Colorado caregiver limit: 70-hour exception requests open November 1 to 30

On January 1, 2027, Colorado's weekly limit for one paid caregiver drops to 70 hours a week. If one caregiver in your family gives more than that and has no approved exception, the exception request must be sent between November 1 and November 30, 2026.

What's changing

Colorado is phasing in a limit on how many paid caregiving hours one caregiver can give in a week. The next step, which the state calls Phase 2, starts January 1, 2027. From then on, the limit is 70 hours a week from a single caregiver.

The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) set the dates for Phase 2 exception requests in a July 10, 2026 post on its Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Sustainability Update Blog. The window to send a request is:

"November 1 - November 30, 2026"

That is from HCPF's LTSS Sustainability Update Blog.

HCPF reviews the requests from November 1 through December 31, 2026.

The request is sent by one of these:

• The provider agency, or
• The Consumer-Directed Attendant Support Services (CDASS) employer. In CDASS, this can be the family member who is the employer.

Who it affects (and who it doesn't)

This affects families where one paid caregiver, including a paid parent, gives more than 70 hours a week to one member, and no exception is approved yet.

It does not affect caregivers who give 70 hours a week or less. It also does not change the member's total authorized hours.

Key dates

• November 1, 2026: The window to send exception requests opens. HCPF's review period starts.
• November 30, 2026: The window to send exception requests closes.
• December 31, 2026: HCPF's review period ends.
• January 1, 2027: The 70-hour weekly limit takes effect.

What you can do

1. Look at your schedule for January. Will one caregiver give more than 70 hours a week to your family member?
2. If yes, and you use a provider agency, ask the agency to send the exception request between November 1 and November 30, 2026.
3. If you use CDASS and you are the employer, send the exception request yourself in that same window.
4. Keep a copy of the request and any reply from HCPF or your agency.
5. If you are not sure how this applies to you, ask your case manager.

You can read HCPF's LTSS Sustainability Update Blog.