Programs
Colorado
TBI Lead Agency
Dept. of Human Services
Office of Behavioral Health & Housing
3520 W. Oxford Ave.
Denver, CO 80236
Sandy McCarthy
TBI Program Director
303-866-7477
303-866-7359 (Fax)
Service Delivery
Colorado Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Trust Fund Program
The trust fund was established in 2002. The trust fund is supported by revenue from a $10 surcharge on certain traffic offenses and a $15 surcharge on alcohol-related traffic offenses. Legislation requires that five percent of the trust fund monies be used for education, 65 percent for services, and 30 percent for research. To be eligible for assistance, an individual must have exhausted all other health or rehabilitation benefits that cover the services provided by the Trust Fund. An individual is not required to exhaust all private funds in order to be eligible for program services. All individuals receiving assistance from the Trust Fund must receive case management services. For operational purposes, the Traumatic Brain Injury Board has chosen to use the term "care coordination" rather than the term "case management" in recognition that "care coordination" is commonly used to describe a comprehensive approach to facilitating and coordinating a broad array of medical and psychosocial rehabilitation services.
On July 1, 2004, the Trust Fund Program began offering care coordination services to children and adolescents, ages zero to 20. Care coordination services for adults, age 21 and older, began on October 1, 2004. By the end of the year 2004, the program will also provide limited funding for direct services, such as respite care, transportation, and mental health services. Colorado individuals with TBI or their families may call the Brain Injury Association of Colorado at a central toll free number for information on program eligibility or services and to obtain a program application.
Medicaid Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Brain Injury Waiver
Adults with TBI who are 16 years of age through 64 and are in the process of being discharged from a hospital, rehabilitation hospital, or rehabilitation facility may be eligible for services through the TBI Home and Community-Based Medicaid Waiver program established in 1995. Individuals who are Medicaid eligible work with the hospital or rehabilitation facility social work department, or a discharge planner to obtain services such services as: day care and treatment; home modifications; special equipment; counseling; behavioral management; skills training; respite care; personal care; and non-medical transportation
Find out more information on this State's services in its current profile by clicking here. [PDF 50KB]. You can also order a hardcopy of our latest "Guide to State Government Brain Injury Policies, Funding and Services" for profiles of all States and much more.
HRSA-Funded Projects
Colorado has received a three-year HRSA Implementation Grant and used some of the grant funding to establish a Web site and 1-800 toll-free number as the result of a contract with the Brain Injury Association of Colorado. These services provide information applicable to adults and children with TBI, and their families. With the HRSA Implementation funding Colorado was able to:
- increase the statewide availability of information and referral for individuals with TBI and their families;
- enhance local service delivery systems by developing rural and urban pilot CIRCLE (Colorado Information, Resource Coordination, Linkage and Education) networks focused on information exchange, resource identification and the coordination of services and supports for individuals with TBI and their families;
- enhance the existing capacity of schools in recognizing, educating and supporting students with TBI by developing an information/education initiative for teachers, parents and other school personnel; and
- increase the awareness of brain injury issues among State Agency personnel, identify and change existing State policies that present barriers to an effective service delivery system.
During the life cycle of the HRSA Implementation Grant, the Colorado TBI Board and the Colorado TBI Trust Fund were legislatively created and viewed as significant steps in building capacity by the State to meet the needs of individuals with TBI and their families. Additionally, there was a continuous qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the grant activities and outcomes. Colorado has been awarded a HRSA one-year Post-Demonstration Grant that is focused on enhancing and improving the work accomplished under their Implementation Grant.
Find more information on this State's project in its current grant profile.
Promising Practices
CDC-funded Craig Hospital Data Collection Project.
Click here for a summary of the State's Brain Injury Training Portfolio
