A new MnCHOICES vendor partner
We are excited to announce that the Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) team selected FEI Systems to partner with us on the MnCHOICES Revision project. The contract was executed on Sept. 14 and we will begin working with FEI Systems on Sept. 21. We have content approved to begin discussions with FEI Systems, because of the valuable prep-work we accomplished with our lead agency partners. In addition, the MnCHOICES and MNIT team is currently developing process maps to onboard the new vendor. We appreciate the time and feedback the lead agencies gave to provide guidance on content for the MnCHOICES revision.
As we begin work on the MnCHOICES revision with FEI Systems and continue the application platform migration with MNIT, we will reduce our work on the current MnCHOICES Assessment (MnA) and Support Plan (MnSP) applications to work stoppage issues, legislative changes and rates updates. We will not schedule any additional planned releases for basic defect and enhancement work. Our last scheduled releases for defect and enhancement work will be Sept. 11 for MnA and Sept. 25 for MnSP. This decision allows us to focus our work efforts on the MnCHOICES revision and the application platform migration.
Silverlight migration to WPF
As part of the revised MnCHOICES process, we plan to migrate the application platform for MnA from Silverlight to Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF). With the end of Silverlight support in October 2021, this migration to WPF is critical to reduce security risks and browser limitations but will have a similar look and feel with increased stability. The migration to a more stable and secure platform for the current application is a benefit to users while we work with the vendor on building the revised MnCHOICES. To ensure a smooth transition with minimal impact to workflow and functionality, we will be contacting lead agencies to request participation in a pilot of the new platform before migrating to WPF. We anticipate the migration will occur in first quarter of 2021. Visit the MnCHOICES Assessment (MnA) migration from Microsoft Silverlight to Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) document on MnCHOICES CountyLink for more details about the transition to WPF.
The RS Tool is launched
The Department of Human Services (DHS) launched the Elderly Waiver Residential Services (RS) Tool into the MnCHOICES Support Plan production zone (MnSP-PROD) on Monday, Aug. 3. We are excited about the implementation of the RS Tool into MnSP-PROD. All lead agencies should be using the RS Tool to calculate customized living and foster care rates for people accessing the Elderly Waiver. Mentors should report any MnSP RS Tool problems to the MnCHOICES help desk immediately.
Starting September 1, DHS will no longer accept Customized Living (CL) workbooks created after August 3. The Aging and adult services team (AASD) updated the DHS Elderly Waiver Residential Services webpage to include technical and training information about the RS tool. AASD also removed the workbooks from this page and added resource links to MnCHOICES CountyLink.
Thank you for your partnership to make this launch a success!
Inactive user reports
At this time, the MnCHOICES team will not provide inactive user reports to lead agencies for MnA or MnSP because our team resources are focused on working with the new vendor on the MnCHOICES revision. Inactive passwords time out after 30 days for MnA and 90-days for MnSP.
For MnA lead agencies that use SSIS, submit password resets and staff changes/access removal requests to your SSIS administrator. For MnA F1 agencies, submit your User Request Form to the MnCHOICES help desk.
For MnSP, only security liaisons can request password resets and access requests.
New page name on MnCHOICES CountyLink: DWRS and EWRS Tool
Visitors to the MnCHOICES CountyLink page will see a new page available with the launch of the RS Tool. The new page is titled DWRS and EWRS Tool.
 Launch materials will remain on the Support Plan page through October 31, 2020. After that, users can find RS Tool resources on the new DWRS and EWRS Tool page.
MnSP best practice: Document when the rate plan is sent to the person
In the March 2020 MnCHOICES Matters newsletter, we noted that it is important for users to document when the CSSP is sent to the person. With the release of the new RS Tool, we wanted to communicate that it is also important for users to document when the RS Tool is sent to the person. Users should use the “Date this document was mailed” field in the About Plan tab also to document when a rate plan is sent. This meets documentation requirements for LAR.
The following publications, forms and CBSM pages are new or have been updated and are now available in eDocs:
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DHS-3427-ENG LTC Screening Document — AC, BI, CAC, CADI, ECS, EW, MHM, MSC+, MSHO
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DHS-6633A-ENG CDCS Community Support Plan Addendum with 2020-21 Budget Increase
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DHS-6633B-ENG CDCS Enhanced Budget Request and Community Support Plan Addendum
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DHS-6791A-ENG MnCHOICES Community Support Plan Worksheet
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DHS-6791B-ENG MnCHOICES Community Support Plan with Coordinated Services and Supports Form
DSD Training News and Information Page – FREE CLU’s!
Read about and register for DSD-sponsored trainings or visit TrainLink. Register using TrainLink: you must have a unique key to register and receive credit for trainings.
- Go to TrainLink
- Select Sign On in the upper right hand corner
- Enter your unique key
- Click on Find a Course
- Under Category choose: All Disability Services Division Courses
- Click the search button
- Click the Select button for a course of interest
- Click on the Course Content tab
- Select Start to begin the course
NEW Supporting my move: A case manager's role | Self-paced online course
This course guides disability waiver case managers through their role and responsibilities in supporting a person to find a new home. The training is on demand and you can register through TrainLink. Visit the session information page for more details.
MnCHOICES Home page
Communication and webinars page
- MnCHOICES Matters July 2020
- Assessment 20.7.1 Release Notes & Companion Document
- Support Plan 20.8.1 Release Notes & Companion Document
Help Desk page
- MnCHOICES Assessment Known Issues v20.7
- MnCHOICES Support Plan Known Issues v20.8.1
Mentors page
- Office hours conference calls
- Release and Outage Schedule
DWRS and EWRS Tool page (new page name)
Support Plan page
- MCO Tool to add a person to the MnCHOICES database
Training page
- Statewide List of Certified Assessors (XLS) (Updated July 2020)
The Known Issues list is a compilation of items that have been reported to the MnCHOICES team. We created the list to identify issues and provide workaround assistance for common items a user may encounter when working in the assessment or support plan. There are separate Known Issues documents for the Assessment and Support Plan.
As we find items we add them to the list with descriptions and workarounds. We remove resolved items from the list. These are short descriptions of the most recent additions and resolutions. For full descriptions, visit the MnCHOICES CountyLink Help Desk page.
MnCHOICES Assessment Known issues
Added:
- (NEW 8/26/2020) Users make changes to address, click Update Person button and notification box displays stating “No Data Changes to Save”
Resolved:
- Person Information - Updates to remove demographic Information are not successful
- Person Information – Data does not populate into a reassessment
- Field value does not display
MnCHOICES Support Plan Known issues
Added:
- (NEW 8/3/2020) Funding Source field automatically defaults to AC Program regardless of the Agreement Type selected
Resolved:
- No goals to print but “xrRichTextGoalStatement” displays
Visit the Community-Based Services Manual often for a list of policies and pages we've recently updated. For a list of changes, visit the What’s New page.
DHS recently added or made updates to the Community-Based Services Manual (CBSM) about:
- Residential habilitation services
- Crisis respite
- Caregiver living expenses
- Environmental accessibility adaptations (EAA)
- Waiver/AC programs overview
- Adult companion services
- Introduction to Aging and Adult Services Division (AASD)
- Certified Relocation Service Coordination – Targeted Case Management private providers
- Long Term Care Consultation
- Waiver/AC provider overview
- DSD Regional Resource Specialists
- Home Care Nursing
- Corporate foster care moratorium liaison contact list
- Family training and counseling
- Transportation
For more information about MnCHOICES, visit us on the DHS website. For technical assistance about MnCHOICES, visit us on CountyLink.
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