HomeMy WebLinkAbout990747.tiff TATE OF COLORADO
COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES �pc coz
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OFFICE OF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR "'
1575 Sherman Street \yI111
Denver Colorado 80203-1714
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Phone(303)866-5098
TDD(303)866-6293 ) -�
FAX(303)866-4214
Bill Owens
Governor
March 31, 1999 Marva Livingston Hammons
Executive Director
Dear County Commissioner,
Governor Bill Owens is making a strong commitment to bring Colorado to the forefront in using
technology to make state government more efficient and customer-friendly. To this end,we take
this opportunity to inform you of the progress of the Colorado Benefits Management System
(CBMS) Project. We also ask your cooperation and collaboration as we develop and implement
an improved business model for delivering financial, medical and nutrition benefits to Colorado
citizens using this technology. Let us answer some questions you may have about CBMS.
What is CBMS? CBMS is an automated system for public assistance program eligibility
determination, record management and reporting. CBMS will integrate eligibility determination
of programs that distribute more than $1.9 billion a year in benefits to eligible Coloradoans. It
will replace and integrate data from eight existing automated systems and many manual
processes. Clients will be able to make a single application for consideration of all programs
housed in CBMS, and workers will be able to manage the full spectrum of benefits a client
receives. Programs on CBMS will include all categories of Medicaid, Food Stamps, Child
Health Plan Plus, Colorado Works, Old Age Pension, Aid to the Needy Disabled, Aid to the
Blind, and the Colorado Indigent Care Program. State and county business process
reengineering will be enabled by the integrated, more customer-centered system.
What are the objectives of the new system and what problems will CBMS address?
• CBMS will eliminate the current confusing, piecemeal, and complicated paper-based process
now encountered by citizens who need public financial, medical and nutrition assistance.
• CBMS is designed to offer"one-stop" fully automated, streamlined, customer-centered
service. This will occur through automating and streamlining rules and processes for all
public and medical assistance programs into a single database.
• CBMS will allow applications for eligibility for medical assistance to be accepted in schools,
clinics, hospitals, county health departments and nursing services, as well as county
departments of social services.
• CBMS will improve the productivity of public workers, services to clients and the delivery of
public benefits by providing greater flexibility, simplicity and timeliness.
• CBMS will expedite payments to service providers and provide more complete reporting.
Who are the players in CBMS? What is the current status of CBMS? The Colorado
Department of Human Services (CDHS) and the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and
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Financing(CDHCP&F)jointly sponsor the CBMS. A consortium of county departments of
social services and non-county medical providers provided leadership, committed staff to
business process reengineering and feasibility study, and shaped the system's design. Currently,
the CDHS and CDHCP&F dedicate personnel to this project. The Colorado Legislature
approved initial funding of CBMS in 1997. An implementation vendor will be selected by
summer 1999. The vendor will implement the system and provide user training.
What is the projected timeline for implementing CBMS?
CBMS development, testing and implementation will occur over a three-year period between
2000 and 2002; design validation,planning and project start-up will begin this year. A specific
schedule will be developed after contractor selection. 'The state proposes four implementation
releases, each preceded by related training:
• Release 1: Infrastructure—wiring, workstations, networks, office automation software
• Release 2: Medical Programs for Families and Children
• Release 3: TANF Cash, Food Stamps, and Work Programs
• Release 4: Long-Term Care Medical, Aging and Adult Services Cash, and Adult Protection
What effect will CBMS have on state and county employees and staff of medical
application sites beyond county social services? CBMS will directly affect approximately
2,500 jobs and could impact many more. Workers will find the need for both technical and
analytical skills to do their jobs. County workers statewide will receive state-of-the art
computers that link them to centralized databases. Staff at medical sites will be able to access
central databases through the Internet, and to directly input client applications online. Eligibility
information will be electronically transmitted to a central point that automatically analyzes the
information and determines eligibility. Clients will know within minutes if they are eligible.
CBMS will significantly change the ways we do business. Past experience in effecting change of
this magnitude showed that the transition process is difficult and time consuming. Therefore, a
change management effort is being planned to define the new environment and to prepare
everyone involved for the modified roles they will play. Representatives of this effort will
contact your agencies and organizations over the coming year. Please take advantage of their
expertise, knowledge and advice to make the transition to CBMS as easy and as successful as
possible. We welcome your input in ensuring this effort is successful from all perspectives.
Thank you for spending valuable time reading about this exciting new project. You can learn
more about CBMS on our website: www.cdhs.state.co.us/oss/CBMS/CBMSPAGE. You may
also contact Tim Johnson, CBMS Project Director, at 303-866-6175 or Colleen Bryan, the
CBMS Manager in Health Care Policy&Financing, at 303-866-6114.
Sincerely, Sincerely,
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Executive Director xecutive Director
CDHS CDHCP&F
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