How to Apply

You can apply for Colorado Works:

• Online using Colorado Peak
• On your smartphone using the MyCOBenefits app, available from Google Play or Apple's App Store
• By downloading and printing an application, completing it, and then mailing, emailing, or faxing it in, or
• At your local county human services department.

No matter which way you apply, you can choose to use this same application to also apply for Colorado Works, SNAP (formerly Food Stamps), Health First Colorado (Medicaid), cash assistance, Colorado's Old Age Pension, and other benefits programs.

Each of the 64 counties in Colorado runs its own Colorado Works program. The way they decide if you can get benefits, and how much you get, is the same statewide. Exactly what you have to do after you submit your application and what the various steps are called can vary from county to county.

Note: Due to COVID-19, there may be limits on in-person services. Contact your agency by phone to ask about this.

What You Need to Apply

When you apply for Colorado Works, you should have:

• Your identification and proof of citizenship (or of your legal immigration status), such as your driver's license, ID card, resident card, or U.S. Passport
• Social Security numbers for you and everyone in your household who has a Social Security number
• Documents showing any income you have, like your pay stubs or a letter from your employer
• Documents showing any unearned income, such as unemployment benefits, child support payments, etc.
• Proof of your relationship to any children in your household who are not your biological children, like a birth certificate or other documents

You may need to provide copies of other documents, depending on your situation. The Colorado PEAK website has some Examples of Required Documents.

After You Apply

From the time you submit your application and all required documents, Colorado Works has up to 45 days to tell you if you can get these benefits or not. You get either a phone call or a letter to set up an eligibility appointment. This appointment can be in person or over the phone (this varies by county). To see if you can get Colorado Works benefits, the eligibility worker will usually ask you about your:

• Family and living situation
• Income
• Work history
• Skills
• Education
• Valid identification

The eligibility worker needs enough details to let Colorado Works decide if you and your family qualify for benefits. Learn more about who can get Colorado Works benefits.

Eligibility

To help families who can't pay for their basic needs like food, clothing, and rent, Colorado Works provides:

1. Cash benefits, and
2. Other benefits that help families become more financially stable.

A family is defined as one or two parents (or other caregivers) living with their child or children under 18. If your child is 18 years old, they still qualify as long as they are in school full-time and will be graduating before they are 19. A family can include biological kids, step kids, adopted kids, and children of relatives.

To get Colorado Works, you must:

• Be a Colorado resident
• Have a child under 18 at home (or be pregnant)
• Be a U.S. citizen, legal alien, or qualified alien
• Have very low or no income (see details below)
• Work with your case manager to create an Individualized Plan listing the steps needed to make you more financially stable, then sign and follow your plan, and
• Cooperate with Child Support Services to get child support payments for your children, if applicable (unless you have good cause not to because of domestic violence).

You can also get Colorado Works benefits if you are a member of an Indian Tribe, but only if you do not get benefits under a Tribal Family Assistance Plan.

You cannot get Colorado Works if you:

• Get Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Colorado Old Age Pension benefits
• Are an undocumented immigrant
• Have an adult in your household taking part in a strike
• Fail to report (without good cause) when your child or children are expected to be out of your home for more than 45 days
• Lied about where you live to get Colorado Works benefits at the same time as you get TANF benefits in another state
• Are a fleeing felon or a parole or probation violator
• Were convicted of a drug-related felony before July 1, 1997 (unless you are participating in a drug rehab program or other steps to rehabilitation)

Note: Even if you can't get Colorado Works for any of these reasons, other members of your family (including your children) may be able to get Colorado Works benefits, so it can still be a good idea to apply.

How Colorado Works Counts Your Family

Income is money you get from work, benefits, or other sources. There’s a limit to how much income you can have and still qualify for Colorado Works. The limit is called a Need Standard and it is based on who is counted as part of your family. The Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) lists the Need Standards for different family situations.

To see if you can get benefits, Colorado Works:

1. Subtracts $90 from the total earned income that you get (or expect to get) during the month you apply.
2. Adds any unearned income, like Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), investment income, or other money you get that isn’t from work.
3. The total is your countable income for eligibility. If your countable income is less than the Need Standard for your family size, you are eligible for Colorado Works.

For example, a family with one parent and one child under 18 can get Colorado Works if their countable income is less than $331, while a family with one parent and two children under 18 qualifies if their countable income is less than $421 a month.

After Colorado Works decides you are eligible for benefits, they look at your income again and use a different method to decide how much money you can get each month. Learn more about how Colorado Works calculates your benefit amount.

Colorado Works Cash Benefits

If you qualify for Colorado Works, you’ll get a monthly cash benefit for up to 60 months (five years), as long as you continue to qualify and meet the requirements of your Individualized Plan, which is explained on the next page.

