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DHS has updated the MnCHOICES
public webpages. The webpages give a general overview of MnCHOICES and what
Minnesotans can expect from the process. Please share these resources with
those you serve:
The MnCHOICES Mentor Handbook is
available on the MnCHOICES CountyLink site. It has a number of valuable
resources within it, such as:
- The definition, purpose, responsibilities and benefits of
being a MnCHOICES mentor
- A detailed description of the MnCHOICES Certified Assessor
Training (MnCAT) process
- Troubleshooting tips
- MnCHOICES Assessment application resources
- MnCHOICES Support Plan application resources
The
Department of Human Services will no longer issue three-ring binders at new
mentor trainings. This online handbook will
take its place.
When MnCHOICES certified assessors complete Step 4:
Recertification, they may enter only the continued learning units they earned
during their current three-year certification period. For example, a certified
assessor may not use a training completed on March 1, 2015, for recertification
if his or her recertification period ran from April 1, 2015, through March 31,
2018. A certified assessor cannot use trainings that he or she did not document
in a prior certification period in a subsequent Step 4 process because the
training date would not fall within the new certification period the person is
reporting on.
Certified assessors may enter any earned continued learning units beyond
the 45 required units when reporting on the current certification period. For
example, if the certified assessor completed 50 hours of continued learning
during his or her three-year recertification period, the assessor does not need
to stop entering units when he or she reaches 45 units. The assessor may choose
to enter all 50 units to have a complete picture of the number of units completed
for his or her recertification period. While the assessor may enter additional
units in this instance, it is not required.
The
Department of Human Services Assessment and Support Planning team is working
with lead agencies to streamline the assessment process. This work is being
completed in partnership with the Minnesota Association of County Social
Service Administrators (MACSSA) and the County-State Workgroup. DHS has formed
three additional workgroups with input from MACSSA and the County-State
Workgroup to help with this work:
- MnCHOICES Process Workgroup: Focused on the assessment
process
- MnCHOICES Lead Agency Workflow Workgroup: Focused on assessment
workflows
- DD Workgroup: Focused on policy related to providing Rule
185 services
When
an SSIS administrator creates an ID for an SSIS user who is also a MnCHOICES
user, the SSIS ID must be eight characters or fewer. SSIS IDs longer than eight
characters cause an error message and prevent users from accessing the
MnCHOICES Assessment application.
Please
share this information with SSIS administrators in your agency.
When a child receives a MnCHOICES
assessment pre-adoption and receives a new PMI number after the adoption, he or
she does not then need a new face-to-face assessment unless there is also a
change in condition.
The lead agency should complete
the following steps to transfer information from the old PMI into a new
assessment under the new PMI:
- Create
a new record in MnCHOICES for the person with his or her new PMI number.
- Create
a new MnCHOICES assessment document.
- Contact
the SSIS/MnCHOICES help desk to ask staff to copy the assessment data from the
old to the new PMI assessment. When making the request, provide old PMI number,
name and old assessment number as well as new PMI number, name and new
assessment number.
- The
help desk will copy data from the old assessment into the new assessment.
- The
updated/new person and assessment documents are now available for the lead
agency to work in.
DHS sent the following eList announcements regarding
eating-related activities of daily living dependencies for children:
Please
contact the DSD Response
Center if you have assessed a child and the child:
- Receives BI, CAC or CADI waiver (regardless of whether they
are using CDCS)
- Is between 61 months and 18 years old
- Was assessed using either the MnCHOICES Assessment tool or
the LTCC legacy assessment forms
- Received “02” as a code in the eating ADL section in his or
her assessment and the 02 code for eating would have been the difference
between two case mixes.
If
a person is unable to participate in an assessment without the assistance of a
provider, a provider may attend an assessment/reassessment only to assist with
or support the person’s participation.
The
provider’s role in this situation is to provide the supports necessary for the
person to participate in the face-to-face assessment. The provider may not participate
in the face-to-face assessment, meaning he or she may not present his or her issues,
concerns or ideas as a provider. The person (or the person’s legal
representative) must consent to the provider’s attendance for this purpose.
Minn.
Stat. §256B.0911, subd.
3a(d) states, “Except for legal representatives or family members invited by
the person, persons participating in the assessment may not be a provider of
service or have any financial interest in the provision of services.” The
person may invite others to attend, within the parameters of the law. A service
provider or those with any financial interest in the provision of services may
not participate in the face-to-face assessment.
While
the provider may not participate in the face-to-face assessment, he or she may participate
in the process by submitting documents to the assessor before the assessment (with
the person’s or his or her legal representative’s consent). This input is
important and helps to give the assessor needed information and insight as he
or she completes the assessment.
The
Community Support Plan Worksheet, DHS-6791A (PDF), is a required document. The
assessor gives it to the person at initial and annual assessments. It is an
important document to leave with the person. It captures important information
from the assessor’s conversation with him or her.
After the
assessor has determined eligibility, he or she delivers the MnCHOICES Planning
Summary and Community Support Plan, DHS-6791B (PDF), or the Community Support Plan created
in the MnCHOICES Support Planning application to the person no later than 40
calendar days after the assessment. Depending on the assessment results,
additional forms might be required.
Lead
agencies are not able to add PCA codes T1019 and T1019 UA to the Elderly Waiver
Service Agreements within the MnCHOICES Support Plan application. DHS is
working to fix this issue for a future MnCHOICES Support Plan application
release.
Until DHS
makes that fix, support planners must create an additional service agreement in
the Support Plan application to capture the state plan services the person is
using. Assessors can select an EW agreement type and a PCA agreement type in the
Support Plan application. Then, they can select the specific services under
each agreement type.
