National question: Can a family caregiver get paid? Official programs decide eligibility.
Colorado Consumer Directed Attendant Support Services (CDASS)¶
Colorado Consumer Directed Attendant Support Services (CDASS) provides participants with a monthly budget to hire and manage their own attendants, including family members and spouses. Colorado implemented Community First Choice (1915k) with self-direction options. CDASS is available under multiple waivers including the Elderly Blind and Disabled (EBD) waiver.
Colorado Consumer-Directed Attendant Support Services (CDASS) allows Health First Colorado (Medicaid) members to hire, train, and manage their own attendants—including family members, friends, and others (with some restrictions)—to provide personal care, homemaker, and health maintenance services.
Eligibility¶
- Care recipient must have a qualifying disability
- Relationship: spouse, parent, child, other relative
Questions to ask the program¶
These are questions to ask the program, not a verdict on your eligibility. Confirm the current rules directly with the program.
- Does the person receiving care live in Colorado? — Residency is usually the first thing a program checks.
- Does your relationship to the person — spouse, parent, child, or other relative — count for this program?
- What counts as a qualifying disability or level of care need, and what documentation shows it?
- Is there a caregiver-specific department, coordinator, or support line? Ask for it by name. — Many agencies have one that isn’t advertised on the website.
- What documents do you need from us to start an application?
- Is there a waitlist right now, and how long is it?
Services¶
Colorado Consumer-Directed Attendant Support Services (CDASS) allows Health First Colorado (Medicaid) members to hire, train, and manage their own attendants—including family members, friends, and others (with some restrictions)—to provide personal care, homemaker, and health maintenance services.
How to apply¶
- Reach out to your local Case Management Agency to begin the eligibility and assessment process
Use the official program page for application details: official program page.