Caregiving in Colorado— the questions adult children actually ask.

No on both counts. Colorado abolished its estate tax when the federal pickup credit ended in 2005 and has never had a separate inheritance tax. The federal estate-tax exemption (~$13.99M per person in 2025) is the only estate-tax exposure for most Colorado families. Combined with Colorado's flat 4.4% state income tax, the state is generally tax-friendly for retirees on the estate-tax side.

For Health First Colorado (Colorado Medicaid) long-term care, the asset limit for a single applicant is $2,000 — the SSI baseline. The home is exempt up to the federal home-equity ceiling (~$752,000 in 2026), one vehicle is exempt, and a community spouse can retain up to the federal CSRA maximum (~$157,920 in 2026). Colorado uses a medically-needy spend-down rather than a strict income cap, meaning applicants with income above the categorical limit can spend down excess income on care costs to qualify.

Yes, in some circumstances. Through Health First Colorado's home and community-based waivers (the Elderly, Blind, and Disabled (EBD) waiver and the Brain Injury (BI) waiver among others) and the Consumer-Directed Attendant Support Services (CDASS) program, recipients may direct their own care and hire personal-care attendants, sometimes including family members. Spouses generally cannot be paid. Rates vary by program and region; verify current rates and eligibility through the Single Entry Point in your parent's area.

Colorado is one of the few states with a state-level caregiver tax credit (CRS §39-22-557 et seq.). The credit applies to qualifying expenses incurred by a family caregiver for a qualifying care recipient, subject to income caps and a statutory schedule. The specific dollar caps and eligible expenses have changed by amendment over time. Documentation of qualifying expenses throughout the year is required; many Colorado caregivers don't claim the credit because they didn't preserve the receipts.

FAMLI is Colorado's Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance program (CRS §8-13.3-401 et seq.), administered by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Division of Family and Medical Leave Insurance. Benefits became available in January 2024. Eligible employees can receive up to 12 weeks of paid leave (with an additional 4 weeks for pregnancy or childbirth complications) at a sliding wage-replacement rate, including leave to care for a family member with a serious health condition. Funding comes from premiums shared between employees and employers. FAMLI applies to most Colorado employers; self-employed Coloradans may opt in. Verify your eligibility and benefit calculation through the FAMLI portal at famli.colorado.gov.

The Colorado End-of-Life Options Act (CRS §25-48-101 et seq.), enacted by Proposition 106 in November 2016, allows mentally capable terminal adults (age 18+) with a prognosis of six months or less to live to request a prescription for medical aid in dying. The process requires two physicians (an attending and a consulting physician), two oral requests separated by at least 15 days, a written request witnessed by two qualifying witnesses, and self-administration of the medication. The law interacts with advance directives, hospice care, and end-of-life decision-making and is one of the considerations in Colorado end-of-life planning. For specific guidance, work with a Colorado hospice physician or palliative-care specialist.

Call Colorado Adult Protective Services. The statewide hotline is 1-844-CO-4-KIDS (1-844-264-5437) — despite the name, the hotline handles both child and at-risk-adult reports under Colorado's protective services framework (CRS §26-3.1-101 et seq.). Reports may also be filed online at coloradoaps.com. For abuse in licensed long-term-care facilities, contact the Colorado Long-Term Care Ombudsman through the Colorado Department of Human Services. For immediate danger, call 911. Mandatory reporters include physicians, nurses, social workers, law enforcement, and certain others.

Colorado offers a small-estate affidavit procedure under CRS §15-12-1201 for estates with personal property below a statutory threshold (approximately $80,000 in recent years; the figure is adjusted by statute). The procedure uses a sworn affidavit and avoids formal probate administration. Real property generally cannot be transferred via the small-estate affidavit alone. Probate-avoidance tools more commonly used in Colorado: revocable living trusts, beneficiary designations on financial accounts, joint tenancy with right of survivorship, and Transfer-on-Death deeds for real estate (Colorado adopted the Uniform Real Property Transfer on Death Act).

The Colorado state median for a private one-bedroom in assisted living is approximately $5,200–$5,800/month in 2024 dollars (Genworth Cost of Care Survey 2024) — slightly above the US median. Denver metro and Boulder run higher; Colorado Springs, Pueblo, and Western Slope communities run lower. Mountain communities (Aspen, Vail-Eagle, Telluride) often have very limited supply at significant premiums when available. Memory care adds 25–40% on top of standard assisted living. Nursing-home semi-private rooms in Colorado median around $9,500–$10,500/month, near the US median.

Yes. Colorado's creditor-protection homestead exemption under CRS §13-54-102 protects the primary residence from forced sale by most judgment creditors up to a value of approximately $250,000 (with a higher figure for homeowners 60+ or disabled — verify current statutory dollar amount). Combined with the federal home-equity exemption for Medicaid purposes (~$752,000 in 2026), most Colorado homeowners have meaningful asset protection on their primary residence. Colorado also has a Property Tax Homestead Exemption for seniors 65+ who have owned and occupied the property for 10+ years (subject to General Assembly funding); apply through the county assessor.