DHS Systems and IT Updates MnCHOICES

MnCAT Step 4 – Recertification: Instructions

9/1/22

Recertification purpose

Provide instructions and guidance on the requirements for recertification of certified assessors as required by Minn. Stat. §356B.0911, Subd. 2c.

Background

DHS certifies an assessor for three years. Any time after that, their certification is considered expired. An assessor can only recertify before their certificate expires. The continual training done by social workers, public health nurses and registered nurses was used as the model for the MnCHOICES recertification requirements.

Definitions

Completed: When a certificate is printed and signed.

Continued learning units (CLUs): Measurement of time dedicated to learning/training. (1 CLU = 1 hour)

Lapsed assessor: When the certificate of an assessor is no longer valid; typically the day after the certificate end date.

Certificate dates affect user access in the revised MnCHOICES application

The MnCHOICES system uses TrainLink data to determine when an assessor’s certification has lapsed — one day after the certificate end date. The assessor will only have read-only access for MnCHOICES assessments. An assessor may experience access delays if their certificate to lapses, even for one day. See the Getting recertified after your certificate lapses section.

Importance of continued learning

Assessors who participate in continued learning activities should find meaning in these opportunities. Participants can enhance their professional knowledge and skills in a way that improves their daily practice as a MnCHOICES certified assessor.

Certified assessors:

• Conduct person-centered needs assessment interviews.
• Develop person-centered community support plans.
• Participate in a multidisciplinary team of support professionals.

Certified assessors must also continue to increase their knowledge, skill and ability to perform their primary job responsibilities at the high level.

Continued learning units

DHS encourages certified assessors to improve their knowledge, skills and abilities in several ways. Assessors must acquire 45 CLUs during the three years for which their certificate is valid to become recertified.

A continued learning unit:

- Helps a MnCHOICES certified assessor improve their professional skills.

- Enhances the assessor’s skills to:

• Conduct person-centered needs assessment interviews.
• Develop person-centered community support plans.

- Enriches the assessor’s capacity to participate as a valued member of the agency’s multidisciplinary team.

Topics

An assessor can pursue CLUs in several subject areas, but any activity must improve thier performance as a MnCHOICES certified assessor. DHS encourages assessors to consider the following areas vital to professional development and to include them during each three-year window to complete recertification:

Communication and interviewing.

Includes, but not limited to:

• Conversational interview skills.
• Recognize personal biases and preconceptions to minimize misunderstandings.
• Body language.
• Cultural differences (age, disability, social role, etc.).

Long-term service and support populations

Includes, but not limited to:

• Study of a specific diagnosis/condition and how it affects daily living. (Diabetes, hearing loss, multiple sclerosis, depression, autism, etc.)
• Study of other relevant topics. (Aging, brain injury, developmental disabilities, being medically fragile, adults with disabilities, children with special needs, etc.)

Resources for targeted referrals

Includes, but not limited to:

• Public financial resources. (Medical Assistance, Alternative Care waiver, Family Support Grant (FSG), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Social Security, veteran’s benefits, etc.)
• Community resources. (Lions club, food shelf, transportation, Salvation Army, Bridging Inc., relocation/transition services, online resources, etc.)
• More evaluation and assessment. (Rule 185, mental health, physical therapy, occupational therapy, special education, etc.)

Person-centered skills for practitioners

Includes, but not limited to:

• The role of traditions and routines.
• Health and safety issues while supporting individual choice and control.
• Role of person-centered practices in support planning.

Person-centered practice

At least 12 of the required 45 CLUs must help to improve the ability of an assessor to practice in a more person-centered way. The University of Minnesota’s Institute for Community Integration offers courses to help people, providers, practitioners and administrators gain an understanding about person-centered thinking and planning. Neither the title of the activity, nor its content is required to contain the phrase “person-centered” to meet the criteria of improving a person-centered practices.

Person-centered practices is not a just a phrase. It is an assessment and planning approach that helps people with disabilities or people who are aging to:

• Share desires and goals.
• Learn about and consider different options for support.
• Provide meaningful input during the assessment and planning process.
• Make informed choices.

Certified assessors should think about each learning activity to determine if it meets the requirements to improve their person-centered practices. Activities that count as a CLU should help an assessor:

• Make it easier for a person to visualize and share their desires and goals.
• Know of several potential resources and options for each person’s situation.
• Put people at ease when engaged in difficult conversations.
• Help a person feel confident when they make a choice and that the person understands all aspects of the decision.

