Thanks for joining us for this weekly joint meeting of the Mayor and Denver City Council.

Follow along as the mayor and city council members hear updates from city agencies and projects, discuss important city matters, and hear about what's happening across the Mile High City.

Join the discussion with your elected officials starting now.

I'm honored by that.

We love coming to your sessions.

It's like his favorite thing to do.

Good morning, everybody.

Welcome to Mayor Council.

Thank you for joining on this fine Tuesday morning.

We will start with introductions of our council members, then jump into our announcements and general session.

The distinguished gentleman to my right, could you start us off?

Yes, thank you, Mayor Paul Cash from South Denver District 6.

Glad to be here.

Uh good morning, everyone.

Serena Gonzalez Cuchilla is one of your council members at large.

Good morning, Amanda Sawyer, District 5.

Hi.

Good morning, Diana Romero Campbell, Southeast Denver District 4.

Good morning, Amanda Sandoval, Northwest Denver District 1.

Great.

Thank you all so much for uh joining us for uh general session this morning.

We all are gonna do an update that was um both requested by you and we think was critically important about Medicaid eligibility changes and some of the impacts of uh the federal legislation on our local residents.

We'll get to that in a minute, but first want to open it up for any announcements that members want to share with members of the public or with each other.

Yes, Councilman Alvidres, then SGG, then Watson, and well, a whole bunch of folks.

Thank you, Mayor.

And it was great seeing you at the Lunar New Year Festival this weekend.

Um I just wanted to share again that this Saturday at 1 p.m.

at HQ at 60 South Broadway.

You will get to see an amazing improv show of playing back stories of immigrant neighbors.

And so the MODIS Theater does an amazing thing called playback theater where you get to share a story and then see that story get played back to you.

It's a very healing um experience, so I highly recommend, and I've been convinced to participate.

So you'll actually get to see me in improv action.

Come down to HQ.

Join us this Saturday, 1 p.m.

HQ South Broadway, and it'll be something very special.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilman Gonzalski, yours.

Um, thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

I'll start with a regular announcement.

Um, so this weekend on Saturday at 12 p.m.

Um will be a kind of multi-level uh government level town hall um put on by representative Cecilia Espanosa for House District 4, and it'll include myself, Councilwoman Sandoval, Councilwoman Torres, um, uh Director Solchica from school board.

Um so we'll have a kind of a plethora of folks um at a town hall that she'll be hosting in her district, which is in north and west Denver.

Um, we'll make sure we have all the information.

Is it going to be announced?

It just confirmed it, okay.

Okay.

Good.

I was bugging people.

Um, but yeah, so we'll be there at noon on Saturday.

Um, and then the second thing I just wanted to announce.

So, yes, last night during announcements, I announced my daughter's birthday, which was yesterday.

She turned 15, and then my son's birthday is on Thursday.

Um, so I have to do the double birthday thing and can't leave anybody out, but he will be 11, and he is my youngest.

My last child going through elementary school.

He's still he's still my little bear.

Um I'll make sure he sees that when he's you know 20.

Um I want to wish him a happy birthday.

Is your week of birthdays to the family?

Uh happy birthday to both.

Um next up I have Councilman Watson and then President Pro Tem.

Uh thank you, uh Mr.

Mayor.

Um I announced uh yesterday, I think it was my gosh, it was last night at uh council.

Um tomorrow night, we're tomorrow night.

Jeez Louise, tonight at 5 30 to 7 p.m.

We have a discussion at Geotech Environmental Equipment Um building um concerning um data centers.

Extremely important discussion um to, and it's even more important now since uh uh yesterday we had a presser communicating the moratorium data centers as well as the opportunity to um actually build a regulatory environment around data centers.

Uh, tonight's discussion is an opportunity for community um to provide us direct feedback on their thoughts.

Um it is an opportunity for us to hear from you, so whether you live in global, Swansea or anywhere else across the city.

Um, we are strongly encouraging you to attend.

Uh the initial meeting was focused on having a dialogue with Coresight on the site that they have in Global, and Swansea.

Uh core site will not be attending the meeting tonight.

Um this meeting will continue.

Um, data centers are not specific to any one company, it's specific to the future of Denver, our environment, and how we engage into that.

And so all of our partners, Excel, Denver Water, um, the CD, CASER, our um energy um team with uh public health.

