the parole board. The department of corrections is required to include in each contract with a licensed health-care provider involved in providing inmate care a requirement that the provider screen for eligibility for special needs parole. The act requires legislative council staff to conduct a study of options for releasing aging and seriously ill offenders from secure custody to appropriate care or placing offenders in alternative programs that can better provide the offender's needed medical care. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act creates the provider stabilization fund for use by Colorado department of health care policy and financing (department) to distribute provider stabilization payments to safety net providers who provide services to low-income, uninsured individuals on a sliding-fee schedule or at no cost. Provider stabilization payments will be distributed to eligible safety net providers based on the proportion of low-income, uninsured individuals that an individual provider serves in comparison to the total number of low-income, uninsured individuals served by all eligible safety net providers. The state treasurer is directed to make an interest-free loan of interest earnings on the principal in the unclaimed property trust fund (UPTF) and, if the interest earnings are insufficient, from the principal of the UPTF as well, to the provider stabilization fund as follows: $25 million for the 2025-26 state fiscal year; $20 million for the 2026-27 state fiscal year; and $15 million for each of the 2027-28, 2028-29, and 2029-30 state fiscal years. The act specifies that the loan from the UPTF to the provider stabilization fund is an interfund loan that is not classified as revenue, is booked as an interfund receivable or payable, is not state fiscal year spending or state revenues, and does not count against the state fiscal year spending limit or the excess state revenues cap. The department is directed to repay the loan by January 1, 2045, but in any year in which state revenues do not exceed the limit on state fiscal year spending, the department must present to the joint budget committee a proposal to repay all or a portion of the loan at an earlier time, and to the extent possible, the general assembly must prioritize repaying the loan starting in the 2030-31 state fiscal year or sooner if funds are available. The provider stabilization fund also consists of any money the general assembly appropriates, transfers, or credits to the fund and any gifts, grants, or donations the department may receive for the fund. The act directs the department to leverage money in the provider stabilization fund to obtain federal matching money. The act establishes a provider stabilization fund advisory board (advisory board) to assist the department in implementing and administering the provider stabilization fund. The department, with assistance from the advisory board, is required to submit an annual report on the provider stabilization fund to specified committees, the governor, and the medical services board in the department. The advisory board is scheduled for repeal on September 1, 2031, and is subject to a sunset review by the department of regulatory agencies before the repeal. The act appropriates $25,000,000 from the provider stabilization fund to the department to implement the act, allocated as follows: $138,505 for personal services to administer the act, including 2.0 FTE; $15,900 for operating expenses; and $24,845,595 for provider stabilization payments to eligible safety net providers.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Beginning July 1, 2026, absent an emergency placement change, the act requires a county or district department of human or social services (county department) child welfare caseworker (caseworker) to create an individualized placement transition plan (plan) for a child any time the child is moved from one placement in a foster care home, kinship foster care home, or non-certified kinship care home (placement) to another or back to the child's home. The plan must prioritize the mental, emotional, and physical needs of the child while considering the needs of the parents, current providers, and future providers as the needs of the parents, current providers, and future providers relate to the care of the child. If a sibling group is moved from a placement together, the caseworker may develop a single plan for the sibling group, as long as the plan takes into account the individualized needs of each child. The plan, at a minimum, must include: A determination of pre-transition logistics to adequately prepare for the child's new placement; A plan for pre- and post-transition communications between individuals who have relevant information for the transition; A timeline to transition the child to a new placement; A plan to physically move the child to the new placement; and A framework for a caseworker's post-transition communications. The department of human services (state department), within existing resources, shall create a training on the importance of plans that is recorded and made available on a training system that can be accessed statewide. The training must focus on plans and individuals who have lived experience with placement transitions, including an emphasis on individuals who experienced placement transitions. Newly employed caseworkers must complete the training within the first year of employment as a caseworker. All caseworkers may complete this training every 3 years. A foster care, kinship foster care, or non-certified kinship care provider (provider) may complete the training and may receive support from the state department or the county department to improve the provider's skills in transitioning a child in the provider's care from one placement to another. The state department may adopt rules for purposes of the plans. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
