Colorado's long-term care system is genuinely mid-transition right now — if you're already on a waiver, real changes are coming at your next review, whenever that falls.
Colorado-specific — figures don't apply nationallyOn July 1, 2025, Colorado launched Community First Choice (CFC), a new state plan program that is absorbing personal care and homemaker services previously delivered through several individual HCBS waivers — including the EBD (Elderly, Blind and Disabled) Waiver, SLS, CIH, and CMHS.
In October 2025, an Executive Order directed Colorado's Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF) to identify Medicaid sustainability measures. HCPF submitted waiver amendments to CMS in March 2026 — covering the BI, CES, CHRP, CHCBS, CMHS, CIH, EBD, and SLS waivers — requesting a July 1, 2026 effective date, still pending legislative approval as of this writing. If you're on any of these waivers, this is genuinely worth monitoring rather than assuming your current benefits are fixed.
Unlike most states, where you apply for long-term care Medicaid directly through the state agency, Colorado routes all long-term care waiver applications and assessments through regional Single Entry Point (SEP) agencies. Finding your local SEP agency is the actual first step, not a generic state hotline.
| Long-Term Care Medicaid (all pathways) | |
|---|---|
| 2026 income limit | $2,982/month (single) |
| 2026 asset limit | $2,000 (single), $3,000 (couple) |
| MMNA | $2,705/month (effective 7/1/26–6/30/27) |
| Personal Needs Allowance | $110.36/month |
Source: Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF); figures effective 2026, subject to the pending changes described above.
If you're under 65 with disability-based Medicare eligibility or approaching 65 on standard Medicaid, know that the aged/blind/disabled financial rules — including the $2,000 asset test — apply differently than standard Medicaid's income-only rules. Someone with modest savings and stable income can find themselves newly over both tests at this transition, even with no change in their actual income.
A new program absorbing personal care services from several individual waivers, with existing recipients transitioning at their own Continued Stay Review between July 2025 and June 2026.
Through your regional Single Entry Point (SEP) agency — not a general state application, unlike most states.
$110.36/month — well above the $30 federal floor.
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