Um we all will be there to engage with community, hear your thoughts and questions, and answer any questions that you have, and then begin the process of leading into the regulatory environment um during this uh moratorium.

So I'd like to thank uh Councilmember Cashmett for his leadership in this process.

I look forward to hearing from community members tonight at the meeting.

Once again, 5 30 to 7 p.m.

at Geotech Environmental Equipment.

Um, it's between Swansea and uh Clayton, so obviously it's a Swansea Clayton area, is where Geotech is located.

Um one other announcement on Friday um February 27th from 5 30 to 7 30 p.m.

We're having the final um possibly the final.

We have another one on Saturday, Black History Month uh celebration event.

This will be at Struggle of Love at 1205 East 45th Avenue.

Um it'll be in collaboration with the mayor's office and the African American Commission and a whole host of community members come on out, um share some good food, some good community engagement.

Looking forward to seeing everyone at Struggle of Love.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Looking forward to being there with you.

Thank you so much for the update.

Um President Pro Tem.

Uh thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Uh, two quick announcements this Thursday at Kennedy Golf Course.

Um please come out and help uh design the final or give input for the final design for the clubhouse.

Um pretty exciting, don't have to be a golfer to participate.

Uh it starts at 5 30 to 7.

Um, but please, it's a building that as it gets renovated.

Um, one of the things that they really are looking at is creating additional community space that can be used.

We have such limited space in Southeast Denver, so it's pretty exciting.

Uh the second one is March 18th, Wednesday.

Uh, we will be doing our community open house at TJ.

Doors open at 5, and we'll have community agencies and uh city agencies there to answer questions and talk to everybody.

Answer any questions you have.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Thank you so much.

Um, Madam President.

Mayor again on the list.

Okay.

Go ahead, madam.

Just want to um, I have some constituents who are stuck in Mexico and have some people affected by what's going on in Mexico.

Um, and I had a couple of people reach out to me, so I just wanted to send them my thoughts and think about them getting home safe, and just take responsibility for our act part in what's happened in Mexico with the Mexico's mount 100% time.

Um, so oddly enough, I was supposed to be in Puerta Vallarta on um March 7th.

I graduate March 7th, and I had was going there.

Um, and somehow by some great spirit plans changed last Wednesday, and I'm not, and so my family has been really calling me and like, hey, are you going?

Like, what are you doing?

Like, and so I'm going to a different part to a different beach, but um it's just been really heavy on my mind, because literally I had my pudding ticket, I had place, and at the last minute, everything changed.

So it's just been really a lot to think about and to think about my constituents reaching out to me and to have family members who I know who are down there who are stuck, and um, so just want to give a shout out to everybody who's been impacted by what's going on in Mexico.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilman Cashman.

Thank you, Mayor.

I've got about 19 things, but I'll cut them real quick.

Um, first up, April 1st, uh, having our annual uh academy in the community, probably better named meet your city government.

Uh, we'll have about 30 uh city agencies outside partners at Cook Park Recreation Center for a couple hours.

People can get face to face with those that talk about zoning and talk about what we do in our green spaces and on and on.

We'll have XL Energy and a bunch of outside partners as well.

Again, April 1st, I believe it's uh six to eight at Cook Park Recreation Center.

Um, on April 11th, I just learned this this morning, hundredth anniversary of South High School, Denver South High School.

And uh details on that celebration will be coming up, and that's gonna be way cool.

What a great institution in the community.

You know, South has been the home of the all-city stadium sports complex, a great new tennis center in the past few years.

So stop by and uh give your best wishes there.

Uh and I want to echo uh councilman Watson's comments and thank you, Mayor, for partnering with council on just putting a pause on the data center discussion.

It's not like Denver's doing something weird and out of the ordinary.

We're actually, I think, unfortunately a little bit slow in getting into the discussion.

Uh cities around the country are doing exactly what we're doing.

Like, okay, if these things uh want to locate in our community, how do we set it up so that uh the advantages outway the disadvantages?

So thank you for that.

And most importantly, um I need to wish a very happy birthday uh to the woman, the myth, the legend.

Uh, my one of my newly admitted senior aides, Claire Kelly, who's celebrating another trip around the sun today.

And uh, so happy birthday, Claire.

Thank you so much, Councilman.

Uh any other announcements?

Um, just echo, thank you, Councilman Cashman and Councilman Watson.

