AASD and DSD eList announcement

Date: June 11, 2024
To: Lead agency staff, service providers and other interested parties
From: DHS Aging and Adult Services and Disability Services divisions
Purpose: To provide an update on the MnCHOICES revision project and clarify instructions for assessment results and the consumer directed community supports (CDCS) budget methodology
Contact: MnCHOICES Help Desk Contact Form, DHS-6979

MnCHOICES revision project update about assessment results and CDCS budgets

DHS received lead agency feedback about MnCHOICES assessment results. When we developed the MnCHOICES revision assessment, we reviewed policy related to long-term care (LTC), developmental disabilities (DD) and home care. We considered policy intent and historical information when we developed the system rules that create budgets from the person’s answers in the assessment. After this review, we made necessary changes to the assessment to clarify the policy and improve accuracy of the intended thresholds for score values.

Lead agency actions

Due to the changes DHS made to the MnCHOICES assessment to clarify policy, a person’s score in the MnCHOICES revision assessment may differ from the legacy assessment even if their situation has not changed. The assessor must:

· Explain to the person that the new system determines scores based on current policies and regulations.

· Not change assessment scores without direction from DHS.

· Contact DHS for explanation about the difference between results using the MnCHOICES Help Desk Contact Form, DHS-6979.

DHS actions with CDCS budgets

DHS developed a formula to calculate CDCS budget amounts. The formula uses information from the person’s screening document and most recent assessment (i.e., long-term care consultation [LTCC] or MnCHOICES assessment).

DHS monitors all feedback about the MnCHOICES revision assessment and CDCS budgets. We will evaluate any system errors and track data to help direct any necessary changes to the system. We will communicate any changes we make to the MnCHOICES application.

For more information on CDCS budget methodology, refer to CDCS Manual – CDCS budgets.

More information

For general information about MnCHOICES, refer to DHS – MnCHOICES. For specific information about MnCHOICES updates, refer to PartnerLink – MnCHOICES.

Previous eList announcements

AASD LEAD AGENCY ARCHIVE | DSD LEAD AGENCY ARCHIVE | DSD STAKEHOLDER ARCHIVE