Colorado LADDERS

The Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) manages behavioral health services for the State of Colorado through the Licensing and Designation Database and Electronic Records System, often referred to as “LADDERS.”

This site primarily serves as a landing page for the licensing and/or approval needs for providers of behavioral health services in the state of Colorado. Visit the OwnPath website for more information about providers.

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New BHA Providers

Scroll down to the Letter of Intent section to find more information regarding submitting a letter of intent to gain access to the LADDERS system to apply for a license, designation, or approval with the BHA

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Current BHA Providers

Agencies that have already transitioned to the updated regulatory structure (i.e. Behavioral Health Entity (BHE)-licensed, 27-65 designated)
If your agency is in this category, you can submit “renewal” applications for your sites in the LADDERS database. Please login to LADDERS using your updated credentials, which will include “2024” in the username. If your agency has multiple licensing or approval cycles, they may be aligned during this renewal process and possibly eligible for fee waivers to support this alignment.

Agencies that are currently subject to “legacy” services and regulatory structure (i.e. substance use disorder treatment (SUD)-licensed, designated as a community mental health clinic)
If your agency is in this category, you will transition to the updated regulatory structure in alignment with the expiration date of your agency’s legacy license. If your legacy agency has multiple expiration dates, you are encouraged to align with the earliest expiration date to simplify the licensing process. If this results in sites transitioning early, they may be eligible for fee waivers to support this alignment. You will begin the transition process by completing this Letter of Intent (LOI) for your agency. Once completed, BHA will review your submission, and your agency will receive an updated username and access to the LADDERS system via email. From there, your agency can complete an initial application for: Behavioral Health Entity (BHE) license, Controlled Substance License (CSL), Recovery Support Services Organization (RSSO) license, 27-65 designation, and/or Safety Net approval for essential and/or comprehensive providers.

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Behavioral health reform is underway

The State of Colorado is entering a period of regulatory transition and behavioral health reform. Beginning on January 1, 2024, BHA will have the authority to issue Behavioral Health Entity (BHE) licenses to agencies that qualify as a BHE.

This BHE license will replace the existing structure of Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment licenses, Community Mental Health Center (CMHC), and Community Mental Health clinic (CMHc) designations. While phasing in the BHE license and phasing out SUD licenses and CMHC/CMHc designations, the LADDERS system will need to support providers in multiple phases of this transition. This transition is expected to continue into the early months of 2025. This Agency Transition Guide may help determine your agency’s path during the transition.

Beginning in 2024, BHA will manage the following behavioral health services through the LADDERS site:

• Behavioral Health Entity (BHE) License
• 27-65 designation
• Controlled Substance License (CSL)
• Recovery Support Services Organization(RSSO) License
• Safety net approval(s) for both Essential and Comprehensive Providers

BHA will manage current SUD licenses, CMHC designations, and CMHc designations subject to this version of 2 CCR 502-1 until the agency’s point of expiration unless another event precipitates an earlier transition to the updated licensing structure. Eventually, the SUD and MH designation structure will be entirely phased out.

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Letter of Intent (LOI)

New agencies begin their application process by submitting the required Letter of Intent (LOI) through the online form

Current agencies still under the SUD/MH structure begin their transition to the new licensing structure by submitting the required Letter of Intent (LOI) through the online form.

Current agencies that have already transitioned to the new licensing structure are not required to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) during the renewal process.

Once this form is submitted, BHA staff will be able to populate a physical copy of your LOI, verify your updated agency information, and importantly, provide your agency’s new username and access for the LADDERS database. Your agency will use this updated LADDERS username and access from this point forward.

New and transitioning agencies, please start here: Letter of Intent (LOI)

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LADDERS Access

All agencies will utilize this link for LADDERS access: LADDERS Provider Access

Agencies that are actively transitioning or have transitioned to the new licensing structure will receive a username that is connected to the updated agency account. BHA does not intend to deactivate the LEGACY LADDERS account username for these agencies at this time.

BHA will add the notation of “LEGACY ACCOUNT” to the former general account’s name to reduce potential confusion. If you wish to deactivate your former LADDERS account, please email your request to the LADDERS support team at CDHS_LADDERS@state.co.us.

If you are experiencing technical difficulties with the LADDERS system and need support, please email the LADDERS support team at CDHS_LADDERS@state.co.us or book a technical support session

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Provider Support Documents

The LADDERS User Guide can be found here: LADDERS User Guide

The LADDERS User Guide pdf version can be found here: LADDERS User Guide pdf version

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