§ 26-11-105. Duties of Commission

1. The commission, through its director, shall carry out the following purposes:
   1. Conduct, and encourage other organizations to conduct, studies of the problems of the state’s older people;
   2. Assist governmental and private agencies to coordinate their efforts on behalf of the aging and aged in order that such efforts be effective and that duplication and waste of effort be eliminated;
   3. Promote and aid in the establishment of local programs and services for the aging and aged. The commission shall assist governmental and private agencies by designing surveys that may be used locally to determine needs of older people; by recommending the creation of services; by collection and distribution of information on aging; and by assisting public and private organizations in all ways the commission may deem appropriate.
   4. Conduct promotional activities and programs of public education on problems of the aging;
   5. Review existing programs for the aging and make recommendations to the governor and the general assembly for improvements in such programs;
   6. Advise and make recommendations to the state department and the state office on aging, created pursuant to part 2 of this article, on the problems of and programs and services for the aging and aged.
   7. 1. Study and make recommendations to ensure that people who are released from prison who are sixty-five years of age or older are able to access health insurance after release, including:
         1. Health insurance options that might be available, including medicare, medicaid, social security, the old age pension fund, or any other potential options for health-care insurance, and any eligibility criteria that may uniquely impact a formerly incarcerated population;
         2. Enrollment processes for each health insurance option and the cost for each option;
         3. Processes the department of corrections would need to have in place, both prior to release and after release, to ensure people sixty-five years of age or older are able to enroll in affordable health insurance upon release;
         4. Potential challenges, gaps, or resources needed to ensure that inmates sixty-five years of age or older have health insurance upon release; and
         5. Any other recommendations relevant to improving health-care access for people sixty-five years of age or older after release from prison.
      2. On or before January 1, 2022, the commission shall provide a report with its findings and recommendations pursuant to this subsection (1)(g) to the judiciary and health and insurance committees of the house of representatives and the judiciary and health and human services committees of the senate, or any successor committees. The department of human services shall post the report on the Colorado commission on aging’s website.

Source: L. 73: RC&RE, p. 1207, § 6. C.R.S. 1963: § 119-7-5. L. 85: (1)(f) added, p. 975, § 2, effective May 29. L. 2021: (1)(g) added, (SB 21-146), ch. 459, p. 3085, § 8, effective July 6.