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The SSIS Business Operations and Training Unit would like to extend a warm welcome to Alex Mentes and Sarah Knoph.
Sarah Knoph is the new SSIS Learning & Development Supervisor. Sarah has been employed at DHS since 2018 including in the General Counsel’s Office, where she managed data and compliance reporting on the Jensen Settlement. Sarah also worked for the MN Department of Education where she acted as the Olmstead Plan Division Lead and Integrated Education Specialist. In this role Sarah provided classroom trainings on inclusion and special education for child welfare professionals, Discipline Incident Reporting System (DIRS), PACER representatives and other disability rights stakeholders. Sarah holds a Master’s degree in Special Education from Bethel University and a JD from University of St. Thomas School of Law.
Alex Mentes began her role as the new SSIS Manager Monday, May 16th. Alex has knowledge of and experience in many areas of the system – providing support for users, analyzing and reporting using data from the system, and system development. Alex’s experience also includes working as a social worker and case aide at the agency level.
A special thank you to Eric Kratt, SSIS Training Lead, and Melissa Meger, SSIS Fiscal Subject Matter Expert, for their dedication to SSIS over the past five years. Eric has accepted an opportunity with DHS Business Solutions effective June 20. Melissa left State service May 10. Best wishes to Eric and Melissa as they embark on their new adventures.
With the 22.2 SSIS release, changes were made to the Northstar Kinship Assistance Eligibility Determination, Northstar Adoption Assistance Eligibility Determination, Northstar Adoption Benefit Agreement, and Northstar Kinship Benefit Agreement. If your agency has any eligibility determinations that were confirmed prior to the 22.2 SSIS release (05/25/2022) and the benefit agreements were not created prior to this date, workers will need to contact the agency’s permanency records and eligibility consultant at DHS and ask them to set the eligibility determinations to inactive. If workers try to create a benefit agreement in SSIS it will not pull in all of the information because the benefit agreement is being created with the new template but the eligibility determination is with the old template and they are not compatible. Once the eligibility determination is inactivated, the worker will need to go into the Kinship or Child Ward folder and select the legally responsible agency. Once that is completed, a new eligibility determination can be created. The worker will need to complete a new eligibility determination in SSIS but they do not need to resend the paperwork. Once that is confirmed, the worker should have no issues with the benefit agreement.
We apologize for the confusion and extra steps that need to be taken to get this completed. We recognize workers are busy and the work they do is essential to child safety and permanency. If you have any questions, contact SSIS Help desk.
A new SSIS Guide for PSOP Workers module is now available on the SSIS Resource page under SSIS Worker Documentation . The module is a comprehensive stand-alone module specific to Parent Support Outreach Workers (PSOP) who work in SSIS. It includes a broad overview of general SSIS functionality, screens, and detailed specifics pertinent to PSOP workers using SSIS.
County and tribal nation staff must refrain from adding or making changes to Alternative Care (AC), Brain Injury (BI), Community Alternative Care (CAC), Community Access for Disability Inclusion (CADI), Developmental Disabilities (DD), Elderly Waiver (EW) and Essential Community Supports (ECS) service agreements from June 20-22, 2022, or until DHS gives lead agencies the all-clear message. Staff may enter screening documents during this time. DHS will enter rates in the Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) and run the automation process on June 22, 2022.
To learn more, see the full announcement here: Refrain from adding or making changes to MMIS service agreements.
The ‘Time to Initial Contact’ report located in SSIS>General reports is not yet updated with the exemption activity or new Child Maltreatment Report exemption field. In lieu of being able to use that report to review timeliness errors and potential missed exemption entries, DHS Research staff have updated the Tableau ‘Timeliness’ report to be used for this purpose. Agencies should access this link to use, find, review, and enter missed exemptions dated 7/1/21-2/23/22. The CW timeline exemption activity is scheduled to be inactivated in V22.3 making it unavailable for use in late entries as of that release. SSIS Mentors should contact the SSIS Help Desk if assistance is needed.
Don't miss the opportunity to learn about the identification and treatment of child abuse and neglect from both regional and national experts. The Child Abuse Summit is designed to provide professionals from all disciplines with the knowledge, tools, and skills to identify and treat all types of child maltreatment, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect. This event is scheduled for August 22 – 24, 2022. Additional information and registration details can be found here.
SSIS users are invited to register for upcoming coffee talk webinars. Registration is required for each session and will close one hour prior to the event. Questions are appreciated in advance and should be directed to the SSIS Help Desk.
Webinars will be recorded and posted to the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy (MNCWTA) website following each event.
IVE and SSIS
Tuesday, June 21, 2022
9:00 – 10:30 a.m.
Register at: https://umn.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_V58sGIqVR6ak2C1moQiVSw
Training opportunities for new SSIS users or those seeking a refresher are now available to SSIS users. Courses are great for those new to SSIS or those seeking a refresher. Click the topic below for course descriptions, schedules and registration information.
SSIS webinar materials and previous recordings can be found on the MCWTA site.
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