# CDASS Path: a proposed web platform

The first version is a local, working guide in `index.html`: eight enrollment checkpoints, a family role map, agency questions, a two-attendant budget calculator, and a searchable source library. It is tailored to the family's known circumstances as of October 6, 2026. It does not submit an application or connect to Medicaid / payroll systems.

## The experience

The opening screen should answer three questions: **What do I do next? Who owns that action? What proves it is complete?** A family should never have to understand the entire program before taking the next step.

| Screen | User action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Start | Enter age, county, Medicaid / waiver status, current services, and enrollment stage | Adult or child pathway; designated agency; first unresolved step |
| People | Identify member, AR, guardianship if applicable, employer, paid attendants, and backup | Clear responsibilities and role conflicts to resolve |
| Care needs | Record real tasks, assistance, frequency, time, and clinical support | Assessment-preparation packet, not an automated eligibility decision |
| Enrollment | Work through each handoff | Checklist with owner, evidence, document version, and status |
| Pay and budget | Model wages, coverage, employer costs, deductions, and reserves | Affordability and payroll questions; transparent assumptions |
| Resource library | Search forms and plain-language explanations | Current authoritative source and saved original where available |
| Help and review | Identify delay, denial, budget problem, or care gap | Appropriate agency contact, review steps, and notice-specific deadlines |
| Ongoing care | Review authorization, actual use, timesheets, staffing, and renewal | Recurring responsibilities and changes requiring reassessment |

## Intake that reduces unnecessary questions

Ask age and county first. Then ask whether Medicaid is active, what waiver is in place, and whether CFC has been authorized. Unknown is an acceptable answer that produces a request to the case manager.

Next ask who will manage the plan, who will provide paid care, whether the caregivers live with the member, and whether there is guardianship or another legal arrangement. Do not equate a parent, guardian, AR, and legal employer. Ask only the questions needed for the next action, with a brief explanation of why each matters.

For this family, preload: adult member, age 21, El Paso County, existing Medicaid / waiver, two prospective parent attendants, and a proposed separate AR. Leave the unknown waiver, agency assignment, live-in status, approved hours, allocation, tax classifications, and start dates unresolved.

## Enrollment state and document tracking

Every step should have: owner, prerequisite, document requirements, submission recipient, date sent, receipt evidence, corrections, approval, and next action. Suggested states: **not started; preparing; submitted; correction needed; approved**. Do not label a submitted packet approved.

Document helpers should explain the purpose, who completes each section, what must match other forms, and where it goes. Show the official form version and secure submission method. The platform can generate a cover checklist; agencies still receive and approve the official forms.

The proposed gates are:

- Confirm assessment and allocation before relying on a budget.
- Confirm AR eligibility before completing the management plan.
- Require approved ASMP evidence before marking plan approval complete.
- Track employer enrollment and each attendant's clearance separately.
- Require PAR receipt, member start date, and each attendant's start date before marking readiness for paid care.

The local prototype records completion checkboxes, not official approvals. A production version should replace those with evidence-backed states.

## Calculator design

The prototype calculates a transparent planning estimate with one hourly wage per attendant, weekly hours, daily/shift overtime input, employer cost percentage, and manually entered monthly employee deductions. It keeps net pay unresolved when deductions are unknown. Its default FMS percentages are explicitly illustrative published examples.

A production calculator should support separate modules:

1. **Allocation interpretation.** Import the approved allocation and service breakdown. Show how task hours and funding relate without promising approval. Compare against current official worksheets and prorated certification periods.
2. **Coverage and staffing.** Assign approved tasks to attendants and backup shifts. Detect gaps and overlaps. Aggregate covered services per caregiver per member and daily totals across members.
3. **Employer cost.** Obtain FMS-confirmed relationship classifications, SUTA experience rates, wage bases, workers' compensation, sick-time costs, and FAMLI treatment. Separate wages from administrative or insurance charges and avoid duplicates.
4. **Employee pay.** Separate gross pay, income-tax withholding, FICA, FAMLI, and other deductions. DOC and family employment-tax exceptions need independent evidence. Calculate withholding from supported W-4 / Colorado payroll rules only after those inputs are available.
5. **Scenario comparison.** Compare Palco / PPL quotations for this household, different staffing splits, backup reserves, actual calendar months, and dated policy changes. Keep care coverage visible when modifying wages or hours.

Show uncertainty openly: **sample input; awaiting FMS confirmation; confirmed on a date; outside verified policy range**. Do not produce an exact refund, tax return, benefits result, or approval prediction from an approximate burden percentage.

## Questions and printable outputs

The app should assemble a short question list based on outstanding items: case-manager identification, waiver / CFC status, missing medical evidence, AR qualifications, payroll employer identity, parent tax treatment, live-in verification, and service continuity.

Useful exports are a next-action checklist, meeting agenda, document cover sheet, care-needs log, staffing / backup plan, and calculator assumptions. The prototype includes printable guide pages, a blank CSV care log, a resource inventory, and a downloadable calculator estimate.

## Source maintenance

Keep source URL, document title, file type, effective date, date checked, retrieved copy, reviewed sections, and superseded-by relationships. Download status is not content validation. Show older resources as historical where known, and link newer guidance beside them.

The research found page labels and filenames that do not match document contents, including the allocation workbooks: filenames mention October 2025 while the actual workbooks contain July 2026 rates. FMS cost sheets are also linked under January 2026 labels but have older-looking filenames. Version checks must inspect contents.

CFC transition guidance, caregiver limits, live-in EVV handling, and DOC tax treatment need dated policy records. A future system could monitor sources when explicitly requested; the current task has not created an automation.

## Production implementation sequence

1. Validate the family's actual agency, enrollment stage, approved allocation, legal employer, living arrangement, and FMS classifications.
2. Have CDCO / a knowledgeable case manager review enrollment wording and FMS specialists verify payroll scenarios.
3. Replace checkbox-only tracking with structured document states, per-attendant clearance, and accessible form assistance.
4. Add an actual schedule and calendar budget before claiming compliance checking.
5. Add secure accounts and document storage only if needed. Define consent, access by role, retention, deletion, and audit records before collecting medical or tax documents.
6. Add authenticated agency integrations only where supported and authorized. The current prototype uses public links and saved resources.
7. Validate real cases: adult parent attendants with a separate AR, live-in and non-live-in families, payroll employer changes, multiple service providers, and disputed assessments.

The local prototype needs no accounts or external libraries. Only checklist completion is stored in the browser. Payroll values remain in memory unless the user explicitly downloads the estimate. It is a practical starting point for reviewing the workflow with your family and case manager.