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Page updated: 9/22/25

Legal authority

Minn. Stat. §256B.0911

Definitions

Initial assessment: An assessment completed for a person who is not currently receiving services through a waiver or other program. For more information, refer to CBSM – Assessment applicability and timelines.

Initial assessment review (IAR): An activity that takes place after an initial assessment when there has been a delay in opening to a waiver, Alternative Care (AC), Essential Community Supports (ECS) or Community First Services and Supports (CFSS). An IAR can:

Overview

Effective July 1, 2025, the Minnesota Legislature extended the validity of a MnCHOICES assessment from 60 days to 365 days to establish program eligibility. DHS developed the IAR as a way to implement this change. For more information refer to the April 1, 2025, eList announcement.

Applicability

If the lead agency determined the person has functional needs requiring a waiver, CFSS, AC or ECS program, but is not able to open them to the program within 60 days of an in-person assessment due to external factors, the lead agency can use an IAR to establish eligibility for:

The lead agency:

CFSS

When a person has an initial assessment and is waiting on external factors to access waiver services, the lead agency can authorize CFSS until they complete an IAR to open the person to a waiver.

Purpose

The IAR allows a lead agency to open a person to a program after the 60-day period following the in-person assessment when the person met all functional eligibility criteria but opening to program was delayed due to external factors.

External factors include, but are not limited to:

Who completes it

The lead agency that completed the person’s initial assessment also completes the IAR. This action supports the initial lead agency’s role to help the person navigate the public program system and access services. This is true even when there has been a change in the person’s county of residence (COR).

Exceptions for Minnesota Senior Health Options (MSHO)/Minnesota Senior Care Plus (MSC+) managed care organizations (MCOs)

The entity that completes the IAR depends on the person’s MCO enrollment and the effective date of the EW or CFSS span:

For more information about transfer scenarios, refer to MnCHOICES Lead Agency Transfer and Communication Form, DHS-6037 (PDF).

Timelines

Completing an IAR

The lead agency must complete an IAR within 365 days of the initial assessment. If the person’s eligibility is not determined within 365 days from the activity/action date of the IAR, the person must have a new in-person assessment to access programs and services.

The lead agency should not complete an IAR until all external factors are in place and the person is ready to open to a program. The lead agency must prioritize completing the IAR within 20 business days of being notified that the person can open to a program.

Effective date

When the lead agency completes an IAR within 365 days of the in-person assessment and the person meets all other eligibility criteria, the effective date used to open them to a program must be no earlier than the date of the in-person assessment and no later than 60 days from the IAR activity/action date. If the person must open more than 60 days from the IAR activity/action date, then the lead agency must complete another IAR.

Annual reassessment date

The timeline for completing required annual reassessments is based on the activity/action date of the last in-person initial assessment, not the IAR activity/action date. The waiver span created as a result of the IAR cannot exceed the month of the in-person assessment. For example, if a person received an initial assessment on Jan. 15, their waiver span cannot exceed Dec. 31.

Note: The lead agency can complete an IAR and an annual reassessment on the same day, if needed. This situation would only occur if the person’s IAR takes place in the 60 days before the end of the span. Care coordinators must check with their MCO about the MCO’s specific policy.

How to complete it

The lead agency must complete the IAR in direct communication with the person applying for services and/or the person’s representative. The lead agency may complete the IAR in person or remotely.

The certified assessor:

1. Completes the person’s initial assessment in MnCHOICES and moves the status to “Approved by MMIS.”

2. Enters the screening document and the result of the initial assessment into MMIS.

3. Completes any additional requirements of the assessment process.

4. Completes and sends the assessment summary and the notice of action to the person.

5. Receives notification that the person is ready to open to a program.

6. Contacts the person to conduct the IAR.

7. Creates a new MnCHOICES assessment form with an IAR assessment type.

8. Completes the IAR in MnCHOICES.

9. Enters the new screening document and the result of the IAR into MMIS.

10. Completes any additional requirements of the assessment process.

11. Completes and sends the new assessment summary and the notice of action.

Note: The lead agency does not need to complete the “Assessment and Program Acknowledgement,” including obtaining signatures, or complete the MnCHOICES Assessment Summary Worksheet, DHS 6791A (PDF) as part of the IAR.

Changes in needs

When the person indicates they had a change in their needs, the assessor may capture those changes as part of the IAR process.

Limitations

An IAR cannot:

· Be used when the activity date of the initial assessment was before July 1, 2025.

Expectations for follow-up

The lead agency is not required to follow up with the person at a regularly scheduled frequency. The assessor must ensure the person is aware of next steps, including who to call or email with questions and their contact information. The assessor shares this information at the time of the initial assessment using all the following methods:

The lead agency will continue to use LTC: Communication of LTSS Eligibility, DHS-5181 to communicate. The certified assessor uses the form to provide information to the eligibility worker about the results of the MnCHOICES assessment. The eligibility worker uses the form to inform the certified assessor immediately upon approval or denial of a person’s request for MA payment of LTC services and to provide information about a spenddown or waiver obligation.

65 years of age

A person who has an initial assessment at age 64 and is eligible for BI, CAC or CADI can choose to access these programs even if they are age 65 at the time of the IAR if all program eligibility (e.g., MA, certified disability) became effective while they were 64. The lead agency must use a result date before the person’s 65th birthday in the MnCHOICES assessment form to display accurate program eligibility.