Uh, excited to partner on, as we said yesterday.

We think there is a place for Denver to be both pro-technology and pro-climate to make sure that we finally want to do this in the right way, build the regulatory infrastructure we'll need to get it right, make sure we can uh bring and build data centers, but do them in the way that both helps and supports community needs around the city.

Uh, and hears people's concerns and so welcome the places for civil dialogue where people can come together and have thoughtful conversations about the trade-offs, and so thank you for convening tonight's conversation.

We'll look forward to more of them.

Uh all right.

With that, we will transition into our general session topic, which is delighted to have our team here and help talk a little bit about our Medicaid eligibility changes and some of the expected enrollment impacts.

Um, come on up to the table.

Always so prepared.

Okay.

I thought you just moved the chair.

Good morning, everyone.

Good morning, good morning, council.

My name is Kay Templeton.

I am the deputy executive director for the eligibility branch at Denver Human Services, and along with the Chief Chief Financial Officer Clint Woodruff, who would like to present information to you regarding the Medicaid eligibility changes and the expected enrollment impacts.

Um so if we could forward the slides.

The purpose in the agenda today is to overview uh to provide you with an overview of those federal changes, the implementation timeline, the inspected enrollment impacts, our fiscal and operational impact, and how DHS is prepared and coordinating with other agencies throughout the city and county, and key takeaways for you to come up with that today and any questions you might have.

So, first of all, why this is happening.

As I'm sure you are all aware, on July 4th, 2025, the current administration put forward a federal legislation known as HR 1, which introduced major Medicaid and SNAP changes with the goal of managing federal spending and to reduce fraud, waste and abuse.

So end of 2026 and the beginning of 2027.

Medicaid renewals done on an individual level rather than household level.

So I'll provide you with an example of that.

Currently, what we have, we have a family of three.

So there's a mother with two children, one of the children is 14, the other is 19.

Currently, what we would do is we would have them complete one redetermination application for the entire household.

What we have to do going forward is the 19 year old would have to submit an application on their own rather than being included in the household.

So that 19-year-old would be subject to different to the different and new legislation, the different changes that would be coming forward, and would not necessarily be approved for Medicaid.

So that's the first example I have.

Six month renewals for expansion population.

So currently, what we do every year, every 12 months or annually, the uh we do the application redetermination.

What this legislation with HR1 puts forward is every six months, we will have to redetermine those families or those individuals.

This is a huge impact to the families and to our customers.

It's also going to be a huge impact to our staff.

We are going to have to figure out how we're going to manage that work in six months increments rather than the annual increments.

Work requirements for adults 19 to 64.

Currently, it's 19 to 55, so we are increasing from the 55 to 64 individuals who now have to be involved in a work activity education or a community engagement activity, 80 hours out of each month and have to be able to report that back to us.

Immigrant eligibility restrictions, that is going to reduce the eligibility for immigrants.

We are only going to it's Haitian and Cuban immigrants that will be any green card holders and then American citizens.

So it reduces the ability for some of our immigrant population to be eligible for emergency Medicaid services.

Retroactive coverage limits.

What that is is currently when an individual or a family applies for Medicaid, we can retroactively pay for any medical services within a 90-day period prior to their application.

That will be reduced to 30 days prior to their application upon approval.

HR1 Medicaid timeline.

So as I mentioned, most of these changes will be effective at the beginning of 2027.

That's that includes increased address verification and eligibility checks.

So what that means, increased address verification.

We want to make sure the administration wants to make sure that we do not have individuals who are duly enrolled in different states.

Also statewide to be able to do this.

Eligibility checks.

What I spoke to the redetermination moving from annually to six months, ongoing system and workflow changes to support new federal requirements.

So state will have to work with us to figure out how we can utilize our Colorado benefits management system more effectively to be able to move forward with these changes that are going to greatly impact state staff work.

2027 to 2032, this will be a phased approach.

Provider tax reductions phase in over multiple years.

So that is reducing the hold harmless and also reducing the amount that our providers will have to provide within to help us with those individuals who are receiving Medicaid.

Ongoing, state and federal, state and local impacts increase gradually as reduction accumulates.

We may be able to speak to that a little more.

Clint may be able to speak to it more than I can.

It's in the fiscal realm.

And the ongoing changes, additional federal guidance and state implementation decisions continue to evolve.

