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www.ColoradoCenterForAging.org

October 17, 2021


Our next CCA Advocacy Committee Meeting is on Monday, October 25th from 9:30AM to 11:30AM. This coming week is a great time for members of the CCA Advocacy Planning Subgroups to meet. We would like to hear from some of the subgroups at the Oct 25th meeting.


  • Review our CCA Advocacy Planning Subgroup Memo - CLICK HERE
  • Kinsey Hasstedt, Director of State and Local Policy with Enterprise Community Partners and member of the Affordable Housing Transformational Task Force Subpanel shared a document at last week's meeting called, Workgroup Guidance Affordable Housing Transformational Task Force
  • At the Oct 25th meeting we will have Representative Mary Young speaking


Voices on Aging Town Hall Event with Colorado Center for Aging

Tuesday, November 9, 2021 - 10:00 am - 11:45 am

Wherever you live in Colorado, we will be talking about what it is like to age in communities across the state. You will hear from the Governor’s Senior Policy Advisor on Aging, Jarett Hughes, about how the state is supporting older Coloradans - Register Today


Questions about CCA Advocacy Planning Subgroups - Contact:


Jeanette Hensley - email - 303-249-5598

Co-Chair of CCA Advocacy Committee


Rich Mauro - email - Direct: 303-480-6778

Co-Chair of CCA Advocacy Committee and Senior Policy and Legislative Analyst Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG)


Olivia Hart - email

Executive Assistant to CCA Advocacy Committee

Our Big News - We are hosting a Town Hall!

Get your free ticket!

Voices on Aging Town Hall Event

Presented by Colorado Center for Aging

When: Tuesday, November 9, 2021

Time: 10:00AM - 11:45AM

The Town Hall Meeting will be hosted virtually

Wherever you live in Colorado, we will be talking about what it is like to age in communities across the state. You will hear from the Governor’s Senior Policy Advisor on Aging, Jarett Hughes, about how the state is supporting older Coloradans.


Then we want to hear from you. As part of the registration process, you will be asked to share the challenges facing older adults in your community and the successes your community has had addressing those challenges - READ MORE

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Advocacy Subgroup Resources

Below are articles and resources that are relevant to our Advocacy Subgroups' research.

Colorado News

Xcel Energy is Considering Sizable Increases in Rates

Xcel Energy is considering sizable increases in rates, which will directly impact our community. Please tell Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition (CCDC) how such changes will affect you before Xcel finalizes their plans! Send your stories ASAP to Shannon Secrest ... - LEARN MORE

Coloradans May Qualify for a $50 Broadband Internet Credit

"A $50 credit on monthly internet service could mean the difference between having broadband and not having internet at all. But from the looks of federal data, there hasn’t been much interest in claiming the money made available by the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program ..." - READ MORE

Source: https://coloradosun.com/

National News

Social Security Benefits Increase in 2022

"Approximately 70 million Americans will see a 5.9% increase in their Social Security benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments in 2022. Federal benefit rates increase when the cost-of-living rises, as measured by the Department of Labor’s Consumer Price Index (CPI-W) ..." - READ MORE

Source: https://blog.ssa.gov/

Social Security COLA Set at 5.9 Percent for 2022

"The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced Oct. 13 that its annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will be 5.9 percent, a boost to average retirement benefits of about $92 per month for individuals, starting in January.​ The 2022 COLA is the largest increase to Social Security benefits since the 7.4 percent hike that went into effect in January 1983. Until this year, COLAs have been modest, averaging a 1.65 percent increase annually over the past decade, with no gain at all to benefits in 2016. The increase that went into effect in January 2021 was 1.3 percent ..." - READ MORE

Source: https://www.aarp.org/

Medicare’s Open Enrollment starts October 15, 2021

You can enroll in Medicare health and drug plans from October 15th – December 7th. Get ready for Medicare’s Open Enrollment with these 5 tips ... - READ MORE

Places and Resources to Get Advice on Medicare

  • Colorado Gerontological Medicare Monday's - READ MORE
  • Colorado State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) - READ MORE
  • State Health Insurance Assistance Program and Senior Medicare Patrol from Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) for Arapahoe, Douglas and Jefferson Counties - READ MORE

Senior Health Care & Medicare Assistance (Colorado SHIP & SMP)

The State Health Insurance Assistance Program (or SHIP) helps Medicare enrollees navigate the Medicare system and provides free, unbiased and individualized information. Housed within the Division of Insurance, Colorado SHIP has 17 local locations at partner agencies around the state. The Senior Medicare Patrol (or SMP) helps Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and caregivers to prevent, detect, and report health care fraud, errors, and abuse - READ MORE

Colorado 2020-2021 SHIP Locations by County - CLICK HERE

State Health Insurance Assistance Program and Senior Medicare Patrol for Arapahoe, Douglas and Jefferson Counties

Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) provides Medicare assistance through two programs: the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) serving Arapahoe, Douglas and Jefferson counties and Senior Medicare Patrol, a healthcare fraud reporting program - READ MORE

Mobile Home Parks

A new law was supposed to help Colorado mobile home owners buy their parks. Few have been successful.

