As required by the State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive and Transparent Government (SMART) Act, the Colorado Department of Human Services establishes Wildly Important Goals (WIGs) each state fiscal year. The Department's executive leadership develops WIGs that will advance strategic policy initiatives. Each WIG is designed to be measurable, responsive to change, and transparent.
Current WIGs
Below are the three CDHS WIGs for FY 2024-25. To view the current performance in these measures, visit the Governor’s Dashboard.
Inpatient Competency Services Waitlist
Office/Division: Office of Civil and Forensic Mental Health
Measure: CDHS will improve the timely delivery of restoration services by decreasing the number of people on the Inpatient Competency Services (evaluations and restoration) Waitlist by 54% from 256 to 118 by June 30, 2025.
Context Statement: Coloradans who are found incompetent to proceed to trial by a judge are often waiting in jail until restoration services and treatment are available at a CDHS facility or contracted facility. Successful completion of this goal will result in a significant reduction in individuals on the Inpatient Competency Services Waitlist, alleviating challenges with individuals who are suffering not getting the treatment they deserve and resulting delayed court processes.
Methodology: Count number of individuals ordered to a CDHS facility or contracted facility for a competency exam or competency restoration services currently in jail awaiting admission.
Youth with High Acuity Needs
Office/Division: Office of Children, Youth and Families/Division of Child Welfare
Measure: CDHS will reduce the number of children/youth on waitlists for out of home placement and treatment by 75%, from 100 to 25 children/youth by June 30, 2027.
Context Statement: Successful completion of this goal will result in a greater capacity of treatment beds available for youth with high acuity mental and behavioral health needs as well as enhanced treatment and trauma-informed practice to meet the needs of children/youth currently in out-of-home placement.
Methodology: CDHS utilizes point in time waitlist and bed occupancy counts with Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities (PRTFs) and Qualified Residential Treatment Programs (QRTPs) licensed providers. CDHS and the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) also manage an ongoing Child and Youth Consultation Team State Staffing list for children/youth who are "stuck" and unable to access appropriate placement for a myriad of reasons. Waitlist numbers would be generated from these three pools of data monthly.
SNAP Timeliness
Office/Division: Office of Economic Security/Food and Energy Assistance Division
Measure: CDHS will improve the application processing timeliness of eligibility determinations for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) from 88% to 95% by June 2025 to empower Coloradans with low incomes to have access to healthy food and the ability to make their own food choices.
Context Statement: Successful completion of this goal will ensure that Coloradans receive food and nutrition benefits in a timely manner, not only compliant with federal regulation, but in time to feed their families and support their well-being.
Methodology: This measure uses the Application Process Timeliness (APT) measure, which is federally mandated. It is the proportion of applications approved during a month that were approved timely within federally mandated processing guidelines. Although federal guidance tracks improvement using a six-month rolling average (the average timeliness rate from a month and the previous five months), this WIG looks at the point-in-time timeliness for target months. These point-in-time targets are set in order to reach the rolling average requirements in the federal corrective action plan.