If your need is temporary, some counties might offer you a one-time "diversion payment" instead of monthly cash benefits. A diversion payment helps you pay for something specific to help you be able to support yourself and your family, and does not count against the 60-month limit.

Your Benefit Amount

If you qualify for Colorado Works, the amount you get each month depends on the size of your household, who counts as a member of your family (officially called an Assistance Unit), and whether you have any earned or unearned income. The more income you have, the lower your Colorado Works benefit will be. However, not all of your income is counted. To calculate your monthly benefit, Colorado Works:

1. Looks at your earned income and multiplies by 0.33 (or 33% of the total). This means they don't count 67% of what you earn. For example, if you have a job and make $1,000 a month, Colorado Works says you only have $330 in countable income.
2. Adds in any unearned income you get (like Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), unemployment benefits, investment income, or other money you get that isn’t from work) to get your total countable income (one-third of your earned income plus all unearned income).
3. Figures out the highest Colorado Works benefit your family can get based on your family’s size and living situation. For example, the maximum benefit for a family with one parent and two children is $559 per month. The Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) lists the maximum benefit (grant amount) for different family situations.
4. Takes the maximum benefit possible for a family like yours (from step 3) and subtracts your family’s countable income (from step 2), which gives the amount your family gets each month.

If you earn money at work, the Colorado Works program is designed so that your benefit never goes down by as much money as you make. That means that you’ll always be better off if you have a job.

Learn more about Colorado Works and work.

Diversion Payments

If your need for help is temporary, in some counties your eligibility worker may offer you a one-time diversion payment instead of monthly cash benefits, especially if the amount you would get each month is fairly small. (Not all counties offer diversion payments.) If you accept a diversion payment, you can't re-apply for Colorado Works monthly cash benefits for a certain period of time (usually a specific number of months).

A diversion payment pays for things that help you support yourself and your family, like car repairs or car insurance (so you can get to your job), buying work clothes or uniforms, paying for a training program, or counseling.

You do not have to accept a diversion payment if you would rather get a monthly cash benefit, but a diversion payment does not count against the 60-month Colorado Works limit, and it can be a good option if you only qualify for a small monthly payment. If you think a one-time payment might be better for you than monthly benefits, ask your eligibility worker or case manager if your county offers diversion payments.

Supportive Services

In addition to a monthly cash benefit, your county might offer "supportive services" or "special needs payments" to help you find and keep a job that will support you and your family. This might include:

• Referrals for housing, drug or alcohol treatment, or mental health counseling
• Bus passes
• School supplies
• Work clothes
• Diapers
• Help paying for car repairs, car insurance, or buying a car
• Extra cash on top of your basic monthly cash benefit

Not every county offers these types of services, and what is offered varies. Mention your specific needs to your eligibility worker when you apply, and to your case manager after you start getting Colorado Works benefits, and ask what type of support might be available.

Getting Your Colorado Works Benefits

After your eligibility appointment, you are mailed a notice telling you if you will get benefits and how much you’ll get. Most people get their Colorado Works monthly payments through an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card, but you can ask to get your payments on a KeyBank debit card or by direct deposit to your bank account.

When you get monthly Colorado Works benefits, you must work with your case manger to create an Individualized Plan, and follow the steps in your plan to become more financially stable. Learn more about Individualized Plans, and working with Colorado Works.

Working with Colorado Works

After your application for Colorado Works is approved, you must meet with your case manager (sometimes called a coach or workforce specialist). If you are considered "work eligible," you and your case manager work together to create an Individualized Plan, listing everything you need to become more financially stable.

In smaller counties, your case manager could be the same person who did your eligibility interview. In larger counties, you may have to attend an orientation that explains how the county's Colorado Works program works before you meet with a case manager.

Your case manager talks with you to decide what services, training, or other support you and your family need. This can include questions about:

• Family
• Housing
• Work experience, including internships
• Anything in your life that prevents you from working
• Basic job skills (you may be asked to take tests)
• Education and training
• Interests
• Need for transportation to your job, schools, or place of childcare
• Need for childcare
• Health issues
• Past legal troubles (if any)

Tell your case manager about anything you might need, from counseling to a bus pass, school supplies, or diapers. If your case manager can't help you with those, they may be able to tell you where you can get the help you need.

If you are uncomfortable answering a question, ask why that question is being asked. If you are still uncomfortable about answering, tell your case manager that you would rather not answer, and ask what will happen if you don't answer.

Based on your answers, you and your case manager create your Individualized Plan.

