How Medicaid helps pay for assisted living in Colorado Springs

Does Medicaid pay for assisted living in Colorado Springs?

Partly. Through the Home and Community-Based Services for the Elderly, Blind and Disabled (HCBS-EBD) waiver, Health First Colorado pays for personal care in assisted living residences certified as Alternative Care Facilities (ACFs), while the resident pays room and board, capped at $810.00 a month in 2026.

Source: HCPF Informational Memo IM 25-030 (December 4, 2025), effective January 1, 2026; Colorado Medical Assistance and Long-Term Care Income and Resource Limits, January 2026 (training.colorado.gov).

32 of the 69 senior assisted living residences in El Paso and Teller counties carry the ALR/ACF code in CDPHE's data, with 766 licensed beds between them; most are smaller homes. A waiver member keeps a personal needs allowance; under HCPF's IM 25-030 the 2026 ACF personal needs allowance runs from $184.00 to $435.46 a month depending on income, and the rest of the resident's income goes toward room and board and care.

Who qualifies for the EBD waiver in El Paso and Teller counties?

Adults 65 and older with a functional impairment, and adults 18 to 64 with a physical disability, who meet nursing facility level of care and Health First Colorado's long-term care income and resource limits ($2,982 a month and $2,000 in 2026).

The Resource Exchange, the case management agency for El Paso, Park, Pueblo and Teller counties (719-380-1100), does the functional assessment and builds the service plan. Besides ACF care, the waiver can cover personal care and homemaker help at home, adult day services, home modifications, respite, non-medical transportation and in-home support services, among others.

How does a private-pay resident switch to Medicaid in a Colorado Springs ALR?

Only if the residence is certified as an ACF and willing to keep the resident at the Medicaid rate; ask before move-in whether the residence has ACF certification, how many Medicaid residents it takes, and whether a private-pay resident who spends down can stay.

Plan the switch a few months ahead. Apply through PEAK or the county when countable assets are near $2,000, tell The Resource Exchange the person is in an ACF, and expect a gap between application and approval. Some residences ask for a set period of private pay first; get that promise, or its absence, in writing.

Why do fewer large Colorado Springs communities accept Medicaid?

Because the waiver's care payment plus $810 in room and board is far below the $6,584 statewide private median, so ACF certification is most common in smaller homes and in communities that set aside a share of beds for Medicaid.

That is a market fact, not a rule, and it changes. Our assisted living roster lets you filter by license type to see every ALR/ACF in El Paso and Teller counties, with beds and inspection counts.