# CDASS enrollment guide for your family

Prepared October 6, 2026. Your son is 21, lives in El Paso County, and already has Health First Colorado and a waiver. You and your wife would like to be paid attendants, with someone else serving as authorized representative (AR). His waiver name, current authorization, living arrangement, and enrollment stage still need confirmation.

## Your first action

Contact **The Resource Exchange (TRE), 719-380-1100**, and ask who is assigned to your son's case. El Paso County identifies TRE as its case management agency. Request the waiver name, current service plan, adult care-needs worksheet, approved allocation, and authorization. [El Paso County assistance programs](https://humanservices.elpasoco.com/assistance-programs/), [TRE services](https://www.tre.org/services/).

Suggested call wording:

> My son is 21 and lives in El Paso County. He already has Health First Colorado and a waiver. My wife and I would like to enroll as his CDASS attendants, with a separate authorized representative. Please help us identify his case manager, confirm his waiver and Community First Choice status, and tell us which enrollment step and documents are still outstanding. We would like copies of his current service plan, adult Direct Care Services Calculator, monthly allocation worksheet, and prior authorization.

## Understand the pathway

Community First Choice (CFC) is the benefit pathway; CDASS is the way your son can receive and direct attendant services. CFC started July 1, 2025. The state says transitioned attendant services are available through CFC from July 1, 2026. A waiver may continue to support other services. Ask how his waiver and CFC fit together; do not assume he should leave the waiver. [HCPF July 2025 provider bulletin, page 15](https://hcpf.colorado.gov/sites/hcpf/files/Bulletin%200725_B2500525_0.pdf).

## Step-by-step enrollment

Use these as handoff checkpoints, and ask whether steps already completed can be carried forward.

1. **Confirm benefits and case manager.** Identify his current waiver, CFC status, assessment date, and current providers.
2. **Assess care needs.** Review the adult Direct Care Services Calculator and monthly allocation. Bring task details and clinical documentation.
3. **Complete initial forms.** Obtain the physician capacity attestation, responsibilities acknowledgment, AR assignment, and CDCO referral.
4. **Complete orientation.** Your son or AR completes orientation and a readiness assessment.
5. **Approve the care-management plan.** Complete the ASMP and choose Palco or PPL. CDCO checks completeness; the case manager approves.
6. **Complete hiring and employer enrollment.** Enroll both parents separately; finish background checks and payroll forms.
7. **Confirm authorization and dates.** The case manager submits the PAR; the FMS confirms the member start date and each parent's clearance date.
8. **Start care and review spending.** Train attendants, record actual authorized care, meet payroll deadlines, and maintain backup coverage.

Source: [Consumer Direct's enrollment guide](https://www.consumerdirectco.com/cdass/#enrollment). The downloaded case-manager checklist gives more detailed handoffs; it is in the resource library.

## Who does what?

| Person / organization | Responsibility | What you should request |
|---|---|---|
| Your son | Member whose care preferences and goals guide the plan | His involvement and consent in the appropriate format |
| Proposed AR | Staffing, budget, supervision, and timesheet approval | Written acceptance of the role and completed designation |
| You and your wife | Separate paid attendants | Individual hiring clearance, approved wages, and payroll classifications |
| Case manager / TRE | Assessment, allocation, service planning, authorization | Copies of assessment, allocation, ASMP approval, and PAR |
| Consumer Direct Colorado | Orientation, forms support, coaching | Referral receipt, training contact, completion confirmation |
| Palco or PPL | Employment administration and payroll | Employer identity, cost percentages, deductions, deadlines, and start dates |

An AR cannot receive CDASS payment for being the AR or work as a paid attendant for the same member. Your proposed separate AR addresses that role conflict. Confirm qualifications and duties before naming the person. **An AR is a working management role, not just a signature.** Adult guardianship, power of attorney, and CDASS AR designation are separate matters to clarify. [AR assignment form, linked from CDCO](https://49126966.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na2.net/hubfs/49126966/QI%20Documents/Forms/CDCO/CDASS/Member%20Forms/Authorized%20Rep%20Agreement%20Form/En_202507_QI_CDASS-AR-Assignment-Form-July-2025-CFC-and-Waiver_FIN.pdf).