Assessors
complete Services tab activities while completing the CSSP for people who will use
publicly funded programs and services. Assessors do not develop services in the
CSP. In most cases, case managers complete the Services tab as part of the
service planning. When the assessor completes both the CSP and CSSP (such as
when there are state plan PCA services only), the assessor should first
complete the CSP then work in the Services tab as part of his or her work in
the CSSP.
Case
managers should plan private-pay service options and informal supports to
address needs and risks for those people who do not use public programs. This can
be done in the Recommended Referrals, Informal Caregivers, Risks and Next Steps
sections of the CSP.
The Build and Print: CSP/CSSP Crosswalk
webpage, found on the MnCHOICES Support Plan CountyLink site, provides more
information about which tabs assessors use to build which parts of the CSP and
CSSP.
DHS launched
the LTSS Improvement Tool on Oct. 30, 2017. It is now available in the
MnCHOICES Support Plan application. This launch is the first phase of the LTSS
Improvement Tool. It focuses on the person’s experience with his or her coordinated
service and support plan (CSSP) and service provider.
DHS has
archived the training webinar on the Disability Services Division training
archive.
You may send
questions about the LTSS Improvement Tool by email to DSD.ResponseCenter@state.mn.us.
Please
review these important dates regarding the transition from rates calculation
being completed in the SSIS application to the MnCHOICES Support Plan
application. Being aware of these dates and following the instructions below
will assist your agency in a smooth transition of calculating rates in the
MnCHOICES Support Plan application.
- Lead agencies need to have all 2017 service
authorizations, (including December 2017 authorizations) in approved status in
MMIS by Dec. 8, 2017. Lead agencies must also complete all 2017 Rates
Management System (RMS) calculations by Dec. 8, 2017. Lead agencies may
complete the rates calculations either via SSIS-RMS or in the MnCHOICES Support
Plan application.
- If 2017
services are not in approved status in MMIS on Dec. 8, 2017, the services will
not be included on the RMS banding file for 2018. This could create a
significant increase in administrative work for your lead agency. Service rates
that are not in authorized status on Dec. 8, 2017, may require manual banding
to calculate 2018 rates. RMS in the SSIS platform will not be available for
January 2018 rate calculations. SSIS-RMS sunsets on Dec. 15, 2017. After Dec.
8, 2017, you must calculate any rates in the MnCHOICES Support Plan
application.
- The Rates Management System will not be
available in SSIS or the MnCHOICES Support Plan application between Dec. 9 and 18,
2017, to allow the system programming required for legislative rate changes. During
this time, lead agencies will not be able to calculate service rates.
Last fall,
we completed meetings with lead agencies across the state to discuss users’
experiences with MnCHOICES 1.0. We discussed both experiences with the
MnCHOICES 1.0 technology and with interpreting policy meaning within questions.
At those meetings, several agencies volunteered to take part in additional work
on the MnCHOICES 2.0 project.
Since then, we
have held several meetings with those volunteers who make up the Lead Agency
Planning Workgroup. We continue to work with these volunteers and other lead agency
staff on the form and function they would like to see in the application.
As we move
into the next steps of MnCHOICES Assessment 2.0 development, we are seeking
your help. We need users who work in the Assessment application to serve as
prototype testers for parts of MnCHOICES 2.0. If you’re interested in being a
prototype tester, please let your supervisor know and ask him or her to send a
list of volunteers from your agency along with each person’s email address,
phone number and how each uses the application.
Among the benefits
of MnCHOICES 2.0:
For recipients
- Focus
on the person and what is important to him or her instead of moving through a
checklist of questions and answers
- Improved
interview experience
- Increased
clarity about the process and path forward
For lead agencies
- Clearer
definitions that promote consistent practice and support ongoing training
- Faster,
streamlined tool that reduces interview time
- Saves
time, reducing redundant documentation
For state of Minnesota
- Clarifies
roles and promotes consistency across lead agencies
- Consistent
and accurate data
DHS has
posted or updated the following MnCHOICES-related publications and forms in the
eDocs library:
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DHS-2828A-ENG, Long-Term Services and Supports
Notice of Action (Assessments and Reassessments)
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DHS-2828B-ENG, Long-Term Services and Supports
Notice of Action (Service Plan)
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DHS-3427-ENG, LTC Screening Document – AC, BI,
CAC, CADI, ECS, EW, MHM, MSC+, MSHO, SNBC
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DHS-3428-ENG, Minnesota Long Term Care
Consultation Services Assessment Form
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DHS-3428A-ENG, Minnesota Long-Term Care
Consultation Services Assessment Form: SW Section
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DHS-3531-ENG, Application for Medical Assistance
for Long-Term-Care Services (MA-LTC)
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DHS-6683-ENG, Essential Community Supports
Program (ECS) Financial Eligibility Worksheet for: Unmarried individuals,
Married couples when both are requesting ECS, Married couples – spouse served
under AC, EW, or in a nursing home
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DHS-6683A-ENG, Essential Community Supports
Program (ECS) Eligibility Worksheet for a Married Individual when only one
spouse is requesting services
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DHS-6826-ENG, Essential
Community Supports (ECS) Financial Disclosure Form
- For
previous issues of MnCHOICES Matters or other MnCHOICES assessment and support
planning resources, please visit our CountyLink page.
- For
more information about assessment and support planning, please visit the Community-Based Services Manual (CBSM).
For more information about MnCHOICES, visit us on the DHS
website. For technical assistance about MnCHOICES, visit us on CountyLink.
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