Few things feel more overwhelming than sitting down to sort out Colorado Medicaid waivers for the first time. You want help for your child, and instead you find a wall of forms, three-letter program names, and conflicting advice about what comes first.
I’ve sat across from parents at Achieve ABA Therapy Group in this exact moment, and the relief on their faces usually comes from one simple clarification: in Colorado, Medicaid is Health First Colorado, and ABA therapy is already a covered benefit for eligible children. A waiver adds support beyond that. It is not the front door most families think it is.
Once you see the pathways side by side, the whole process gets a lot lighter. Let me lay them out.
Start With What Health First Colorado Already Covers
Before you chase down a specialized waiver, it helps to know that your child may already qualify for the service you are looking for. In Colorado, Medicaid is administered as Health First Colorado, and it covers a broad range of children’s health needs, including behavioral therapy.
How EPSDT Covers ABA Therapy for Your Child
Health First Colorado covers ABA therapy through a benefit called EPSDT, which stands for Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment. In plain terms, EPSDT requires the state to cover services that are medically necessary for children under 21.
Pediatric behavioral therapy, including ABA, is available to Health First Colorado members age 20 and younger when a provider documents that it is medically necessary, typically alongside an autism diagnosis.
I want to be honest about something that trips families up. You do not call Medicaid and get a set number of therapy hours assigned to you. Your ABA provider assesses your child, writes an individualized treatment plan, and submits a Prior Authorization Request, often shortened to PAR, to the state before therapy begins.
An approved PAR can last up to six months, after which we submit updated progress data to continue care. That structure exists to keep treatment tied to your child’s real, current needs rather than a fixed formula.
Your First Steps With Health First Colorado
For most families, this is the fastest route to therapy. Here is the order I recommend:
- Apply for Health First Colorado online through Colorado PEAK at co.gov/PEAK, by phone, or in person at your county Department of Human Services.
- Once coverage is active, ask your pediatrician for an evaluation or a referral to a provider who can diagnose. If you need this step, our autism diagnosis team can help so you are not stuck waiting for months.
- With a diagnosis and referral in hand, begin intake with an ABA provider.
For many of the families we serve in Denver and Aurora, this is where the journey both begins and ends, because regular Health First Colorado coverage already meets their needs.
How Colorado Medicaid Waivers Add Support Beyond Regular Coverage
Now to the waivers themselves. A Medicaid waiver is a program that waives certain rules so a child can receive extra home and community-based services that standard Medicaid does not include. In Colorado, several of these waivers are designed specifically for children, and each has its own eligibility criteria and its own front door.
One feature makes waivers especially valuable for families who might earn too much for standard Medicaid. For these children’s waivers, eligibility is based on the child’s income, not the parents’ income. That single rule opens the door for many working families who assumed they would never qualify.
The Children’s Extensive Support (CES) Waiver
The Children’s Extensive Support waiver, known as CES, is the one I discuss most often with parents whose children need close supervision to stay safe. It provides services and supports that help build a foundation for community life as your child grows toward adulthood.
To qualify, a child generally must be age 0 through 17, live at home with family, and have a developmental disability. The child also needs to meet a specific level of care. Colorado defines this as a behavior or medical condition that requires direct human intervention, more intense than a verbal reminder or brief redirection, at least once every two hours during the day. Children enrolled in CES keep all of their regular Health First Colorado benefits, including ABA therapy, as long as services are not duplicated.
Documents to Gather Before You Call
Families move through intake faster when their paperwork is ready. Before you contact your Case Management Agency, pull together:
- Your child’s birth certificate
- Social Security card
- Proof of Colorado address
- A psychological or developmental evaluation that includes the autism diagnosis
Then request an intake and a Functional Needs Assessment. That assessment is how the state determines whether your child meets the level of care required for the waiver.
Other Children’s Waivers Worth Knowing About
CES is not the only option, and part of my job is helping families see the whole map before they choose a path. Two other Colorado waivers come up regularly in our conversations with parents.
Children’s Habilitation Residential Program (CHRP) Waiver
The CHRP waiver serves children and youth from birth through age 20 who have an intellectual or developmental disability, very high needs, or a serious emotional disturbance that puts them at risk of out-of-home placement.
In early 2025, Colorado expanded CHRP eligibility to include serious emotional disturbance, which broadened who can qualify. Its services focus on helping children learn and keep the skills they need to remain safely in their communities.
Children with Complex Health Needs (CwCHN) Waiver
This is Colorado’s newer waiver for medically complex children. On July 1, 2025, under House Bill 25-1003, the state merged the former Children’s Home and Community Based Services waiver and the Children with Life-Limiting Illness waiver into one program called the Children with Complex Health Needs waiver, or CwCHN. It serves medically fragile children who meet a hospital or nursing facility level of care. If a family would have qualified under either of the older waivers, they now qualify here.
One rule applies across all of these programs: your child can be enrolled in only one waiver at a time. Your Case Management Agency helps you weigh which one fits your child best.
Finding Your Case Management Agency in Colorado
Every waiver path runs through a Case Management Agency, so this is the single most useful contact for a family to have. Colorado is divided into 20 designated service areas, and each area has agencies that handle intake, assessments, and enrollment for children’s waivers.
