The Office of Community Living Digest

In This Edition

Informational Updates

New This Week:

• Direct Care Worker Base Wage Update

Reminders:

• Long-Term Care Employer Reporting for Care Worker Tax Credit - Deadline January 31, 2026

Opportunities for Input and Deadlines

No Updates

Training and Technical Assistance

No Updates

Events Calendar: February - March 2026

Informational Updates

New This Week

Direct Care Worker Base Wage Update

Effective January 1, 2026, the required Base Wage for direct care workers providing Base Wage–Qualifying Services remains $17.00 per hour statewide.

If a Direct Care Worker is eligible for a minimum wage that exceeds the base wage requirement under state or local law, the Provider Agency must pay the higher wage (10 CCR 2505-10 § 8.7418). Accordingly, the following local minimum wages apply based on where the work is performed:

• $19.29 per hour for services provided in Denver
• $18.17 per hour for services provided in Edgewater

Additional information regarding Colorado's minimum wage requirements is available on the Colorado Department of Labor's webpage.

Questions? Please contact HCPF_BaseWage@state.co.us.

Reminders

Long-Term Care Employer Reporting for the Care Worker Tax Credit



*Deadline January 31, 2026*

Starting in 2025, all long-term care employers must report total hours worked by each eligible direct care worker in Colorado to the Department of Revenue (DOR) by January 31 each year. Failure to file on time may result in a $500 penalty.

Who’s Covered:

• Employers providing home- and community-based services, nursing facility care, or certified home care agency services.

Eligible Direct Care Workers employed by a long-term care employer named above:

• Excludes CNAs.
• Must provide hands-on personal care or services to individuals receiving long-term care in Colorado.
• Must have worked at least 720 hours during the tax year.

Check the FAQ: There have been new additions to the Direct Care Worker Tax Credit FAQ, which provide helpful guidance for employers.



Helpful Links:

• HB24-1312
• DOR Long-Term Care Employer Report Info
• Direct Care Worker Tax Credit FAQ

Questions? Please contact HCPF_DCWorkforce@state.co.us

Opportunities for Input and Deadlines

No Updates

Training and Technical Assistance

No Updates

Events Calendar: Feb. - Mar. '26

Need Accommodations?

Reasonable accommodations for the meetings will be provided upon request for persons with disabilities. Auxiliary aids and services for individuals with disabilities and language services for individuals whose primary language is not English may be provided upon request.

Please contact HCPF's Civil Rights Officer at hcpf504ada@state.co.us at least one week prior to the scheduled meeting to make arrangements.

Sign up for OCL and HCPF Communications

If you are not currently on the communications list receiving these emails, you can sign up here.

See a list of all HCPF newsletters you can subscribe to.

Looking for Prior OCL Communications?

Do you know about the OCL LTSS newsletter archive? On this page, you can:

• Search OCL newsletters back to January 2024
• Subscribe to the newsletter