There is a CLU decision tree to help determine if a learning activity will count as a CLU.

CLU Unit length

A CLU accounts for one hour (60 minutes) of an eligible activity. If a qualifying learning event is shorter or longer than an hour, credit is awarded by rounding up or down to the nearest quarter hour.

If a qualified activity is 15 minutes long, the event can be documented as 0.25 CLUs. If an qualified event is 20 minutes long, it also equals 0.25 CLUs.

In most cases, 15 CLUs are awarded for one semester of a college-level course, and a college-level course lasting one quarter equals 10 CLUs.

Types of learning activities

Each assessor is responsible to determine if an activity meets the CLU requirements. DHS recommends that certified assessors take part in a variety of learning activities during each three-year period between recertification. The list, which is not all-inclusive, shows examples of potential qualified learning activities:

• An in-person or virtual training provided by a qualified presenter for the subject matter.
• Online training provided by a recognized organization. (DHS, trade associations, institutes of higher learning, etc.)
• Training session on assessment/support planning, long-term services and supports, specific diagnosis, etc., developed and presented by the assessor.
• Publication of an article or book, including submission of a professional paper.
• A work-related quality-improvement project in which they participated, like a focus group with people who need/use long-term services and supports.
• Participant in a data-analysis/research project about assessment/support planning for long-term services and supports.
• Serve as a coach for a qualified candidate or new certified assessor to share important strategies that will help him or her through training/certification or begin his or her certified assessor career.
• Independent study by reading books, online resources, journal articles and other professional publications.

CLU documentation

MnCHOICES certified assessors must keep records to prove that activities entered in the TrainLink recertification course are qualified for CLU credit. Important information includes:

• Dates, times and locations of training events/college courses, and also the name and qualifications of the presenter, agendas and learning objectives
• Names of online courses, learning objectives, length of time to complete, dates attended and the organization that provided the course. (Include a URL, if possible)
• Copy of the training/instruction or job tools/aids the assessor developed, justification for the project and time/dates when work was done on the project.
• Copy of published article(s)/book(s), explanation why the piece was written, the intended audience(s) and time/dates spent on the project.
• Copy of professional paper(s) that were turned in, justification why the paper was written, intended audiences, outcomes and time/dates worked on project.
• Description of quality-improvement project(s) in which the assessor participated, their role in the project(s), why they agreed to participate, outcomes (what changed) and time/dates spent on project.
• Description of data-analysis/research project(s), the assessor’s role, why they chose to participate, results/outcomes and time/dates worked on the project.
• Description of topics researched/evaluated, explanation to why the assessor wanted to learn more about the topic(s), research/evaluation methods, lessons learned and time/dates worked on project.
• Name of the coached qualified candidate(s)/certified assessor(s), the information that was shared, the assessors approach as a coach/advisor, evaluation or comments on what was learned from the qualified candidate/certified assessor that was coached and the time/dates spent coaching.
• Description of the community of practice, approximate number of attendees at regularly scheduled meetings, information learned about alternative practices, information provided by the assessor and time/dates of meeting(s) attended.
• Description of professional board connected to long-term services and supports on which the assessor serves and agenda(s) of regularly scheduled meeting(s).

Note: A cover sheet to help provide the information is available. This cover sheet is not required, but is a convenience to help support an assessor’s memory in the event of an audit. If an assessor decides to use it, a cover sheet should be attached to each CLU.

Complete recertification

Recertification is not complete until the certificate issued through TrainLink (course MNCH8020) is signed.

Assessor recertification timelines

The basic certification/recertification cycle (occurs every three years):

1. New certified assessors should print thier certificate and get it signed by the proper supervisor.

2. While the assessor’s certification remains valid, complete, record and document recertification CLUs.

3. Ask a supervisor to review your recertification CLUs.

4. Print the recertification certificate and have it signed by your supervisor.

5. Begin work on CLUs for recertification while the current certificate is valid.

TrainLink: MnCAT Step 4 Recertification (MNCH8020)

1. Enter all assessor recertification CLUs in this course and generate a new certificate.

The course includes:

— Instructions (required): This module trains an assessor on completing the recertification process in this course using a corresponding set of modules.

— Recertification documentation: This is where the assessor enters their CLUs. Input the name of the activity, and provide a description that tells how the activity meets the CLU requirements in the comments area.

— Recertification certificate: This module pulls previous certificate dates from the MnCHOICES database and issues a new certificate.

