Minnesota Minnesota

Community-Based Services Manual (CBSM)

Community-Based Services Manual (CBSM)


Community living assistance (CLA)

Page posted: 12/29/14

Page reviewed: 11/22/24

Page updated: 11/22/24

Legal authority

Essential Community Supports (ECS) program (Minn. Stat. §256B.0922, subd. 1(b)(6)(vi))

Definition

Community living assistance (CLA): Assistance and support to help a person live in the community.

Eligibility

To be eligible for CLA, a person must be eligible for the ECS program and have identified need(s) for assistance and support that CLA can address. This service is designed to supplement existing supports and services.

Covered services

Community living assistance (CLA) covers:

  • · Assistance with basic living tasks and social skills.
  • · Assistance with household management.
  • · Health maintenance cueing to ensure the person follows treatments according to orders issued by appropriately licensed professionals.
  • · Problem-solving support.
  • · Well-being monitoring (e.g., check-ins).

    • Examples

    Assistance with basic living tasks and social skills may include:

  • · Help accessing community resources (e.g., transportation, employment, housing).
  • · Help socializing with friends and family.
  • · Help with interpersonal communication.
  • · Reminders for activities of daily living (ADLs).
  • · Support to develop and/or maintain informal support systems.

    • Assistance with household management may include:

  • · Basic assistance with technology to support community living.
  • · Help making lists (e.g., grocery, cleaning).
  • · Help making appointments and managing a calendar.
  • · Help applying for and maintaining benefits.
  • · Help reading and responding to mail.
  • · Help budgeting and managing money.
  • · Review of the person’s environment and recommending changes to address risk factors (e.g., loose rugs, obstructions, sharp corners).

    • Health maintenance cueing may include:

  • · Coordination of or assistance with medication refills.
  • · Coordination with the lead agency case manager about health issues as identified in the support plan.
  • · Cues to support the person’s self-administration of medication.

    • Non-covered services

    CLA does not cover:

  • · Assistance and support that does not address a need identified in the person's support plan.
  • · Companionship.
  • · Nursing care.
  • · Services provided by people related to the person by blood, marriage or adoption (e.g., spouse, children, parents, stepparents, siblings, stepsiblings, grandparents).
  • · Transportation (neither staff time nor mileage).
  • · Communication with the prescriber or nurse, including communication about medication concerns, side effects, adverse reactions, effectiveness or the person's refusal to take medication.
  • · Medication preparation, set-up, administration or documentation.
  • · Services that replace or duplicate existing supports and services or those available through other funding sources (e.g., private insurance or veteran’s insurance benefits).

    • Settings

    The person can receive CLA in the following locations:

  • · Community settings typically used by the general public.
  • · Their home.
  • · Their place of employment.
  • · Via remote communication (e.g., phone, internet).

    • Either the person or the provider can initiate contact via remote communication. The person must receive CLA services in person at least once every three months, unless indicated more frequently in the support plan.

    Provider standards and qualifications

    A CLA provider must be enrolled as a Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP) provider and either:

    1. Have a basic or comprehensive home care license under Minn. Stat. Ch. 144A.

    2. Be excluded from having a 144A license if the individual provider delivers services to a person who is unrelated to them and:

  • · The staff meets the qualifications below.
  • · The lead agency approves the provider. For more information, refer to CBSM – Lead agency oversight of waiver/AC approval-option service vendors.

    • Staff qualifications

    Staff who provide CLA services must have the following in their employee record:

  • · Background study.
  • · Data privacy training.

    • In addition, staff must be able to:

  • · Communicate effectively with the person about tasks, preferences and concerns (either directly or via an interpreter).
  • · Follow the person's individualized support plan.
  • · Identify and address emergencies, including calling for assistance.
  • · Meet the needs identified in the person's support plan.
  • · Read, write and follow written and verbal instructions.
  • · Recognize the need for and provide assistance, or arrange for appropriate assistance.
  • · Understand, respect and maintain confidentiality.
  • · Understand the mandated reporting requirements under Minn. Stat. §626.557.
  • · Work independently.

    • Authorization, rates and billing

    The lead agency authorizes CLA services provided:

  • · In person at the pre-determined, 15-minute rate.
  • · Via remote communication at either the pre-determined, 15-minute rate or daily rate.

    • If authorizing both remote and in-person services on the same day, use the 15-minute rate. If only authorizing remote services, use the daily rate.

    For more information, refer to Long-Term Services and Supports Service Rate Limits, DHS-3945 (PDF) and CBSM – Rate methodologies for AC, ECS and EW.

    Additional resources

    CBSM – ECS
    CBSM – Lead agency oversight of waiver/AC approval-option service vendors
    CBSM – Rate methodologies for AC, ECS and EW

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