If you have a disability, you and your case manager still create a plan for you, but it could include things like applying for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) if you don't already get those benefits, or getting needed medical care.

Your Individualized Plan

Your plan should include:

• Everything you agree to do while getting Colorado Works benefits, and
• Everything the county agrees to do to help you.

You need to work with your case manager to make sure your plan meets your needs and includes goals that you can do and want to do. This can include:

• The kind of job you plan to find, including how much time you have to get that job.
• Which work activities you must do.
• Anything you and your family need, like SNAP, childcare, medical insurance, transportation, housing, school supplies, drug or alcohol treatment, or counseling.
• The date you have to have everything done.

Note: Your plan may look different if you or someone you are caring for has a disability, and the Colorado Works 60-month time limit might be extended, if you make a hardship request.

Work Activities

If you are considered work eligible, your plan will include doing a certain number of "work activity" hours each week. These can be:

• Unsubsidized employment
• Subsidized employment
• Work experience
• Actively looking for a job
• On-the-job training
• Vocational training
• Community service
• Job skills training directly related to getting a job
• Education directly related to getting a job

The work activities listed in your plan can be based on your situation. For example, if you are at risk of homelessness, your plan may include taking specific steps to find stable housing. If your children have health problems, your plan could include getting them medical care.

Note: If you or someone you care for has a disability, your plan could include activities like applying for disability benefits or getting medical care.

Reapplying or Recertification

When you get Colorado Works benefits, every six months you will be sent a Notice to Reapply, which may also be called a Reapplication, Redetermination, or Recertification Notice. To keep getting Colorado Works benefits, you must answer questions about whether there are any changes to your household, job status, other income, and expenses. You can do this online through your Colorado Peak account or on your smartphone using the MyCOBenefits app (available from Google Play or Apple's App Store). At least once a year, you will need to speak with an eligibility worker again as part of the reapplying/recertification process, to make sure you still qualify for Colorado Works.

Jason and Isabel's Story

Jason’s family was having a difficult time making ends meet. Up until a month ago, he was able to support his wife Isabel and their young daughter through his job as a cashier at a local grocery store. Then the grocery store laid some people off. Jason lost his job, but he didn't qualify for unemployment benefits.

Jason and Isabel didn’t have much money in savings. They realized that they were going to have trouble paying for rent, food, and utilities. They decided to apply for help until they could get back on their feet. Jason had a disability. He had applied for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) at his local Social Security office in the past, and had been told that his disability didn’t meet their definition of disability. So he knew he didn’t qualify to get SSI benefits.

So Jason went online to Colorado PEAK, gathered together all the information he needed based on the online examples of required documents, and applied for Colorado Works online. In a few days he got a phone call setting up an appointment for Isabel and Jason to meet with Maria, an eligibility worker.

Maria asked them a series of questions about their family, living situation, and work history, and reviewed their valid identification, and other required documents. Because Jason had checked the list online, he had brought everything they needed to the appointment.

"You only applied for Colorado Works, but if you qualify for Colorado Works, you might also be able to get SNAP and Health First Colorado (Medicaid)," Maria told them. "I'll add SNAP (formerly Food Stamps) and Health First Colorado (Medicaid) to your application, so if you qualify you'll get all three."

Several weeks later, Jason and his family got a letter saying they were approved for Colorado Works. Since they didn’t have any income, they get the maximum benefit for a family with two caretakers (parents) and one child, $585 a month.

Next, Jason and Isabel met with their case manager, Carol, to come up with a plan to get them jobs.

Isabel needed just a few more classes to complete her training as an x-ray technician, but had put those plans on hold when they had their child. Her Individualized Plan included finishing those credits and then searching for a job.

Jason’s plan was a little different because of his disability. He thought that maybe he could work from home doing customer service over the phone. His plan included a one-week customer service training program and then searching for a job.

Jason and Isabel had two concerns about working.

“Ok, so I’d love to go back to school,” Isabel said, “but what about my little girl? I can’t afford to pay someone to watch her.”

“I'll give you a referral to the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP)," Carol told them. "Because you're on Colorado Works now, you'll be able to bypass the waiting list and get subsidized child care more quickly."

“Great!” said Isabel. “That solves that problem.”

“But what happens when one of us starts working?" Jason asked. "Won’t our benefits go down? Won’t we be even more broke then?”

“Not necessarily,” Carol reassured them. “It depends on many factors. But no matter how much money you make, Colorado Works only counts 33% of what you earn. So you’ll still be eligible for benefits until you get back on track. Plus you’ll have even more money than just being on Colorado Works alone.”

Jason and Isabel left the meeting with their case manager feeling like things were looking up. With a little help, they’d be back on their feet soon enough.