Medicaid waivers for autism in Colorado
Colorado children with a developmental disability who also need constant line-of-sight supervision because of a medical or behavioral condition, and adults with an intellectual or developmental disability.
- Main program
- Children's Extensive Support (CES) for children; HCBS-DD and Supported Living Services for adults
- Typical wait
- No state waitlist for CES; around 7 years for the adult DD waiver
- Administered by
- Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF), through Community Centered Boards and Case Management Agencies
- Phone
- (303) 866-7450
- Age rules
- CES serves children. Adults move to the HCBS-DD or Supported Living Services waivers.
How to get on the list
Contact your local Community Centered Board or Case Management Agency, or call HCPF on (303) 866-7450, and ask for an intake and eligibility determination. Ask separately whether your child's ABA is being authorised under EPSDT — that does not depend on the waiver.
Open the official Colorado page →Does autism qualify?
Autism qualifies as a developmental disability, but the CES waiver adds a second, much harder gate: the child must need constant line-of-sight supervision to keep themselves or others safe. Many autistic children who would benefit from services do not meet that bar. If your child does not, that is not the end of the road — it usually means the state-plan route rather than the waiver route.
How the waiting list works
There is no state waiting list for the CES children's waiver, which makes Colorado look far better than its reputation. The gate here is not time, it is the line-of-sight supervision criterion — a narrow clinical door rather than a long queue. Adults are a different story: the HCBS-DD waiver still has a substantial list, reported at around seven years, and roughly 3,000 people were waiting as of 2021. The Supported Living Services waitlist was eliminated back in 2014. The most important thing for a Colorado family to understand is that the waiver is not the route to ABA. When CMS refused Colorado's 2015 attempt to expand its autism waiver, it directed the state to cover behavioral therapy through state-plan Medicaid under EPSDT instead — which is an entitlement with no queue for under-21s. Chasing a waiver to get ABA in Colorado is chasing the wrong program.
- CES children's waiverno state waiting list
- Adult HCBS-DD waiverreported around 7 years
- Supported Living Services waiverwaitlist eliminated in 2014
What it can pay for
- Behavioral services
- Respite
- Homemaker services
- Assistive technology
- Home modifications
- Professional services including hippotherapy and massage
- Community connector services
Other programs worth knowing
Children with Autism Waiver — ended July 2018
Colorado's autism-specific waiver was terminated on 1 July 2018. CMS declined the state's request to expand it and directed Colorado to deliver behavioral therapy through state-plan Medicaid under EPSDT instead. Older directories still list this waiver; it does not exist.
EPSDT state-plan behavioral therapy
The actual route to ABA for Medicaid-enrolled children under 21 in Colorado. It is an entitlement, so there is no waiting list. Ask your child's Medicaid plan, not the waiver office.
Turning 18 — a 2026 change to watch
Colorado has proposed ending the automatic transfer of children living with their parents into the adult DD program at 18, affecting an estimated 363 young people a year. If you have a teenager, confirm with your case manager how the transition will be handled rather than assuming it is automatic.
Coloradoproviders & resources →
Local help you can access now, while you wait.
Waivers explained →
What to do while you're on the list, and what to ask.
Sources · last checked August 2026
- Colorado HCPF — Children's Extensive Support waiver
- Colorado HCPF — Developmental Disabilities waiver
- Colorado HCPF — notice that the CWA waiver was ending
- Colorado Sun — reporting on the adult DD waitlist, March 2026
Waiting lists and eligibility rules change. Always confirm current details with the agency before making decisions. If something here is out of date, tell us.