## Questions to resolve before signing the plan

Ask the case manager:

- Which services and task minutes are approved, pending, or denied? What evidence is missing?
- Are each parent's tasks documented as extraordinary care for an adult member?
- Do either parent's legal relationships or guardianship arrangements change service rules?
- Which adult worksheet and allocation version are current? Can you explain the calculation?
- Are exceptions needed for task standards, service soft caps, or caregiver limits? Who submits each request?
- Which current services continue during the switch, and on what dates?
- Can both parents meet the two-attendant requirement? What backup is needed if both are unavailable?
- Who sends the next document, who approves it, and when should we follow up?

Family care must exceed ordinary support for a person of the same age and meet assessed needs. The June 2026 FAQ distinguishes CDASS, where the member/AR has employer responsibilities, from IHSS, where an agency has those responsibilities. Ask for a comparison if managing payroll approvals and staff feels difficult. [CDASS / IHSS FAQ](https://info.consumerdirectcare.com/hubfs/QI%20Documents/Forms/CDCO/CDASS/Resources/CDASS%20Basics/En_US_20260109_QI_CDASS-and-IHSS-FAQ_Combined-Nov-2025-CFC-Waiver_FIN.pdf).

## A practical document organizer

Keep four folders: **benefits and assessment; training and ASMP; employer and attendant enrollment; authorization and ongoing payroll**. For each document, track its version, sender, recipient, date sent, receipt, corrections, and approval. Ask agencies to identify the exact missing field or page rather than simply saying the packet is incomplete.

For the assessment, use the included blank care log for 7–14 days. Record tasks, actual time, frequency, help needed, overnight needs, and variation. Avoid counting the same care time twice. For health-maintenance tasks, request the current clinical-documentation checklist. The July 2026 HMA checklist and FAQ are linked in the inventory, but their contents were not accessible during this review.

A blank form is not an approval, and a submitted form is not necessarily accepted. Keep the signed version and confirmation of receipt.

## Pay and tax planning

The prototype starts with **illustrative** hours and wages for two attendants. Leave the allocation blank until you have the approved amount. Enter the FMS-confirmed employer cost percentage separately for each parent.

For one regular wage per attendant:

```text
Weekly gross = wage × (regular hours + 1.5 × overtime hours)
Monthly gross estimate = weekly gross × 4.33
Monthly budget charge = monthly gross × (1 + employer cost percentage / 100)
Remaining planning balance = allocation − all budget charges − other costs − reserve
Estimated take-home = monthly gross − confirmed monthly employee deductions
```

Overtime is not paid twice because a worker passes both a daily and weekly threshold. The prototype uses the greater of weekly overtime or eligible daily/shift overtime hours entered, for a single wage. A mixed-rate or complicated schedule needs FMS payroll calculation. A monthly average cannot prove calendar-month affordability, daily compliance, or actual payroll tax liability.

The published 2026 examples are **PPL 12.85%** and **Palco 13.33%** additional employer costs without exemptions or an employer FAMLI contribution. Actual amounts vary. Both worksheets identify a **$17.00 direct-care wage floor** and **$57.12 regular wage ceiling**; applicable local wage floors can be higher. These wage amounts are different from the service reimbursement rates used to fund the allocation. [PPL worksheet](https://info.consumerdirectcare.com/hubfs/QI%20Documents/Forms/CDCO/CDASS/Resources/FMS%20Information/En_US_202510_QI_PPL-Cost-to-You_FIN.pdf), [Palco worksheet](https://49126966.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na2.net/hubfs/49126966/QI%20Documents/Forms/CDCO/CDASS/Resources/FMS%20Information/En_US_202510_QI_Palco-Cost-to-You_FIN.pdf).