So because we don't have any very specific guidelines that are coming or direction that's coming from the feds, we're going to have to wait and just determine how we're going to move forward with this.

We are trying at the state and county level to be able to ensure that we are providing for our clients and for our staff.

But we're going to have to wait to get some more specific directions from the feds.

And what I'll provide to you here, this is just a trend line of what Medicaid has looked like over time.

So you'll see we start in 2018 and we see that gradual kind of uptick.

Of course, in 20 and 2020 and 2021 when COVID hit, that's when we were at our peak.

Lots of folks were getting onto Medicaid to be able to kind of survive through COVID.

You'll see now that we're kind of showing a decrease.

We don't really have any trend data that supports why this may be happening, but in 2026, where we are now, we show that it's currently on a downward trend.

We will make sure that we keep you updated as we move into these HR1 impacts on Medicaid, how that's going to affect our customers moving forward.

Now I'll go ahead and turn it over to Clint so that he can speak on more of the fiscal and operational impacts.

Thank you, Kay.

Hello, everyone.

So as Kay mentioned, the county workloads, we do anticipate those renewals and the work that our technicians are doing right now, our eligibility professionals are doing right now will increase.

As a result, you well, currently, there is a proposal in front of the state to increase uh the county administration funding by 17 million dollars.

That 17 million dollars is mostly directed at um the implementation of shared services and districting and technology associated with that, which we'll talk about uh here in a moment.

But it while we would add shared services, they're not taking away funding for the counties with the assumption that where it would lighten the load for our eligibility professionals in one area.

We know that it's increasing in another area, so um, really more of a cost containment strategy as opposed to a cost saving strategy in this current first fiscal year from the state and their proposals, although we do see in the fiscal note forecasts out in the out years they would start having cost savings as shared service and distribution are implemented before we get to shared service and districting.

There's one other major thing that's going to be happening here as the Medicaid changes go into effect, and that's the provider tax reductions.

In general, all states are required to reduce from what most people are running at a six percent uh rate down to three and a half percent, so a half percent per year full implementation by 2032, which uh at full implementation would cost the state about two and a half billion dollars of revenue.

Um, obviously that's well into the future, and there have not been a ton of discussions or anything about how that's going to be handled from a state budget perspective and how that would flow down then to the city and county member.

Um, for um getting ready for the changes that are coming up here um in 2027, we've already begun staff training training.

Um, as I mentioned, we started talking about system updates.

We've been in close contact with Arapahoe County recently to uh walk through what their workflow system looks like.

Um they have had some fairly good results on the timing and workflow of that, and we're seeing if we can leverage that into our systems.

Additionally, we have standing meetings with the state to talk about the statewide system that they are trying to integrate into CBMS.

Um, so those workflow adjustments and those various meetings are ongoing and taking place as we speak.

Additionally, we started meeting with HICPUF and Colorado Access to plan for those implementation changes as well.

We have standing month, I believe it's monthly meetings with them right now, and the frequency will increase as we get closer to the date of implementation.

Then we're always welcome to any collaboration obviously with City Council or the mayor's office.

We are already doing surveys and various things from our community members to find out how they are feeling or questions they may have, and how we can increase and improve our communications to them to help them feel a little bit more settled in this time of change.

So what's still changing, and I referenced this earlier earlier, it's the district and shared services proposals.

They were introduced by the state this legislative session.

The counties have introduced an alternative proposal to the state's proposal, and right now the governor's office and the county representatives are negotiating or talking in good faith about potentially what a common proposal could look like, where each proposal could be modified in some ways so that both parties would be happy with how we move forward.

Still, once again, the focus being cost containment in year one, and then cost savings, which will have to occur in out years as full implementation of districting as shared services go.

Some of the shared services that are being considered are call centers, document scanning, quality assurance, fraud investigations, things like that.

And the districting right now, under the state's proposal, Arapahoe and Denver would combine to make one of the 11 districts under the county's proposal.

It's a little bit more fluid on what they're calling the regional centers, are regional centers of excellence.

I think is that is the term that is being used in the county proposal, and yet we'll see what where that, like I said, there's negotiations going on there, so we'll see where that comes up.

As um Kay mentioned the federal guidance, especially for the Medicaid implementation.

So while HR1 has outlined the broad implementations of what will change, the actual detailed kind of rules, policies, and procedures have yet to be released, and those are forthcoming, and that will greatly influence how we actually implement some of these changes.

