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January 28, 2025

Legislation to Streamline Access to Youth Behavioral, Complex Health Care Passes Committee

DENVER, CO - The House Health & Human Services Committee today passed legislation sponsored by Representative Rebekah Stewart that would combine two waiver programs to create the Children with Complex Health Needs waiver, streamlining access to services for behavioral health conditions or life-long illnesses. HB25-1003 passed unanimously by a vote of 13-0.


“Colorado Democrats have championed programs that help families as they work to support their children with behavioral health conditions and life-long illnesses, and this legislation would help streamline the process to receive these services,” said Rep. Rebekah Stewart, D-Lakewood. “These waivers allow children to live at home while receiving care, and expand the critical services they have access to. This is something that all Colorado kids deserve. With our bipartisan legislation, we’re making health care and in-home support more accessible for Colorado youth and their families.”


HB25-1003, also sponsored by Rep. Max Brooks, R-Castle Rock, would create the Children with Complex Health Needs waiver by merging the Children’s Home and Community-Based Services (CHCBS) and the Children with Life Limiting Illness (CLLI) waivers. This would help streamline waivers to better support Colorado’s youth with complex health needs.  


The CHCBS provides home and community-based services for families with children with significant medical needs so they can continue to live at home and prevent institutionalization. The CLLI provides in-home services and treatments for families with children with a complex health need, including respite care and pain management.


Colorado Democrats have passed legislation in recent years to improve access to behavioral and mental health care, including creating the I Matter program to offer no-cost mental health services to students, training for first responders and community leaders to identify and respond to symptoms of mental illness or substance use disorders, and expanding mental health care coverage for Colorado youth.

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