2. CLUs must be completed within the current certificate’s start and end date.

— Assessors can complete the recertification process before the end of the three-year period.

— To enter additional continued learing activities beyond the 45 CLUs for recertification:

• Do not enter CLUs that exceed the required 45 into the next recertification module. This module will contain CLUs that are earned during the assessors next three-year certification period. If an activity’s data is not entered into the correct time period, the assessor will receive an error message from TrainLink.
• TrainLink’s Self Reporting Training section: Assessors can record CLU activities that exceed the required 45 hours in the TrainLink self-reported training section.
• CLUs are meant to improve an assessor’s current practices, therefore CLU’s must be completed during the timeframe of the most recent valid certificate.

3. The assessor must save supporting documents.

4. The assessor prints the certificate and reviews their CLUs with an supervisor/mentor.

5. If an assessor’s supervisor/mentor approves the CLUs, they will co-sign the certificate to make it valid.

Lead agency supervisor/manager

To make sure assessors can continue their MnCHOICES Assessment work, review the status of an assessor’s certification.

• Before the revised MnCHOICES application is launched: Look at the statewide list of certified assessors. It is updated each quarter of the year and is available on CountyLink.

• After the revised MnCHOICES application is launched: Select “Reports and Access” in the application’s navigation header. Then open the assessor certification expiring soon report and/or the assessor certification status report.

1. Check that the assessor has the correct recertification materials (List, portfolio and certificate).

2. Determine there are at least 45 CLUs to meet the recertification requirement, including the mandatory person-centered practice CLUs noted above.

3. Tell the assessor if the CLUs are approved

— If a supervisor/mentor determines the portfolio does not contain 45 qualifying CLUs or the mandatory courses about person-centered practices CLUs are not present:

• Review the portfolio with the assessor and explain why you can not co-sign the recertification.
• If the assessor still has time before their current certification ends, help the assessor plan how they will earn the required CLUs before the expiration deadline.
• If the assessor meets the requirements before their current certification expires, co-sign the newly issued certificate.
• Take steps to help the assessor meet the recertification requirements or guide the person toward a more suitable position in the agency.

— If an assessor meets all the recertification requirements, have them print the certificate which will be signed by a supervisor. As noted above, an assessor whose certification has lapsed can not administer a MnCHOICES assessment.

The revised MnCHOICES application will mark an assessor whose certification has lapsed on the day their certificate expires. In this case, an assessor who updates their certification record in TrainLink must wait until the next day for their system access to be returned.

4. If the assessor met the recertification requirements, a supervisor may want to highlight CLUs that were significant to the professional growth of a MnCHOICES certified assessor.

5. DHS recommends that supervisors review individual strengths and areas for growth with assessors during annual performance evaluations. The supervisor should work with the assessor to make a professional development plan, including recommended CLU topics and activities to pursue.

Getting recertified after a lapse

When an assessor does not complete the recertification process within the required timeframe, thier MnCHOICES certification expires/lapses.

• A certified assessor will be marked expired in the revised MnCHOICES system the day after the end date shown on their certificate.
• The assessor will have read-only access for MnCHOICES Assessments.
• After the certified assessor completes the TrainLink recertification (MNCH8020), by entering their CLUs, and prints the new certificate, the database is updated.
• Certificate dates are loaded into MnCHOICES each night.
• An assessor will experience delays in accessing the system if their certifications lapse, even for one day.
• If an assessor’s certification lapses for more than 365 days, the assessor needs to retake and complete MnCAT steps 1 through 3 in TrainLink.

How to minimize access delays

Monitor the certification status of the assessors certification in the agency to ensure thier certifications do not lapse – see the lead agency supervisor/manager section.

Report errors in certificate dates or TrainLink issues as soon as possible with the help desk contact form (DHS-6979).

Audit

Record retention

Recertification records are subject to audit by DHS and must be maintained for at least three years following recertification.

For example:

• Recertification issued on Nov. 1, 2016, is effective until Nov. 1, 2019.
• The portfolio currently holds documents about CLUs completed between Nov. 1, 2013, and Nov. 1, 2016.
• Maintain the portfolio and make its contents available, upon request, until Nov. 1, 2019.

Correcting assessor CLUs

• A certified assessor may be asked to correct their recertification data.
• Recertification data can be removed by DHS if it does not comply with the content requirements or if a CLU activity did not occur during the time frame that the most current certificate was valid. DHS will notify the mentor/supervisor that an assessor’s data was removed and why.