CAFCA BRIEF UPDATE

FEBRUARY 14, 2003

Legislative Lines
CAFCA’s web page (www.cafca.net) now contains summaries and updates for all bills that CAFCA is actively supporting or opposing.  Members who attended the legislative luncheon also received a copy of these.  Please check the site frequently for updated information.  If you have questions about a particular bill, contact Peg Long, CAFCA Executive Director.

Legislative Luncheon
Attendees at the 2003 legislative luncheon included 51 CAFCA members, 16 legislators, and a representative from the governor’s office for the largest turnout ever!  Unfortunately the full House of Representatives was detained on budget matters and then the House Republicans went into caucus so the number of representatives was significantly below what was anticipated.  Nevertheless, members did a terrific job of welcoming legislators and educating them on child welfare issues.

Committee News
Beginning with this CAFCA Brief Update, we will include information about CAFCA committees in an effort to keep members better apprised of CAFCA activities.  CAFCA’s focus and policy are often developed at the committee level.  If you want to shape CAFCA and stay informed, join at least one of the following CAFCA committees.

Adoption:  The committee has focused the majority of its recent efforts on HB 1286, which expedites the voluntary relinquishment process and brings Colorado more in line with most states.  Several members and Peg testified at the House HEWI  where the bill passed unanimously and now moves to the entire House for a floor vote before moving on to the Senate.  The Colorado Department of Human Services has decided not to pursue unlicensed facilitator legislation this session. CAFCA has been asked to provide CDHS and Amy Sampson of the governor’s office some “hard” numbers and facts regarding this problem to determine if the issue needs to be addressed legislatively.  The committee would also like to pursue a meeting with CDHS to discuss the purpose of the current audit and related paperwork requirements, which are time- and resource-consuming without apparently producing much data or impact on practices. Contact Virginia Appel, chair, at 303 584-9900 for more information.

Foster Care: The Foster Care Committee is following many bills this session including HB 1024 (aligns counties with CPA statutes and rules) and HB 1081 (regarding prohibiting foster care abuses and House Joint Resolution 1006.  The committee is also working with The Bawmann Group on media attention for the Foster Care White Paper.  Both the Adoption and Foster Care Committees will meet alternately in Denver and Longmont in an effort to accommodate their northern members.  Contact Megan Aldritt, chair, at 303 742-0828 for more information.

CTS: The Children’s Treatment Services Committee is working on many issues, including the federal RTC Medicaid waiver issue, the Medicaid audits, potential provider fees, cost reports training, utilization management criteria for children placement in RTCs through the Child Mental Health Treatment Act (better known as HB 1116) and RTC waiver.  The committee invited the new RTC administrator, David Gilliland Mallo, to its January meeting.  Neal Christensen will attend the next meeting to conduct a training on the RTC cost reports, Friday, February 21^st, 10:45-12:30.  Following that training the committee will meet to discuss the RTC waiver and medicaid audits in more detail and actions to be taken.  Contact Andrew Braun, chair, at 303 639-1709 for more information. 

Membership/Communications: A new focus for Membership/Communications is taking on the responsibility of producing the annual membership meeting and awards.  The committee will also be working on expanding membership services including options for insurance and new insurance products.   Contact Derek Cortvriendt at 303 421-4870 for more information. 

Public Policy: This committee is active all year long, working on child welfare policy issues. Committee members are currently monitoring a wide variety of bills impacting adoption, foster care, RTCs and other child welfare issues.  One bill would allow Arapahoe, Douglas and Jefferson counties to place on the November 2003 ballot a sales tax increase to fund mental health services in those counties. The committee is also following budget issues and the current estimated shortfall for ‘02-03 of $850 million and for ‘03-’04, $650 million. Nothing will be sacred in the next fiscal year, and everything is on the table to be considered for cuts.  An interesting legislative proposal to increase revenue involves provider fees in the form of a “bed tax,” which would be used to increase the matching federal Medicaid dollars.  This “tax” apparently works best where all “beds” are 100% Medicaid.  However, most child welfare agencies are not 100% Medicaid.  Contact Cyndi Dodds, chair, at 970 669-7550 for more information. 

Other CAFCA activity:

With assistance and input from all CAFCA committees, Peg wrote a letter to the State Department of Human Services asking for clarification on the proposed regulations to increase provider licensing fees by an average of 65%.  The Department has acknowledged the letter and promised to respond.  Due to the receipt of our comments, the initial introduction of the proposed rules was postponed from February 7^th to March 7^th.

The Facility Schools Education Task Force continues to meet for a half-day once per month.  Peg was appointed to this committee by Commissioner of Education Bill Maloney to fill one of two RTC slots.  The group spent the first couple of months becoming educated about school finance, the interplay of child welfare, education, human services, youth corrections, mental health and other systems that serve children in residential placement.  Work groups have been formed and will be establishing specific assignments and outcomes.

Child Welfare Systemic Improvement Leadership Workshop: Peg and Dallas Rychener (CAFCA President) attended an all day workshop that included key Colorado business leaders, county representatives, Marva Hammons (CDHS) and Lynn Johnson from the Lt. Governor’s office. The purpose of the meeting was to initiate action to improve the child welfare/child protection system incrementally and to get the business community more involved in supporting child welfare services.  Dallas and Peg will be working on the outcomes committee and on developing standards.