September 11, 2025 Minutes

Weld Area Agency on Aging - Advisory Board Meeting Minutes

Meeting Location: Zoom Invite & Area Agency on Aging, 315 N 11th Ave., Bldg. C., Greeley, CO
Meeting: Thursday, September 11, 2025 (Thursday) 9:00 am – 11:00 am  

  1. Roll Call:

    • Board Members:

      • Attended:
        • Kay Broderius, Susan Collins, DeAnn Cure, Chair-Nancy Haffner, Father Steve Karcher, Vice-Chair Dr. Alan Kress, Ruth Leitel, Commissioner Peppler, Joyce Smock, Aaron Sanchez, Anne Curry Sanchez, Gillian Smith, Diana Vasquez,
      • Absent:
        • Valeria Ortiz, Linda Quade, Jami Shepherd, Lynn Young

    • AAA Staff:

      • Attended:
        • Tami Grant, Deputy Director Human Services
        • Meredith Skoglund, Community Outreach Manager
        • Michelle Roper, Administrative Assistant

    • Guests:

      • Anissa Gonzales & Samuel Cote, Weld County Home & Community Support Division

  2. Approval of Minutes:

    • Motion made by Chair Haffner to approve the minutes from August 14, 2025, with the correction to the time of the 50+ Art Show being 4:30pm-6:00pm. Member Leitel made first approval noting the change to be made and Member Broderius made second approval.
    • All approved.

  3. Program:

    • Community First Choice (CFC) Overview

      • Community First Choice (CFC), also known as 1915(k), is an optional Medicaid program that allows states to offer specific home and community-based services and support to eligible members on the state plan.
      • The goal of the CFC is to make Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) accessible for more Medicaid members with expanded options and availability for self-directed are. CFC was implemented on July 1, 2025.
      • CFC Eligibility
        • Members eligible for CFC are individuals who are eligible for Health First Colorado benefits under the state plan and meet the institutional level of care.
        • An institutional level of care refers to an individual who has needs that require services in their home and community to keep them from long-term care placement in a nursing home, hospital, intermediate care facility for individuals with intellectual disabilities, or an
        • inpatient mental health facility. Institutional level of care is determined by the state prescribed level of care eligibility assessment.
        • All HCBS waiver members are eligible to enroll in CFC if there is an assessed need for CFC services. To remain on the HCBS waiver, the member must continue to meet the eligibility requirements for HCBS waiver and receive one waiver service per month to
        • maintain waiver eligibility. Some members will only be eligible for CFC and not a waiver.
      • CFC Services
        • Homemaker
        • Personal Care
        • Health Maintenance Activities
        • Home Delivered Meals
        • Personal Emergency Response System – Electronic Monitoring and Medication Reminders
        • Remote Supports
        • Remote Supports Technology
        • Transition Setup
      • Wellness Education Benefit (WEB)
        • The WEB is a service that is available to all members participating on any of the HCBS waiver programs.
        • A monthly education-based service administered by one statewide provider (SmartSource)
        • Provided by mail
        • Provides individualized education materials.
      • Q: Member Smock – Would meals be delivered to areas such as Grover?
        • A: HCSD - CFC – Deliver service is based on providers. Would look for a provider in that area.
      • Q: Member Smock – Are the providers paid through Weld County?
        • A: HCSD - CFC –They are paid through Medicaid.
      • Q: Chair Haffner – Is enrollment once a year?
        • A: HCSD - CFC – CFC can be added when their current plan renews and then both would be renewed annually.
      • Q: Member Broderius – How many staff members are there?
        • A: HCSD - CFC – 80 Case Managers.
      • Q: Member Broderius – How do parents hear about these services?
        • A: HCSD - CFC – Through Occupational Therapists, Providers, Children’s Hospitals, AAA and word of mouth.
      • Q: Member Curry Sanchez – Where would someone begin?
        • A: HCSD - CFC – It can be overwhelming. Case Managers are trained to walk parents and professionals through the process. Dependent on partners in the community to spread the word. Community Outreach works with all schools in Weld County to connect people.
      • Q: Member Curry Sanchez – Have there been any cuts to Medicaid?
        • A: HCSD - CFC – Have not seen any yet.
      • Q: Member Sanchez – What percentage of funding comes from state?
        • A: HCSD - CFC – We receive a 6% match from Federal.
      • Q: Member Leitel – Has that funding been received yet?
        • A: HCSD - CFC – Not yet. Getting providers is the biggest stand still.
      • Q: Vice-Chair Kress – What is the process to get a waiver established? With Medicare being the payer of last resort, it can take a long time to get the money for the items that are needed. Could a waiver be set up for Medicaid recipients to purchase items such as shower chairs, walkers, etc. that are needed right away?
        • A: HCSD - CFC – It is a lengthy process with finding providers, accessing Medicaid benefits, etc. Urgent needs could take 30-60 days. Will suggest to the state about waivers for urgent needs.
      • Q: Member Collins – Is there a way to move things along faster if there was a long term relationship with providers such as GoodHealthWill?
        • A: HCSD - CFC – Under all waiver services, there is a model to follow. It must be the persons choice as to what provider they want to use. It is the choice of the parent or the individual. The Case Managers know who the providers are in the area and who responds the quickest but will always go with what the individual or parent chooses.
      • Q: Member Sanchez – How many clients are served in the community?
        • A: HCSD - CFC – Over 2000 between all programs. Working on 400 referrals currently between 9 Case Managers.
      • Q: Member Sanchez – How many times are visits made to the clients?
        • A: HCSD - CFC – Twice a year in person as well as over the phone and virtually.
      • Q: Member Collins – Is it difficult to get parents to take respite?
        • A: HCSD - CFC – The goal is to help identify when someone needs to take a break. They don’t always need to leave the home, just give them time to do other things. Another option is to offer skilled respite so that a Certified Nursing Assistant (CAN) can come in to assist.
      • Q: Vice-Chair Kress – Can the public access the list of providers or how someone can become a provider?
        • A: HCSD - CFC – Case Managers have a list of providers and there is a Find a Doctor app. Providers can be found on the state site for Department of Health Care Policy and Financing.