We're currently monitoring enrollment trends.

We do expect to lose more.

Medicaid is already trending down as ARPA qualifications are being removed, the expanded outcome qualifications being moved, and we think statewide, the number is somewhere between one and 300,000 folks that will probably lose Medicaid eligibility.

The reason for the huge range there is because while somebody may lose one qualification, say they're only 56, and so they'll are they work 55 or something like that, right?

Um and they may lose that qualification, but they have another qualification that still brings them in, and there's a lot of detailed information that the state's working through there to try and figure out exactly pinpoint that number and make communications to those people that come 2027 might be impacted.

We are monitoring the enrollment trends as Kay has already shown you.

Um and then we talked about the exemptions already, and then finally the state and county funding is in flux.

We know what's been proposed this year, which is mostly flat, if not all slightly increasing to accommodate the shared the implementation of shared services with the out years looking at trying, you know, the current years trying to contain those costs.

For instance, the cost share that might be associated with uh food assistance, the SNAP program based on our air rate, and similar error rate callbacks could occur in Medicaid as we see the rules rolled out and things like that.

So, really looking at cost containment initially, they cost savings uh over the long haul.

There are a number of folks in the queue for questions.

I have councilman Alvidres and Councilman Hines.

Anybody else want to jump in?

The Councilman Alvidres are going to start.

Thank you so much.

Um this is troubling to hear, and that sounds like we have a lot more that we're gonna find out in the future.

I know you talked a lot about Medicaid loss, but you were also talking about SNAP.

Is it one in the same?

Whoever is not eligible for Medicaid is not eligible for SNAP, or no, they um their eligibility is determined differently, and um they do have different rules, slightly different rules, or they're coming a little bit more in alignment with the one, but they do have slightly different rules.

So it is not the same, but the the food assistance changes and eligibility changes are going in place this year, um, and so they're um ahead of where Medicaid's at, and we're already working on those.

So the Medicaid that we provide is a hundred percent comes from the federal budget.

Do you all provide any from well the for both for the benefits?

Yes, for the administration, there is a cost component that the um city and county bears.

And do we have a plan for the people that lose care on what we're gonna do for them or how we're going to support their needs?

Yes, we starting meeting specifically for Medicaid.

Um we've already done this with uh community partners for food assistance, but specifically for Medicaid, um we start meetings community with our community stakeholders next week, actually, is our first scheduled meeting to um really work with them on how we can refer people to um alternative resources should they not uh qualify for the stakeholders are these medical facilities or these individuals that are losing care.

Who are the stakeholders?

The current meetings I'm talking about are either the medical facilities or the community centers that might be able to help these folks, uh you know, folks like um 311 211, my friend Ben as well, those kind of folks and pointing them in hopefully to the right direction.

Thank you so much for that.

I appreciate it.

Thank you, Mayor.

I have Hines, then uh Madam President Pro Tem, then Councilman Parity is about Councilman Hines.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um, thank you for the presentation.

Uh you mentioned six-month renewal for the expansion population.

Does that mean those who were not uh part of the expansion population still have a year renewal?

Or is it for everyone?

It's for everyone, but it would roll out with the expansion population first.

And later go to the population, yeah, but those that are currently enrolled.

Okay, and um uh I know that each year um there are uh so the states on a um July to June um fiscal year, uh, but for some reason on every calendar year, there are a whole bunch of people to get bumped off um uh Medicaid, and um, and so I would uh, you know, as there the state is looking at system upgrades.

I would certainly encourage uh there's just a lot of churn that happens um in January, early January with Medicaid population.

I'm assuming you've seen that or I know I was I'm on Medicaid.

I got bumped off uh December 31st, and um I'm back on retroactive to January 1, but I had to there was a whole bunch of uh a whole bunch of people got involved in uh making sure that that got back on.

And I heard um other people with the same um, you know, they said that they also lost Medicaid coverage January 1.

So if we're gonna do system upgrades, um, I think you know, as we're trying to get staff to figure out how we're going to manage all this extra workload, uh, that seems like a own goal kind of situation where the staff is having to manage uh getting people back on Medicaid when they were arbitrarily bumped off.

So thank you for providing that councilman because I I do believe in it in uh being on the ground with with folks in our lobby and our customer care spaces.