**An illustration:** two attendants each working 20 hours/week at $25/hour, using the PPL 12.85% example, produce about **$4,330 combined monthly gross wages** and **$4,886.41 in budget charges**. This is not a prediction of your approved hours, wage, tax exemptions, or take-home pay.

Ask the FMS:

- Who is the **Employer of Record / FEIN holder**? What relationship does each parent have to that employer?
- Which employer and employee payroll taxes apply to each parent? Please give the actual percentages and deductions in writing.
- Is overtime required or exempt for each parent, and what is the approved classification?
- What expenses are already included in the cost percentage, so we do not add them twice?
- How are FUTA, SUTA, Social Security wage bases, FAMLI, sick time, and workers' compensation handled?

Income exclusion and payroll-tax exemption are separate questions. IRS guidance explains that a qualifying income exclusion does not by itself remove FICA; employer identity and domestic-service exceptions matter. [IRS Medicaid payment FAQ](https://www.irs.gov/individuals/certain-medicaid-waiver-payments-may-be-excludable-from-income), [IRS household employer guide](https://www.irs.gov/publications/p926).

If you live with your son, ask about **difficulty-of-care (DOC)** treatment. HCPF's January 2026 memo reports a favorable IRS ruling for qualifying live-in CFC care payments, including eligible 2025 payments. Ask the FMS how each parent's wages will be reported, which documentation it requires, and whether any prior withholding needs correction. Colorado withholding and benefit eligibility need their own confirmation. [HCPF IM 26-001](https://hcpf.colorado.gov/sites/hcpf/files/HCPF%20IM%2026-001%20Difficulty%20of%20Care%20and%20Community%20First%20Choice.pdf).

## Hours, verification, and changes to watch

The July 2026 CDASS manual lists phased weekly caregiver limits of **84 hours through December 2026, 70 January–June 2027, and 56 from July 2027**, per caregiver per member across covered services. It also lists a **16-hour daily limit across members** and at least two attendants. Ask about the correct exception process when needed. Your son's total care authorization and each caregiver's limit are different quantities. [July 2026 CDASS program manual](https://info.consumerdirectcare.com/hubfs/QI/Forms/CDCO/CDASS/Program%20Manual/en_US_20260724_QI_CDASS%20Program%20Manual%20July%202026_FIN.docx).

The seven-hour combined weekly homemaker limit for legally responsible persons should not automatically be applied to parents merely because their son is 21. Confirm his adult classification. HCPF's June 2026 update clarifies that the LRP limit is per member, shared across LRPs. [HCPF case-manager update](https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Case-Manager-s-Corner--June-2026.html?aid=JMHho1CvIyI&soid=1120776134797).

Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) records visits. A live-in exemption is distinct from DOC tax treatment. HCPF paused its provider-portal live-in exemption process in November 2025; ask the FMS how it currently handles documentation, renewal, and time records. The pause does not mean you can stop recording paid care. [HCPF OM 25-068](https://hcpf.colorado.gov/sites/hcpf/files/HCPF%20OM%2025-068%20Temporary%20Pause%20of%20the%20Provider%20Portal%20EVV%20Exemption%20Process%20for%20Live-in%20Caregivers.pdf).

## When something is delayed or disputed

For missing assessments or authorization, contact the case manager and then the CMA supervisor. For training and form help, contact **Consumer Direct Colorado: 844-381-4433; InfoCDCO@consumerdirectcare.com**. For payroll or hiring, contact the selected FMS. Ask CDCO about mediation for care-plan disagreements.

If services are denied or reduced, obtain the written notice and follow its review or appeal instructions. Ask promptly whether existing services can continue while an appeal is pending. Do not assume mediation extends a deadline. [HCPF appeals](https://hcpf.colorado.gov/appeals).

This guide and calculator support planning. The case manager's written authorization and FMS-approved payroll records determine what can actually begin and be paid.