  4. Committee Reports

    • Nutrition:

      • Staff Member Skoglund – The evening meals have concluded, and holiday meals are in the planning phase.

    • ADRC:

      • Staff Member Skoglund – Meeting quarterly, nothing to report on currently.
      • Member Leitel - Recently toured the ADEO apartments and they are beautiful.

    • Fraud Updates:

      • Usual fraud scams. Stay vigilant.

    • Legislative & CCA:

      • No updates currently.

    • 50+ Art Show:

      • Chair Haffner – Processed the applications and artwork. There are a lot of talented artists. Emails were sent to all that submitted pieces and if they were selected. 52-54 pieces of art will be shown. UNC will be judging the artwork. The event is on September 24, 2025, from 4:30pm-6:00pm at LINC Library.

    • Beyond 60

      • Staff Member Skoglund – Thank you Member Broderius for submitting an article.
        • Member Sanchez – the article was excellently written.
        • Member Broderius – thanked everyone for their support and is working on a second article focusing on the financial impact of caring for a loved one.
        • Member Leitel – It would be beneficial to know what the cost difference would be for nursing home care vs. care at home.
        • Member Broderius - The cost to a home care giver is about $7,000 out of pocket due to insurance not covering some things but there is also a personal cost to the person that is caring for the loved one.
      • Member Collins – working on a short article on studies that were done on older people and caregivers / adult children.

    • Monitoring, Oversight, Request for Proposal

      • Staff Member Skoglund – Recently attended a C4A meeting. The C4A Directors continue to discuss the CASOA (Community Assessment Survey for Older Adults) and if the results from the survey are worth the expense. The CASOA is a national survey that asks older adults about their quality of life, housing, transportation, health and community. The results can be used to write grants as well as to write the 4-year plan. The downside is that we find we receive the same results and people get tired of completing surveys.
        • Member Leitel – Are there suggestions of other ways to gather data that are less expensive? Can enough accurate data be obtained from annual focus groups?
        • Staff Member Skoglund – Looking at cost for a national core survey.
        • Commissioner Peppler – Can additional questions be added to the annual survey? Are we reaching people that haven’t already been survey’s or connected to AAA?
        • Staff Member Skoglund – We can add additional questions to the February Survey which is an annual Performance Measure that the state requires.
        • Member Leitel – Can the survey be done online?
        • Staff Member Skoglund – Will contact IT to discuss options of online survey.
        • Member Sanchez - What percentage of the survey’s come back.
        • Staff Member Skoglund – 25%
        • Commissioner Peppler – What is the response numbers for the annual survey?
        • Staff Member Roper – Meal sites return 55% and Services are over 100% of the required number to come back.

  5. Board Participation Reports:

    • Vice-Chair Kress – Recently started a non-profit durable medical equipment company called WhatAilsYa.org offering discounted items to the public. Will present more details at the next meeting.
      • Member Vasquez - Many people do not know what their medical plan covers for equipment.
      • Chair Haffner – Do you work with Assisted Living Facilities?
      • Vice-Chair Kress – Has clients at various facilities and working with facilities to donate items if someone moves out or passes away rather than throw away.

  6. General Agency Updates:

    • Staff Member Skoglund – Staff Member Seward is transitioning back to Case Management Agency. Will work on redefining that job description.
    • Staff Member Skoglund – Registration is open for Senior Symposium. Fall Prevention week is coming up with 9 events planned. Will forward information.
    • Vice-Chair Kress – Has several speaking engagements coming up. Will forward out dates.
    • Staff Member Skoglund – We were unable to secure the U.S. Aging grant.

    • Upcoming Events

      • Greeley/Weld Senior Foundation: TBA
      • 50+ Art Show: September 24, 2025
      • Senior Symposium: October 2, 2025
      • Project Connect: October 16, 2025
      • Caregiver Appreciation Day: November 7, 2025

  7. Adjournment:

    • Motion to adjourn meeting. All agreed.

  8. Next meeting

    • Thursday, October 9, 2025, from 9am-11am
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