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CODE OF COLORADO REGULATIONS 8 CCR 1403-1 Colorado Child Care Assistance Program

78 county based on local needs. This process must follow the Department- defined target populations, the State’s CCDF Plan, federal priority population regulations, and Department policy, which is available on the Department website at https://cdec.colorado.gov/resources/cdec-memo- series. E. Freeze Decision-Making Process 1. Upon identification by the Department or a county of a need to implement or lift a freeze based on the reasons as allowed in subsections (A) and (B) above, the Department or county must provide notice, in writing, of the need to the other party within fourteen (14) calendar days of identification of the need. Once the notice is delivered to the other party, a mandatory meeting must occur within fourteen (14) calendar days to discuss the need to implement or lift a freeze. 2. If, following the meeting, the Department and county disagree on whether or not to implement or lift a freeze, the parties shall have twenty-one (21) calendar days to provide a written justification for the disagreement to the other party. 3. Following the meeting, if both parties agree on whether to implement or lift a freeze, or one party changes their position based on the written justification provided as described in subsection (E)(2) above, then, if applicable, the county shall submit a revised county plan as defined in rule section 3.103(KK) and subject to the requirements and Department approval as described in rule section 3.104. 4. Prior to the Department requiring or denying the implementation or lifting of a freeze, the Department must consider any written justification provided by a county as described in subsection (E)(2) above. Any implementation or lifting of a freeze shall not go into effect until the disagreement is resolved by the Department in accordance with this subsection (E).