A person found eligible for services before age 14 is placed on adult waiting lists at age 14, and their waiting list date for adult services is their 14th birthdate. A person found eligible at age 14 or after has a waiting list date which is the same as their NMCS eligibility date. The exception to this is if a person transfers from another Colorado community centered board to North Metro, their eligibility and adult waiting list dates remain the same.

The primary reason for the decades-long waiting lists for Comprehensive Services is lack of funds. For the past years, our State Legislature has not chosen to designate monies for additional development of residential facilities. In addition, the Federal budget has, over the past several years, limited approval of increases in funding for our population.

The SLS funding comes from two sources: State of Colorado funds and Medicaid monies (both from your tax dollars). The waiting list for SLS is considerably shorter than the Comprehensive list. The current standard reply given to waiting list consumers and their families is - "It will most likely be a 3 to 5 year wait for SLS services".

An important reminder to families whose sons and daughters are waiting: Three months prior to your son or daughter reaching age 18, you should apply for Supplemental Security Income (called SSI) benefits for him/her. Once approved, you may then apply for Medicaid benefits. (See Resources Link for more information)