" ... When Gov. Jared Polis signed into law the Mobile Home Park Act in June 2020, those involved with the bill said the “opportunity to purchase” provision would help ensure that the owners of mobile homes in Colorado would be able to stay on the land that they’ve been renting for years. But more than a year after the new legislation took effect, there are precious few examples in Colorado of residents buying their own parks. Of the 48 mobile home parks sold since the state began tracking sales last year, just two have been purchased by the parks’ own resident ..." - READ MORE

Source: https://www.denverpost.com/

Mobility News

Via Mobility Services, Colorado CarShare, and Boulder County Mobility for All Receive Funding from NextFifty Initiative for a New Car Share Service in Louisville

"NextFifty Initiative has awarded Via Mobility Services and its partners, Colorado CarShare and Boulder County Mobility for All, funding for a new car share service in Louisville, which supports older adults in the area by promoting independence and self-sufficiency for people with limited mobility by providing caring, customer-focused transportation options. The Colorado-based foundation’s support will allow local mobility agencies to advance their collaborative efforts to support people fifty and older with multimodal transportation options in our community ..." - READ MORE

Source: https://viacolorado.org/

Boulder County Mobility for All

The goal of the Mobility for All (M4A) Program is to promote accessible, affordable, and equitable multimodal (transit, bike, etc.) transportation options for residents of all ages and abilities and to raise awareness that transportation is a basic social, economic, and health need.

Website: https://www.bouldercounty.org/transportation/multimodal/mobilityforall/

Learn more about Colorado CarShare

Colorado CarShare’s mission is to empower people to live a car-free (or lite!) lifestyle and have a positive impact on their health, wealth, the environment and our community. It aims to make Colorado a “cooler,” healthier, and more socially equitable place to live. As part of its mission, Colorado CarShare aspires to become the country’s first nonprofit Electric Vehicle (EV) car share program.

Website: https://carshare.org/

CCA eNewsletter Archive

The CCA eNewsletters that go out on Sunday afternoons are archived on the CCA website. In particular, the September 5th CCA eNewsletter had resources for a variety of our advocacy research topics.

You can find all past newsletters at this link - CLICK HERE

Saturday Spotlight

Our Saturday Spotlight is a new feature where we are putting a spotlight on our CCA volunteers. This week's Saturday Spotlight is on Bob Brocker. Bob is a retired railroader and active volunteer with CCA.


Colorado Center for Aging is always looking for volunteers. We recognize the value of diverse perspectives and experiences. Training is provided by CCA members and volunteers - LEARN MORE ABOUT VOLUNTEERING

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Connect with us on Facebook - CLICK HERE

Events Around Colorado

Accountable Care Collaborative Program Improvement Advisory Committee

The Accountable Care Collaborative Program Improvement Advisory Committee (PIAC) is made up of stakeholders who provide guidance and make recommendations to help improve health, access, cost and satisfaction of members and providers in the Accountable Care Collaborative (ACC). These meetings are open to the public.

Website: https://hcpf.colorado.gov/accountable-care-collaborative-program-improvement-advisory-committee

Office of Community Living Stakeholder Engagement Events

The Office of Community Living (OCL) is working on a variety of policy and rule changes related to its Home and Community Based Services waivers and programs. The engagement of clients and stakeholders throughout these changes is a critical part of this process. Use this link to look for upcoming meetings - LEARN MORE

Thursday, October 21, 2021 - 11:30AM - 1:00PM

Securing the Future of a Loved One with A Disability - The Do's and Don'ts

Planning for a loved one with special needs is about enhancing that person's quality of life to the maximum extent possible and protecting them only as much as necessary to not limit or restrict their potential when you are no longer available to be the caregiver.

View Event Flyer - CLICK HERE

Register at https://bit.ly/AgeWiseCO-Oct21

Tuesday, October 26, 2021 - 12:00PM - 1:00PM

Oral Health in Older Adults Webinar Series

The CU Anschutz Multidisciplinary Center on Aging and the CU Anschutz School of Dental Medicine will launch a webinar series – “Oral Health and Older Adults” beginning in October. The series will be on Thursdays - READ MORE

Thursday, October 28, 2021 - 1:00PM - 3:00PM

Nursing Home Demonstration of Need Stakeholder Meetings

Following passage of HB 21-1227, the Department is holding stakeholder engagement meeting on Oct. 28th to provide interested stakeholders opportunities to ask questions and provide feedback for the Nursing Facility Demonstration of Need rule revision. Interested stakeholders are welcome and include members, aging and older adult advocates, Nursing Facility Providers and trade organizations, disability advocacy organizations, other state agencies - READ MORE

If you are not a member of

Colorado Center for Aging - Join Today!*

Join as an Individual
Join as a Supporting Organization

Colorado Center for Aging is a 501c3 non-profit organization,

born out of the roots of Colorado Senior Lobby (CSL) - LEARN MORE

*If you paid for a 2021 membership in Colorado Senior Lobby,

you are automatically a member of Colorado Center for Aging for 2021.

Save the dates for our Fall CCA Advocacy Committee Meetings

We will meet twice a month, on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month through December. Please put these dates in your calendars. We will continue to send out our eNewsletter on Sunday afternoons.

Monday, October 25th - CCA Advocacy Committee

Monday, November 8th - CCA Advocacy Committee

Monday, November 22nd - CCA Advocacy Committee 

Monday, December 13th - CCA Advocacy Committee

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