We I've noticed that that's that happens in January, so we'll make sure to take that back to our CBMS and state um stakeholders and and have that discussion around what we can do to make sure we're managing within the calendar year so that doesn't happen along with managing for fiscal years, the changes come forward.

Thank you.

And it's weird that it's um not related to the state's fiscal year, it's the calendar year.

The calendar year.

Yeah, so um, and uh insider baseball for one second.

I'm on CMAP, so um uh I'm on Medicaid for working adults with disabilities, so CMAP is a state provider that administers, so that's why maybe DHS doesn't see me in the roles because uh CMAP is a state administered function.

I actually I think Denver Health's the vendor that does CMAP right now.

Um that's maybe a discussion we could have with Colorado Access as well.

Yeah, and then you mentioned uh some of the you know the HR1, won't call it what the federal government calls it, um, but uh uh the governor has also talked about cost escalations with Medicaid and um and how the cost escalation just can't in I think paraphrasing his words we can't continue to have the cost escalations uh with Medicaid.

I wonder um what as you're talking about the fiscal health of um this the city and I guess the county's implementation of Medicaid, uh are you are you seeing other cost pressures from the state level as they try to ratchet down the state costs?

Um absolutely um we uh not the state for two years now in a row, started off the season with a one billion dollar deficit that they were trying to cover.

So um yes, uh across all areas of our business that are looking to um reduce costs um to match the reduced revenues.

We are on a free use for child care assistance because we don't have the funds to continue to expand and provide um uh child care to uh our entire population that is that is looking for assistance, our food, our food assistance, as we mentioned, is already going through similar changes and and reductions to our county administration, things like that.

So, yes, across every one of our lines of business there are uh maybe not as dragted drastic as some other departments are experiencing, but definitely cost pressures for us.

We've been lucky that Colorado's a young state in general because of all the beautiful things we could do outside.

Um, but as people move, they get older.

That's it's it's amazing how that I think it's all the data I've seen, everyone gets older.

So um uh and so uh and so as as we age as a as a state, obviously we'll have more um more opportunities for people to get on um government health care.

So I can only imagine that the cost will continue to grow as we get older as a state.

So thank you.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you so much.

Uh President Protect, and then Councilman Carrie.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um, in early in the presentation, you had said that it is taking uh family uh it's taking family uh authorization or for the redetermination, determination into individuals.

So what does that look like for like families with children?

So they have to enroll individually for each of their children, or is that can you speak a little bit to it?

I'm just trying to figure out absolutely so if um in the example that I provided where there's a 19-year-old and the 14-year-old, so the mother and the 14-year-old would be able to be considered one household, um, for the re the purposes of redetermination, and then the 19 year old.

So it would depend if they if they had a senior citizen in the home, that individual would also have to apply or redeterm on redetermination, redetermine on their own.

So it depends on what the family makeup is.

We have that 19 to 64 population.

So if there's individuals, they would have to um redetermine and apply on their own.

If you have a family, what uh what we would call a traditional family, they could apply together or redetermine together.

So it's really, and that's where the impacts come to the workload for staff as well on the back end.

If we have a senior citizen and a 19-year-old and it's family, so that's three different applications that are going to have to come through.

Yeah, so it's going to impact families drastically.

Because we know uh many of our families are like multi-age and they're different, and now we're going to have to take a look at what that's going to look like when uh a grandparent may no longer um be able to receive Medicaid when the family is, and what impacts that's going to have economically on that family.

Does that explain?

Yeah, it does.

That's it was it was uh it was a bullet point in there, and I'm just thinking the ramifications of that is huge.

Uh what are, or do you expect the ramifications then to be for um older adults or seniors within like um living living centers or like senior living centers um care?

Is that an additional do you have an do you anticipate that would be currently?

We don't have a lot of guidance on what that's going to look like as far as long long-term care is considered.

Um we're hoping for more guidance around that, but currently we don't know necessarily what that's going to look like and how what those impacts are going to be for individuals who are in assisted living and long-term care.

Yeah, I'm just thinking like in District 4, there's a number of senior living centers, uh, assisted care, um, and wondering what that is going to mean for those adults and their ability to be able to stay in those centers.

And I do believe with the there are a number of um exemptions, and I I do believe some of those exemptions would help with that population of individuals.

I don't want to speak out of term without really knowing, but I in my review, I do believe that that's where we can have some assistance around making sure that we're continuing to care for our elderly population if they are in long-term care.

