Colorado offers two consumer-directed pathways for paid family caregiving — CDASS and IHSS — both now delivered through Community First Choice (CFC), a Medicaid state plan benefit that, as of July 2025, no longer requires a waiver or waitlist to access.
What CDASS and IHSS are
CDASS (Consumer Directed Attendant Support Services): the care recipient becomes the employer of record, with a payroll vendor handling taxes.
IHSS (In-Home Support Services): an agency remains the employer, while the family directs the day-to-day work.
Who qualifies — the care recipient
- Must have active Health First Colorado (Medicaid) coverage
- Must meet the functional/ADL-based criteria for personal care services
Who qualifies — the caregiver
- Adult children, other relatives, and friends can generally be hired under both CDASS and IHSS
- Spouses can be paid under CDASS — treated as "Legally Responsible Persons" who can be hired as attendants, generally up to about 45 hours/week without needing a special exception
- Parents of minor children can be paid under CFC/IHSS, but not under CDASS
- Must be 18+, pass background checks, and meet basic training/orientation requirements
How pay works
As of January 1, 2026, the statewide direct-care base wage is $17.00/hour, with higher rates in Denver ($19.29) and Edgewater ($18.17). Note that per-caregiver weekly hour caps are actively phasing down (112 hours in 2025 → 84 hours from July 2026 → 70 hours from January 2027 → 56 hours from July 2027).
How to apply
- Confirm the care recipient's Health First Colorado (Medicaid) eligibility
- Contact Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) or your care coordinator to discuss CDASS vs. IHSS
- Choose the self-direction model that fits your family
- Complete required background checks and enrollment with the Financial Management Services vendor
- Begin providing care within authorized hours
What you'll need to keep track of once approved
- Authorized hours and how they're being used, especially given the phasing-down hour caps
- Payroll and employment documentation through the FMS vendor
- Ongoing eligibility and care-plan documentation
Keeping this organized
Given the upcoming changes to hour caps, staying on top of your authorized hours and documentation matters more than ever here. FeatherKeep organizes this automatically as you go.
Check our Medicaid Structured Family Caregiving checklist →
Check what else you may qualify for →
Related guides: US pillar page, Medicaid checklist tool
Disclaimer: General information only, not legal or financial advice. Colorado's caregiver programs are actively changing — including the hour-cap phase-down through 2027 — confirm current details with Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) before applying.