Read below for help with any of the following, or jump to:
- Change Password
- Forgot Password
- Not receiving a password reset email
- Trouble logging in / Login Screen
Change Password
OCR recommends that you change your password once every three months and never share passwords OR, if you do not want to regularly change your password, set up two-factor authentication (learn how by clicking here). Choose a strong password that does not include words you would find in the dictionary. Short passwords using regular dictionary words are vulnerable to "password dictionary attacks" that blitz through millions of word combinations in seconds to try to crack the code.
Whenever you set a new password in CARES, a Weak/Strong bar will change from red to green depending on the complexity of the password you enter—always aim for a "Strong" password: long with as random a mix as possible of capital and lowercase letters and non-letters.
- From the main left side main menu in CARES, click User Settings > Change Password.
- Enter your current password, then enter your new password twice (for confirmation), then click Change Password.
- Consider using a password manager if you and your staff could use help regularly changing passwords in CARES and other accounts.
If you do not want to change your password every three months: instead set up two-factor authentication (learn how by clicking here). This is the most secure log-in option for CARES.
Forgot Password
Navigate to https://cares.coloradochildrep.org/#!/forgot or click Forgot Username or Password on the main login page. Carefully type your email address that is on file with OCR and click Submit. You will receive an automated email within a few minutes (usually after at least 3 minutes--do not request additional resets while waiting). Note your CARES user name at the beginning of that email. If you do not receive an email after CARES states it has sent one to you, please see Not Receiving CARES Emails.
If the emailed password retrieval link is expired: The emailed password retrieval link will expire 30 minutes after it is sent to you or if you requested another link while you waited. You will need to start over for a fresh link if 30 minutes have passed from the time you requested the reset. Or, if you requested more than one reset, stop requesting new ones and wait for the latest reset email to come to you. Use the latest one. Every time you request a new reset, the previous one expires, and it gets difficult to remember which password you saved most recently.
After CARES accepts your email and password: Be sure to read the instructions on any pop-up messages you see when logging in. Note that your CARES user name is not your email address (see first bullet in "Trouble Logging In" below). The instructions in CARES explain what every pop-up box is asking for. One of them, "Two Factor Authentication," is also described in the next section.
Trouble Logging In
Please note, if OCR has not sent you an email inviting you to use CARES for the first time, you must wait for that email before the below bullets will help. New contractors will receive an invite a little while after turning in all DocuSign paperwork, and other staff will receive access after your request is approved by OCR according to the Billing Policies and Procedures; they will be able to enter activities with past dates of service (covering the time between approval if applicable and CARES setup).
- Remember that your CARES user name is not your email address. If you're not sure what it is, all password reset emails include your CARES user name at the top of the email message. You need your email address to receive password reset emails, but when you log into CARES, enter your user name, not your email address.
- After entering your user name and password, you may see a "Two Factor Authentication" prompt (pictured below). Follow the written instructions (highlights also in green below) to enter the contents of a text message sent to your phone. This will only appear every so often and it dramatically improves the security of your confidential CARES data. More on this
- If you see a message that your email address is "not in our records" during login, check for any typos or extra spaces. Confirm you are typing the exact email address that OCR has registered with this CARES account and that OCR has sent you an emailing inviting you to use CARES. If OCR may have another email address for you on file, try it as well. If the email address that works for CARES is outdated, update OCR about email and other contact info changes at any time by completing a Change Request Form.
- If you see a message that "your account is disabled" during login, you may need to contact OCR for assistance at CARES@coloradochildrep.org. Please note:
- Occasionally this message means there were too many unsuccessful login attempts to your account. After receiving support from OCR, set up two-factor authentication as soon as possible to secure your account (learn how by clicking here).
- If you recently changed offices, remember you may have a new, different user name and/or email for CARES. Try your new email in the Change Password instructions.
- Sometimes this message means that all your office's case appointments are closed or that a managing attorney in your office deactivated your account. OCR may not be able to reactivate your account after your contract with OCR or relationship with a contractor has ended.
- If you see a message that the "application is unavailable" during login, CARES is experiencing a temporary statewide outage. These outages are usually very short; please notify CARES@coloradochildrep.org and try again in a few minutes.