Colorado Elderly, Blind and Disabled (EBD) Waiver
The Elderly, Blind and Disabled (EBD) Waiver is Health First Colorado’s main home and community-based waiver for older adults and adults with physical disabilities. It pays for services at home, in adult day programs and in assisted living (called alternative care facilities) for people who would otherwise need a nursing home. For the wider picture, see our Colorado Long-Term Care Medicaid guide.
Figures change periodically. Double-check current amounts before relying on them.
At a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Type of program | Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS) waiver |
| Who runs it | Health First Colorado (Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, HCPF), through local case management agencies |
| Age | 65 and older with a functional impairment; blind; or 18 to 64 with a physical disability or HIV/AIDS |
| Care need | Needs a nursing facility level of care |
| Colorado 2026 income rule (long-term care) | $2,982 a month. Higher income needs an income trust |
| Colorado 2026 asset limit (single applicant) | $2,000 |
| Waiting list | No waiting list reported for older adults in 2026 |
The EBD Waiver in brief
Put simply, responsibility for the EBD Waiver sits with Health First Colorado (Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, HCPF), through local case management agencies. It serves 65 and older with a functional impairment; blind; or 18 to 64 with a physical disability or HIV/AIDS, and the care requirement is: Needs a nursing facility level of care. Waiting list status in 2026: No waiting list reported for older adults in 2026. More detail on each point follows, and the Colorado state guide covers the shared financial rules. If the EBD Waiver is not the right fit, the related pages at the end point to other Colorado programs and general guides.
What the program is
HCPF runs the EBD Waiver through regional case management agencies. A case manager completes a functional assessment, decides whether the person meets the nursing facility level of care, and writes a person-centered support plan. EBD participants can choose agency-based care or self-directed options. Colorado’s Community First Choice benefit went live on July 1, 2025. In July 2026, services such as personal care, homemaker help, home-delivered meals, medication reminders and emergency response were taken out of the waivers and moved to CFC. EBD participants now get those services through CFC and the remaining waiver services through EBD.
A waiver is a program a state runs with federal permission to set aside some normal Medicaid rules so it can pay for long-term care outside a nursing home. Waivers usually have a fixed number of slots each year, a care plan written for each person, and a case manager or support coordinator who arranges services. Waiver services sit on top of regular Medicaid, which still covers doctors, hospitals and prescriptions (after Medicare, for people who have it). See our overview of HCBS waivers.
Who qualifies in 2026
In Colorado, the basic requirements for the EBD Waiver are that the person:
- Is 65 or older with a functional impairment, blind, or 18 to 64 with a physical disability or HIV/AIDS
- Needs a nursing facility level of care
- Qualifies for full Medicaid under Colorado’s long-term care financial rules (see the money test below)
- Lives in Colorado and is a U.S. citizen or qualified non-citizen
- Needs at least one waiver service to live in the community
Income and assets. Applicants for the EBD Waiver must meet Colorado’s long-term care Medicaid financial rules. The table’s figures are Colorado’s 2026 long-term care numbers, taken from our state guide. The home (up to the equity limit, when the person or a spouse lives there or plans to return), one vehicle, belongings and a small burial fund are generally not counted by Health First Colorado. When one spouse applies for the EBD Waiver and the other stays at home, the spouse at home keeps a protected share of the couple’s assets and may receive part of the applicant’s income. See Spousal impoverishment rules.
What the care test means in practice. Health First Colorado’s assessment covers daily activities, from bathing and dressing to toileting and medications, plus memory and safety. For the EBD Waiver, an assessor, usually a nurse or social worker, visits the person at home, in the hospital or in the facility. Have a relative present to describe the hard days, and keep a medication and diagnosis list handy. See Nursing home level of care and Activities of daily living.
What services it can pay for
What a participant receives under the EBD Waiver follows the care plan. Possible services include:
- Case management
- Adult day services
- Alternative care facility services (assisted living care; the resident pays room and board)
- Respite
- Home modifications
- Non-medical transportation
- Community transition services
- Personal care, homemaker help, meals and emergency response through Community First Choice
The menu is broad, but the plan is built from need, and unpaid family help is factored in. If needs change, ask for a new assessment.
Directing your own care and paying family
Colorado offers two self-directed models: Consumer-Directed Attendant Support Services (CDASS), where the person manages a budget and hires attendants, and In-Home Support Services (IHSS), a hybrid with an agency. Family members can often be hired.
How to apply
There are two tracks, a financial one and a care one, and both must say yes. The usual path for the EBD Waiver is:
- Contact your local case management agency to ask for an EBD Waiver assessment.
- Apply for Health First Colorado long-term care, online or through your county human services office.
- The case manager completes the functional assessment.
- If approved, the case manager writes a support plan and helps you choose providers.
Our documents checklist and Applying for a waiver guide list the paperwork.
Waiting lists
Colorado reported no waiting list for older adults and people with physical disabilities in 2026. Waitlists in Colorado have mainly affected waivers for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
See Waiver waiting lists for general tips.
How it relates to nursing home Medicaid
The EBD Waiver uses the same nursing facility level of care and the same 2026 income rule ($2,982 a month, with an income trust above that) and asset limit as nursing home Medicaid. Its alternative care facility service lets people live in assisted living instead of a nursing home, paying room and board from their own income.
Rules shared with nursing home Medicaid. As in nearly every state, Colorado’s financial rules for home and community programs follow its nursing home rules closely. Gifts and below-value transfers in the five-year look-back can trigger a penalty period for home care as well as nursing home care. Estate recovery also applies: the state can seek repayment from the estate of a person who received long-term care services after age 55. Some participants pay a monthly share of income toward services.
Income in a nursing home. In 2026, Colorado lets a nursing home resident keep $110.36 a month for personal needs; the rest of their income mostly pays toward care. The state guide explains the nursing home side.
Tips for families
- Begin before it is urgent. Every step of the EBD Waiver takes time, and an early request protects your place.
- Document everything, from forms and letters to who you spoke with at Health First Colorado and when.
- Watch the deadlines on notices. A denial or cut can be appealed through a fair hearing, and a timely request can keep services going meanwhile.
- Tell Health First Colorado about changes in money, address or household as they happen.
- Plan for renewals. Medicaid and the care assessment are both renewed, usually once a year. See Renewals.
- Get help with complex the EBD Waiver cases, such as a spouse at home or past gifts. A certified Medicaid planner or a legal aid office can review how Colorado’s rules fit a family’s situation.
Common questions
Does EBD pay for assisted living? It can pay for care in an approved alternative care facility. The resident pays room and board.
Can family be paid? Yes, through Colorado’s self-directed options (CDASS and In-Home Support Services), family members can often be hired as attendants.
What changed in 2025 and 2026? Colorado started Community First Choice on July 1, 2025. In July 2026, personal care, homemaker help and some other services were taken out of the waivers and moved to CFC.
Related pages
- Colorado Long-Term Care Medicaid guide
- Colorado Community First Choice
- Consumer-directed care
- Three kinds of Long-Term Care Medicaid
- PACE programs
Last updated for 2026. General information only, not legal or financial advice. Medicaid Answers is a free educational resource published by Medicaid Answers Foundation.