[Colorado-Talk] FW: Notice to Commission for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind stakeholders

Thu Dec 14 01:28:25 UTC 2023

Greetings to My Federation Family,

    I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season.  This is the most recent information I have received about the Commission and so am passing it along to all of you.  I very much hope we can find both a short-term and long-term solution to keeping these services running.  Thanks.

Warmly,

Doula

From: Mindy Gates <mindy.gates at state.co.us> 
Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2023 2:52 PM
To: doula.jarboe at gmail.com
Subject: Notice to Commission for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind stakeholders

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Dear CCDHHDB consumers, vendors and stakeholders,

The Colorado Commission for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Deafblind (CCDHHDB) is a program located within the Office of Adult, Aging and Disability Services within the Colorado Department of Human Services. Similar to many other department programs and services, CCDHHDB services are separate from an entitlement program, which means there are not unlimited funds to meet the needs of those served by the CCDHHDB. Rather, the CCDHHDB receives an appropriation for the fiscal year to fulfill its statutory obligations. 

I’m reaching out to inform you that due to an increased demand for CCDHHDB services over the past year or so, we are set to outpace the appropriation for the CCDHHDB this year. Because service needs and requests vary throughout the year and can fluctuate for various reasons over time, we cannot confidently know the exact need for this year. However, we have taken steps to ensure the CCDHHDB stays within its appropriated budget this fiscal year, including reducing operational overhead costs and establishing prioritization criteria within services to be provided this year. 

While historically the CCDHHDB has not fully spent its appropriation, there appear to be a number of factors that have led to an increased number of requests and costs associated with providing CCDHHDB services, including:

*	COVID-19: The end of the height of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to more DHHDB individuals engaging in activities that lead to the need for CCDHHDB services.
*	Outreach: The CCDHHDB and other stakeholders have been successful in making DHHDB individuals throughout Colorado aware of the services available and have increased the visibility of the Commission. 
*	Addition of new programs: Over the past several years, legislation and other initiatives have led to new programs and more awareness of available services. As those ramp up over time, we've learned more about the costs of implementing them. 
*	Travel costs: Not only are mileage and lodging becoming more expensive, but there is an increase in mileage and lodging costs due to more ASL interpreting and other assignments being in person as opposed to being virtual during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

These factors lead us to conclude that the increased demand for CCDHHDB services will be a trend that will continue rather than an anomaly this year. We are in the process of further analyzing data to better understand the increased demand so we can assess and address the needs for the future. 

Specifically, the Legal Auxiliary Services Program, Rural Auxiliary Services Program and Support Services Program are all on track to have greater demand than funding available this year. The CCDHHDB has not stopped all service provisions; rather, the CCDHHDB staff will continue to assess each request for services as it comes in and apply the criteria for service priorities and available funding and staff resources to make determinations as to whether a request is filled and communicate with individuals directly as to whether the request can be filled. It is essential that individuals continue to submit requests for services because the CCDHHDB is able to meet some requests, and for those requests, the CCDHHDB is unable to fill, that data is critical to our ability to identify and assess the need so we can work to address any gaps in services in the future. 

Finally, I want to acknowledge that the communication to consumers, vendors and stakeholders on this issue has not been as proactive and transparent as you have come to expect from CDHS. In an attempt to rectify that going forward, we plan to hold stakeholder meetings with the DHHDB community in January to provide an update on the status of the CCDHHDB budget and services for this year and gather feedback on how we can do better in the future at engaging critical stakeholders. 

If you have any questions or concerns about this, please contact me directly at  <mailto:mindy.gates at state.co.us> mindy.gates at state.co.us.

Mindy Gates
Deputy Director
Office of Adult, Aging and Disability Services

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