Colorado's Wait List for Services Too Long

By Tara Kiene, director of case management with Community Connections Inc.

DURANGO, Colo. -- For more than a decade, Colorado has maintained a waiting list for most of its programs for people with developmental disabilities. Before the economic downtown in 2008, this often meant that a person with developmental disabilities who needed support to live as independently as possible in the community would have to wait 10 to 15 years before receiving services. The wait now is indefinite.

The issue is money, or the state’s lack thereof. Although the majority of Colorado programs for people with developmental disabilities is funded by Medicaid, the state has to match dollar for dollar with the federal contribution. During the last 10 years, Colorado has hovered between 46th and 48th in the nation when it comes to funding for developmental disabilities.