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Last updated: October 19, 2026
CHRP may help children and youth with high support needs tied to a risk of out-of-home placement. It is not an autism waiver, and ABA follows a separate coverage path.
Clinically reviewed by Meaghan Timko, MS, BCBA, LBA BACB certification #1-05-2608
Colorado’s Children’s Habilitation Residential Program (CHRP) Waiver is a Health First Colorado (Medicaid) waiver for children and youth ages 0 through 20 with an intellectual or developmental disability, very high needs or a serious emotional disturbance, when those needs put them at risk of, or in need of, out-of-home placement. It can include residential habilitation and family supports, but enrollment and services are individualized through a Case Management Agency (CMA).
CHRP is not an autism waiver, and HCPF’s current CHRP service list does not list ABA. If behavioral therapy is an immediate need, use the separate Colorado Medicaid ABA guide while you ask the CMA about CHRP.
If your child lives in the family home and the main question is extensive home-and-community support, the Colorado CES Waiver guide covers that separate program.
These Colorado paths can appear together in a family’s search, but they answer different questions. Use the table as a starting point, then confirm the right assessment or authorization route with the CMA, HCPF, or a contracted provider.
| Path | When families usually ask about it | What to know | First contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHRP Waiver | Your child has high support needs tied to a risk of, or need for, out-of-home placement. The ordinary IDD/developmental-delay pathway is for ages 0 through 20. | An HCBS waiver with its own level-of-care and enrollment rules. HCPF’s current participant service list does not list ABA. | Your local Case Management Agency. |
| CES Waiver | Your child is under 18, lives in the family home, has a developmental disability, and may meet CES’s intensive behavioral or medical support criteria. | A separate HCBS waiver with its own assessment and service rules. CES does not replace the separate behavioral-therapy coverage path. | Your local Case Management Agency. |
| Pediatric Behavioral Therapies | The immediate question is behavioral therapy or ABA coverage through Health First Colorado. | A contracted provider assesses your child, prepares a treatment plan, and submits a Prior Authorization Request for medical-necessity review. This is separate from CHRP or CES waiver enrollment. | A contracted provider from HCPF’s Pediatric Behavioral Therapies provider list. |
Sources: HCPF’s CHRP page, HCPF’s CES page, and HCPF’s Pediatric Behavioral Therapies page. These are starting points, not an eligibility or coverage decision.
Eligibility overview
A diagnosis by itself does not decide CHRP eligibility. HCPF uses separate pathways and a level-of-care review, so the CMA should make the individual assessment.
This group covers children and youth ages 0 through 20. The child must meet Intermediate Care Facility for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICF/IID) level of care through the Functional Needs Assessment and need intensive behavioral or medical supports that create a risk of, or need for, out-of-home placement.
HCPF expanded CHRP eligibility effective January 1, 2025, to include qualifying serious emotional disturbance. This is a separate pathway: it requires nursing-facility or inpatient-psychiatric-hospital level of care. A CMA can explain which pathway it will assess for your child.
Source: HCPF’s CHRP Waiver page and Operational Memo 25-019.
CHRP offers the services below. A listed service is not a guarantee of a particular placement, number of hours, or funding for room and board; the CMA and service plan determine what may be available to an eligible member.
Source: HCPF’s current CHRP service list. Effective March 23, 2026, HCPF added an unskilled group-respite option for eligible members living in a family home or, in certain circumstances, a certified foster home. Ask the CMA whether it applies to your child and is available locally.
The CMA guides the enrollment process. You do not need to settle every service question before you ask for an eligibility review.
The CMA is the first stop for CHRP enrollment and non-financial eligibility questions.
Find your local Case Management Agency in HCPF’s directoryThe CMA helps with paperwork and coordinates the ICAP assessment, developmental-disability determination when relevant, and functional-eligibility assessment. Tell the CMA about current supports and why the family is facing an out-of-home-placement risk.
For children and youth who are not involved with child welfare, county staff determine financial eligibility. The CMA can tell you which office handles that part of the process in your situation.
Eligibility, an available service, and a service plan are different decisions. Read the notice and plan closely, keep copies of assessments and notices, and ask the CMA what each approved service is intended to address.
CHRP has no waiting list as of the June 23, 2026 HCPF CHRP FAQ update. That does not guarantee immediate enrollment, eligibility, a residential placement, or every requested service. Confirm the current status with the CMA when you call.
Read HCPF’s CHRP FAQA CHRP service denial goes through the same recipient-appeals process used for other HCBS waivers. A state-fair-hearing request generally must be filed within 60 days of the Notice of Action. Read the actual notice, save the assessment and service plan, and ask the CMA what information supports the request.
A CMA-process concern is different from an appeal of a service decision: CMA concerns go through the Health First Colorado and CHP+ grievance route (see HCPF’s CHRP FAQ). A county financial-eligibility problem goes through a separate county-eligibility escalation form.
See Health First Colorado appeal informationCHRP’s current service list does not name ABA. Health First Colorado’s Pediatric Behavioral Therapies benefit is a distinct path for medically necessary behavioral therapy, with its own clinical and authorization requirements. A CHRP application does not replace that process.
If ABA is the family’s immediate need, compare the separate coverage and authorization steps first. If you would like help finding providers after checking that path, our Colorado concierge can help build a free, practical shortlist; it cannot determine CHRP eligibility or obtain a waiver service for you.
Program-boundary answers in this FAQ are based on HCPF’s CHRP page, HCPF’s CES page, and HCPF’s Pediatric Behavioral Therapies page. Confirm current eligibility and authorization requirements with the responsible agency or provider.
Last reviewed September 28, 2026. Program rules, service availability, and appeal deadlines can change; confirm details for your child with the CMA, county office, Health First Colorado, and relevant provider.
Tell us where you are and what support you are looking for. We can help you plan next questions and compare school or therapy options; eligibility and waiver decisions remain with HCPF and your CMA.
