Functional Assessments

Revised: December 20, 2023

A Functional Assessment (FA) is a requirement for the following services (click the links for service-specific guidelines):

· Adult Mental Health Targeted Case Management (AMH-TCM) and Children’s Mental Health Targeted Case Management (CMH-TCM)

· Adult Rehabilitative Mental Health Services (ARMHS)

· Assertive Community Treatment (ACT)

· Adult Day Treatment

· Dialectical Behavior Therapy Intensive Outpatient Program (DBT-IOP)

· Intensive Residential Treatment Services (IRTS)

· Intensive Rehabilitative Mental Health Services (IRMHS)

· Children’s Intensive Behavioral Health Services (CIBHS)

Some of the services in the preceding list are subject to Uniform Service Standards (USS). Under USS, license holders must complete the FA as described in Minnesota Statutes, 245I.10, subdivision 9. Services not subject to USS must follow Minnesota Statutes, 245.462, subdivision 11a, and Minnesota Statutes, 245.4871, subdivision 18a. The remainder of this manual section outlines the FA elements and guidance.

Instructions for completing a Functional Assessment (FA)

· Cultural and social values of the individual recipient must be considered.

· Complete an FA after reviewing the diagnostic assessment.

· Develop the FA with input from the person served, their family, and the person’s other natural supports.

· All domains must contain a narrative summary describing the how the person’s mental health symptoms impact their current level of functioning and include the strengths, challenges, resources; documentation of the results should be in the appropriate domains.

· Avoid repetition when conducting the assessment.

· Information should be current and specific. An initial FA should include historical status and functioning relevant to the person’s current status.

· Complete the FA after reviewing the diagnostic assessment and before developing specific program’s service plan or goals with the person served and their support.

Mental health clinics and mental health rehabilitation services: Medical necessity for all interventions must be directly linked to domains where there is a functional impairment impacted by the mental illness the person served possesses.

Functional Assessment (FA) Definitions

· Mental Health Symptoms: Current behavioral health diagnosis or diagnoses of the person.

· Mental Health Services: Behavioral health services currently utilized and additional service needs the person may utilize to support function.

· Use of Drugs and Alcohol: Use or misuse of drug or alcohol.

· Vocational (Jobs, Careers): Participation in purposeful vocational activity, include competitive, sustained employment or meaningful work.

· Educational: Participation in educational activities, include multiple learning environments.

· Social (including the use of leisure time): Social interactions and use of leisure time must be assessed.

· Interpersonal (including relationships with family): Interactions and relationships with family, close friends, or the community, include active and passive interactions.

· Self-Care and Independent Living Capacity: Participation in self-care and independent living activities.

· Medical: Ability to participate in and manage all aspects medical care.

· Dental: Ability to participate in dental care services and dental hygiene.

· Financial: Ability to understand and handle personal financial related activities.

· Housing: Ability to maintain stable housing.

· Transportation: Able to access and navigate transportation.

· Other: Optional domain to address any other areas where the person’s mental health symptoms impact their current level of functioning.

Training

FA training is offered through the Functional Assessment 101 online training course. Go to the Behavioral Health Learning Center TrainLink webpage, click on Course Catalog Search under Training Opportunities and type Functional Assessment 101 in the search box.

Functional Assessment 101 target objectives include providing a basic understanding of the purpose of the FA as well as providing guidance on how to complete the document. The target audience for the training includes, but is not limited to, staff working in the required services cited in the first paragraph of this webpage.

Legal References

Minnesota Statutes, 245I.10, subdivision 9
Minnesota Statutes, 245.4871, subdivision 18a
Minnesota Statutes, 245.462, subdivision 11a