No later than October 1, 2025, the act requires the department of human services (state department), in consultation with the works allocation committee, to: Develop a standardized process for each county to collect and report to the state department on a monthly basis certain information about the Colorado works program; Develop recommendations that include a menu of standardized outcome measures and required levels of evidence for third-party contracted services funded with Colorado's temporary assistance for needy families (TANF) allocation; and Submit a report to the joint budget committee (JBC) that includes a description of the standardized process and recommendations. Beginning January 1, 2026, and each January thereafter, the act requires the state department to submit a report to the JBC that includes the information collected and reported through the standardized process and the total dollar amount of Colorado's TANF allocation that is redistributed through the state budget or other programs and services and publish the information on a monthly basis on the state department's website in a publicly accessible format. No later than July 1, 2026, the act requires the state department to submit a report to the JBC that includes certain information related to the standard of need for eligibility for basic cash assistance. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $154,000 to the department of human services for use by the office of economic security to conduct the works program evaluation. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Beginning on or before July 1, 2027, the act requires a county department of human or social services (county department) to determine whether a child or youth who is in foster care and who has a deceased parent (child or youth) may be eligible to receive survivor benefits administered by the United States railroad retirement board, social security administration, or veterans benefits administration (federal survivor benefits). The county department must make an initial eligibility determination within 90 days after assuming legal custody of or authority over the child or youth. Under current law, certain federal agencies appoint a representative payee or fiduciary (representative payee) to receive and manage federal benefits on behalf of a child or youth in foster care. If a child or youth may be eligible for federal survivor benefits and the county department is the most appropriate representative payee, the act requires the county department to apply for federal survivor benefits on behalf of the child or youth. If the county department determines that the child or youth may be eligible for federal survivor benefits but that the county department is not the most appropriate representative payee, the county department shall provide information to the prospective representative payee that the county department has identified about how to apply for federal survivor benefits on behalf of the child or youth and how to become the child's or youth's representative payee. Under current law, a county department serving as a representative payee may use federal benefits to offset the cost of providing basic care and services to a child or youth in foster care. The act prohibits this offset practice with respect to federal survivor benefits. Instead, the act directs a county department serving as a representative payee to establish an account for the federal survivor benefits (account). A county department serving as a representative payee must save money in the account for the needs of the individual child or youth. Once the child or youth leaves foster care, the county department is required to release funds in the account to the child or youth. The act sets forth various accounting and notice requirements related to federal survivor benefits and requires the department of human services (department), in consultation with interested stakeholders, to adopt rules providing guidance for county departments. The guidance extends to procedures for identifying a representative payee, county department responsibilities when federal survivor benefits are denied or when a child or youth leaves foster care, and policies governing the establishment and maintenance of an account for federal survivor benefit funds. The department must provide technical assistance to a county department about how to conserve federal survivor benefit funds in the best interests of an individual child or youth. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act implements recommendations made by the direct care workforce stabilization board (board) by: Requiring the board to investigate health-care benefits for the direct care workforce; Requiring the department of labor and employment (department) to collaborate with the board and other entities to establish a comprehensive "know your rights" training for direct care workers; Requiring the department to ensure that the "know your rights" training is available to direct care workers, to allow worker organizations to participate in the training free of charge, and to report direct care worker training completion information to the board; and Requiring direct care employers to document each direct care worker's completion of the "know your rights" training. The act also requires the director of the division of labor standards and statistics (director) in the department to provide compliance assistance to direct care employers and investigate possible violations by the direct care employers. The director is also required to enforce compliance with the requirements in the act. To implement the board's recommendations, the act also requires the department of health care policy and financing to: In collaboration with the board, establish a website and communication platform for direct care workers and develop a direct care worker-specific notice of rights for direct care employers; Collaborate with direct care employers to inform direct care workers about the website and communication platform; and Allow specified entities access to the contact information of each direct care worker enrolled in the communication platform. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $120,105 to the department of health care policy and financing based on an assumption that the department of health care policy and financing will receive certain federal funding. Also for the 2025-26 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $168,459 to the department of labor and employment for use by the division of labor standards and statistics. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