You can find the agency for your area through the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, or HCPF, at hcpf.colorado.gov. When you call, ask for a children’s waiver intake and mention which waiver you are exploring. If you are not sure which one fits, that is fine. Your case manager will help you sort it out during the Functional Needs Assessment.
Whether you are in Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, or Pueblo, the process follows the same statewide structure, even though your specific agency will be local to where you live.
What I Tell Parents About Pairing Waivers With ABA Therapy
Here is where clinical experience saves families time. A common misunderstanding is that you must have a waiver before you can start ABA. You do not. In most cases, ABA therapy is covered under regular Health First Colorado through EPSDT, and a waiver runs alongside it to add other supports, such as respite care, home modifications, or community connection services.
I once worked with a family who spent months on a waiver waitlist believing it was the only way to access therapy. Their child could have started ABA far sooner through standard coverage while the waiver application moved forward in the background. Now we encourage families to pursue both tracks at the same time when it makes sense, so nothing sits idle while the clock ticks on early support.
If you want a clearer picture of what therapy itself involves, our overview of what happens during an ABA assessment walks through those first appointments step by step.
And if you are still weighing whether therapy is the right move, this look at the signs a child may benefit from ABA can help you decide. Families balancing school needs may also find our guide to IEP for autism in Colorado useful, since school support and waiver support often work together.
For seasonal planning, our tips on Colorado summer support and preparing for the back-to-school transition round out the picture.
Where Achieve ABA Fits Into Your Colorado Journey
We built Achieve ABA Therapy Group around removing the friction I described above. We serve children and young adults ages 2 to 21, we accept all insurances, including Health First Colorado, we offer bilingual services, and we keep no waitlist, so your child can begin without the long delays families often expect.
Our clinicians provide ABA therapy services in Colorado in the setting that fits your child, whether that is in-home ABA, school-based support, or early intervention for our youngest learners.
We also coach families directly through parent training, and we keep momentum going through the warmer months with summer ABA therapy so hard-won skills do not slip between school years. If a weekday clinic schedule does not fit your life, we also provide weekend ABA therapy, daycare-based ABA, and group home support.
We serve families across the state, with dedicated teams in Lakewood, Thornton, Arvada, Westminster, Centennial, and Boulder, among many other communities.
So start today. No waitlist, no cost to ask.
You have read the steps. Now, let us take the next one with you. Call our Colorado team at 720-463-9000, email hello@atgaba.com, or start your intake application online. You will reach a real person who understands the Health First Colorado system and can tell you exactly what your first step should be.
We accept all insurances, offer bilingual services, serve children ages 2 to 21, and keep no waitlist, so your child can begin sooner. You can also contact us here, and we will follow up quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a Medicaid waiver to get ABA therapy in Colorado?
In most cases, no. ABA therapy is covered under regular Health First Colorado through the EPSDT benefit for eligible children age 20 and younger when it is medically necessary. A waiver can add other supports, but it is not required to begin ABA.
Does parental income count for children’s Medicaid waivers?
For Colorado’s children’s waivers such as CES, eligibility is based on the child’s income rather than the parents’ income. This allows many working families who do not qualify for standard Medicaid to still access waiver services.
Can my child be enrolled in more than one waiver at a time?
No. A child can be enrolled in only one Colorado waiver at a time. Your Case Management Agency can help you compare the options and choose the one that best fits your child’s needs.
How do I find my Case Management Agency?
You can locate the agency for your area through the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing at hcpf.colorado.gov. These agencies handle intake, assessments, and enrollment for children’s waivers across Colorado’s 20 designated service areas.
How long does it take to start ABA therapy?
Timelines vary by family and by coverage. Once your child has active Health First Colorado, a diagnosis, and a referral, intake with a provider can begin. Because we keep no waitlist, families who work with us often start sooner than they expect.
What is a Functional Needs Assessment?
It is the evaluation Colorado uses to determine whether your child meets the level of care required for a waiver. Your Case Management Agency arranges it as part of the waiver intake process.
Sources:
- Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF). “Children’s Extensive Support Waiver (CES).” Accessed 2026. https://hcpf.colorado.gov/childrens-extensive-support-waiver-ces
- Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF). “Children’s Habilitation Residential Program Waiver (CHRP).” Accessed 2026. https://hcpf.colorado.gov/childrens-habilitation-residential-program-waiver-chrp
- Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF). “Children with Complex Health Needs Waiver (CwCHN).” https://hcpf.colorado.gov/children-with-complex-health-needs-cwchn
- Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF). “Pediatric Behavioral Therapies.” https://hcpf.colorado.gov/pediatric-behavioral-therapies
- Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF). “Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT).” https://hcpf.colorado.gov/epsdt
- Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF). “Legislation Signed to Combine Two Waiver Programs for Children with Complex Health Needs” (HB25-1003 press release) https://hcpf.colorado.gov/press-release/legislation-to-combine-two-waiver-programs
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (Medicaid.gov). “Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment.” https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/benefits/early-and-periodic-screening-diagnostic-and-treatment
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Data and Statistics on Autism Spectrum Disorder.” https://www.cdc.gov/autism/data-research/index.html
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). “Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)” statistics. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/autism-spectrum-disorder-asd
- Council of Autism Service Providers (CASP). “Applied Behavior Analysis Practice Guidelines for the Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder” https://www.casproviders.org/asd-guidelines