But I'll come back with more.

I want to make sure that I follow up with you and the council and the mayor on that.

That would be great, and then just one real quick uh one last question.

Um you had put a list of different partners, you had listed counsel.

What do you anticipate being that partnership of what we can do to help and support?

Um, for me, well, working with you all through uh what we've gone through with SNAP, so working with the food communities, understanding what those pantries need, it will be along those same lines with those discussions on what do your constituents need.

How can we make sure that the questions that you have were following up, being able to coordinate to kind of have those discussions to support, and even if we are not able to within Denver Human Services provide what is needed, then we're making sure we have DDPHE or other agencies within the city that are able to kind of make those connections and provide those resources.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Mayor.

Thanks so much.

Uh Councilman Turny.

Yeah, I'm so sorry to be late because I really appreciate this briefing.

Um, and I'm sorry that you're having to deal with this.

I think most people who work anywhere adjacent to these benefits are sort of devastated by what's happening to them.

So thank you for hanging in there and um doing the best we can for our people in horrible circumstances.

Um, a couple of questions that are sort of a little pinging around a little bit, I guess.

Um, one thing that I keep wondering about is because one of the main um changes or one of the changes, I guess, is to work requirements, um, and more people are gonna have to go through these like hurdles of um working in some way and then proving that they've done it, including probably a lot of people who are unhoused and who are in our shelter systems, which we um sometimes own, sometimes fund.

Um I'm very curious if if you all have gotten wind of any conversations happening about how the um shelter providers could help people meet work requirements, um, because I'm guessing that there would be a largely population overlap in the in the kind of people that are told that they don't have to meet work requirements and and people who are in our sheltering system.

So if that conversation comes up at any point, that feels like a place where the city could make a huge difference because it's just a place where we have contact with one of these populations other than through DHS itself.

Um, so yeah, I guess that's a question.

Is anyone talking about that?

Like sort of how we actually affirmatively is the city, it wouldn't be DHS's job, it would be something that would need to happen within our provider partners and host, um, but I'm just curious if that's a conversation that's happening.

I am not aware right now, but we certainly can take that back and find and find out uh if others that are involved have been having those discussions.

Because again, I just I have a feeling um numbers-wise in Denver, that would be a chunk, and also some of our providers bill Medicaid to provide the services at our shelter sites.

So, for example, if um you know Urban Alchemy or one of those partners is able to provide um on-site work positions for people and then help with the certification, then they can remain on Medicaid.

Then CCH can bill Medicaid, it's like a very virtuous loop for us.

And then the other thing I've been curious about is in Denver, the nonprofit hospitals who pay these community benefits fees.

I've seen some pretty interesting information about where those where that money is spent because hospitals have so much discretion about that.

Does DHS have a way of is there like a forum where you all are able to talk to the various nonprofit hospitals systems in Denver about how their community benefits fees are spent and whether those could be spent more on Medicaid enrollment or you know helping people meet work requirements, those kinds of things.

Like is there even just a place for that conversation to your knowledge?

Not with the city and county specifically.

I'm not sure if they have those discussions with the state at the state level, but not.

Well, at the state they definitely are, and and but the reason I wonder about it at the city level is because um, and I this is something I think is I just will raise this since the mayor's here too.

Um, our the nonprofit hospital systems that are within Denver, I think like the rest of the nonprofit hospital systems have mostly spent that money on um like internal workforce kind of stuff, which is permissible, but probably not what we might hope that those fees would be spent on and not what we most need.

Um, and so I sort of wonder if someone with a bully pulpit, such as the mayor, um, could press that conversation a little bit with the nonprofit hospitals because it's a huge amount of money they're supposed to spend it for the public good, and in Denver right now, the number one way that they could spend it, which would be to their benefit too, would be to help with re-enrollment and work requirements.

Um, and it just feels like because the work requirements piece isn't medical, um, like that's you know, it's sort of that conversation isn't happening, but that's the piece that the city probably could influence the most from my point of view.

Um, thank you.

Then I had had another question that I lost, but that's okay.

Thank you for the data and the information, and I can't imagine the complexity of the task.

Oh, I know the other question.

Um, from the point of view of last year's or this year's budget, um, because this bill was pretty new at the time that we were trying to put together a budget, um, as you've worked through the impact, um, are there concerns about having enough FTE just to manage the complexity of this and like manage keeping people enrolled to the extent possible?