Infusion pharmacies supply medicaid members with parenteral nutrition, which provides patients with essential nutrients through an intravenous infusion. The act requires the state department of health care policy and financing (state department) to create specific professional dispensing fees for the preparation and dispensing of parenteral nutrition (fees) to encourage an adequate level of market participation among infusion pharmacies that serve medicaid members. During the year beginning January 1, 2026, the fees must not exceed 30% of infusion pharmacy administrative costs for the preparation and dispensing of parenteral nutrition. The state department shall seek federal authorization, as necessary, to implement the fees. The act requires the state department to annually report on the adequacy of the infusion pharmacy network that supplies parenteral nutrition to medicaid members. For the 2025-26 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $54,832 to the state department from the general fund. The state department may use the appropriation for medical and long-term care services for medicaid-eligible individuals. The general assembly anticipates that the state department will receive an equal amount in federal funds to implement the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act reorganizes and updates statutes pertaining to the duties of the office of the child protection ombudsman (office) and the child protection ombudsman (ombudsman). The act: Clarifies when the ombudsman may receive and conduct an independent and impartial investigation of complaints concerning child protection services; Clarifies the types of information, documents, or records that the ombudsman does and does not have access to; Reorganizes statutes that pertain to when an ombudsman investigates a complaint; Reorganizes statutes that pertain to the ombudsman's duties; Reorganizes and creates a new provision that pertains to the office's access to information necessary to conduct an independent review of a complaint; Reorganizes and creates a new provision focused on the office's and ombudsman's duty to confidentiality; and Provides the office access to residential child care facilities and facilities established and operated by the department of human services (facilities). The office may only access facilities in coordination with the facility directors in response to a request from a child or youth residing in the facility; in response to a request from a child's or youth's family member, caregiver, or other concerned individual; or to distribute materials created by the office informing children or youth on how to access the office, the office's services, and how to file a complaint with the office.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
The act exempts an assisted living residence that has not undergone new construction or major renovations from complying with the facility guideline institute guidelines. The department of health care policy and financing (state department) must establish a process for reviewing and updating the general billing manual on an annual basis and ensure that the general billing manual includes all necessary CPT codes or links to the state department's list of CPT codes. The act allows the Colorado healthcare affordability and sustainability enterprise to receive public funds. Beginning January 1, 2026, for claims that must be reprocessed as a result of updating the provider rates, the act requires a managed care organization to issue payment to a contracted provider within one year after the provider rate is updated. The state department must notify the managed care organizations of changes to the provider rates within 60 days of changing the provider rates. The act requires the state department to include in each new contract with, or renewal of a contract with, a managed care entity (MCE) a provision requiring the MCE to submit to the state department, on an annual basis, the amount the MCE is paid and the MCE's medical loss ratio. The state department is required to publish this information, as well as historical medical loss ratio data for each MCE, and publish on an annual basis audit findings regarding an MCE's most recently completed medical loss ratio audit on the state department's website. The act prohibits the state department from imposing signature requirements on a physician or practitioner certifying a medicaid member's (member) plan of care that involves physical therapy, occupational therapy, or speech therapy. The act requires that for members receiving home- and community-based services, if a service the member receives is discontinued or no longer a covered service, the state department must confirm the timeline for the continuity of treatment with the federal centers for medicare and medicaid during the transition period of the benefit or service being discontinued and must communicate that timeline to the member impacted by the benefit or service being discontinued. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)
