This article is about technical help with CARES. If you have non-technical questions, please try OCR's Attorney Contractor FAQ. The steps below are the proven fastest ways to get immediate help in CARES and are up to date with the latest information from OCR's CARES experts. OCR does not recommend writing to the listserv because the CARES team will be delayed responding to all resulting statewide email(s) before they may give you direct, specific help.
Solutions to Try First
Below are the most effective first steps to try, and many people solve an issue this way. If not, being able to tell OCR that you already tried this list will accelerate OCR's response and get you working again faster.
- Refresh your web browser (only when you're at a stopping point with nothing unsaved if possible). Do so by clicking the circular arrow icon near where you type a web address OR type the Ctrl + F5 keys (Windows) or Cmd + R keys (Mac) at the same time. More on this
- Do not work on CARES in more than one tab or window of the same web browser at the same time. If you inadvertently worked on CARES in multiple tabs of the same browser at the same time, CARES may have become confused about which tab you intended to save. You may see a "forbidden" or "unauthorized" message if CARES has lost track of which window to save. If CARES seems stuck this way: Close all but one window and tab of CARES, then refresh that window/tab, and, if that still does not reset it, log out and back in to CARES. Click here if you saw an "Activity Dates" error instead.
- Check your current web browser by clicking this link: https://www.whatsmybrowser.org/. If this link says you are using Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge, this is one of the reasons why you are experiencing problems. Download Chrome, Firefox, or Safari to use when accessing CARES. Save a CARES bookmark only in one of these browsers to help yourself remember you must use it to access CARES.
- Restart your computer or device (only when you're at a stopping point with nothing unsaved). For CARES and all computer functions to perform best, make a habit of completely quitting your web browser (Chrome, Firefox, or Safari) at least daily. On a Mac, this may require more than just closing the window.
- Search this help center for the issue: If you did not already, please type the key words describing the issue into the search bar in the upper right of this screen and type "enter" to find the latest expert article about how to solve that issue. More on this
Request Help or Report a Glitch
If you have questions or see irregularities after trying all of the above, please do not hesitate to click here to email OCR's CARES team (CARES@coloradochildrep.org) and, for the fastest help, please include the following.
- Describe precisely where you are stuck with a screenshot or picture if possible. What sentence of what help article are you stuck on? What screen or case number are you on? What precisely are you seeing, and how do you make it happen or repeat it? Did anything change after trying the solutions at the top of this article?
- Visit https://www.whatsmybrowser.org/ and send the URL shown in the dark blue box (it will look something like this: "whatsmybrowser.org/b/ZDKS8D4"). This will provide more technical specifications about how you access CARES to facilitate problem-solving.
Occasionally OCR may need to see a screenshot of your "console" to look for error messages in code. Please see the directions at http://tinyurl.com/ybtbdg92 if you are asked to do so.
More to Try After Hours
After hours and/or after emailing OCR, the solutions below may solve an issue temporarily so you can continue to work. If not, OCR apologizes for the delay and will respond as soon as possible!
- Try a different supported web browser. Sometimes a bug or glitch shows in one browser (Chrome, Firefox, or Safari) but not another. If you're using Chrome, try Firefox or Safari, for example. Please email OCR (bottom of this article) about which browser worked and which didn't afterwards so OCR's team can fix the bug as well.
- Try a different device. If CARES is not working on your computer, does it work on a tablet, phone, or another computer? If so, please tell OCR about this as well, and show your IT support how CARES works on one device but not the other. They may need to service the device.
- Try "incognito mode" by following these instructions in Chrome. Sometimes online problems have to do with saved memory in the browser, and using "incognito mode" can resolve issues. Using CARES "incognito" may not be a convenient long-term solution but it sometimes works while you wait to hear from OCR.