No, so we have done the pre-work as it relates to food assistance, which actually is impacting this year.

As we talk about next year's budget, which is which would be Medicaid, that's what we're going through right now and having all these meetings for.

So, is there a concern?

Yes, we're thinking about it.

Do we know what that impact?

What we not exactly the one benefit, like I said, is that there is uh additional money going into county administration, and so while some tasks, some shared services tasks might be relieved from our folks um that would free them up to do things like um, you know, work requirement verifications and things like that.

So for the planning piece for next year, you're you have what you're in the midst of it and doing it.

Yeah, okay.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Thanks so much.

Um, next up I have um Madam President, then I have Councilman Watson.

Thank you.

So last time we had a briefing on this, um, I think it was Councilmember Watts and you with your request that we get quarterly updates.

So I just wanted you all to know that Councilwoman Torres and I met with HRCP um DHS and the next update will come to committee March 18th, and then we'll get quarterly updates after that to the gov and intergovernmental committee.

Um, and that um councilman Torres has been talking with our city providers and asking them how they can the city can help connect people to job or volunteer opportunities to meet the 80 hours now required per month for eligibility.

Um, so I think that that's something that, like, I don't know if Dito is involved in that, or I don't know.

I know HRCP is, but I don't know all of the other um agencies that are involved in that.

Do you have any update on that?

Dido is involved for SNAP.

I don't know if they're going to be involved on the Medicaid side, but for um SNAP they are involved.

Um there's HRCP, host, Dito, DHS, um, those are the ones that I can recall off the top of my head.

But we'll continue to make sure that we have all of the agencies that can really help to inform us and and really help us to kind of plan uh for to take care of our folks, definitely.

And it's volunteer hours, correct?

It can be.

So it can be volunteer hours education or a work activity.

So yeah, at my office, I've hosted a senior at North High School for volunteer hours.

So you I would ask you also to utilize our council offices.

Um, because I've hosted when seniors have to do their senior projects and volunteer.

Um I've had one come to my office a couple of times.

So um, and I've had internships with other um, like a senior at North High School and other um people getting their bachelors.

So just please rely on us as well, add us to that list.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh Council Watson.

And and uh along the lines, thank you, Council President and uh Mayor.

Along the lines of what Council President stated, I just wanted to make sure we read out, and if DHS, if you can correct me, if the uh the most able-bodied adults um um uh requirements are are still the same.

I know DHS had a newsletter ready um uh marketing piece that council members can put in their newsletters.

But the information I have for SNAP is exactly what council president said.

Um there's a need for work for 80 hours a month.

Um, for SNAP for Medicaid, um it's the same.

Um we'll need to work, go to school or volunteer for at least 80 hours a month for Medicaid for um parents for eligibility for benefits for SNAP if the youngest child is 14 plus years old, uh, they now need to work or volunteer 80 hours per month for Medicaid.

If youngest child is 14 plus years old, will need to work, go to school or volunteer at least 80 hours a month.

Are those still um the correct targets?

And is this information as this been sent to all council members?

It's uh I received from DHS, I think it was in December or maybe January, kind of a marketing piece.

Um so I don't know if council members have seen this.

If not, well, I I will toggle back with y'all maybe make sure this is the most updated and then we can all have it for our newsletters.

Yes, it should be the most updated uh councilman.

And I will go ahead and I'll refresh and send it out to council, all council just to make sure that you have the most updated information.

I just wanted to say thank you for all the work that you all are doing.

Didn't ask for it, but your opportunity and your responsibility the way you all have lean in has been um uh extremely important and it's saving lives, and it's also providing clear information to community.

So really appreciate you.

Thank you, Mr.

McLean.

Thank you so much.

Any other questions?

Uh I do want to echo Council Watson's gratitude and thanks to you and your team.

As many of you know almost one in three Dendroids rely on Denver Human Services at some point in the year for their needs and supports.

We know we're gonna have far more dendroids in far more urgent positions of need because of this legislation, and you all will be there for them on those toughest days.

So thank you so much to you and all your team for all you're doing to make this uh best possible outcome in a very, very difficult situation.

Um with that, thank you so much for joining today.

We are adjourned.

Have a great Tuesday, and I appreciate you all being here.

I mean, it's fine.