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Overview
A person of any age with a disability or in need of long-term services and supports may request a MnCHOICES assessment and support-planning process to help make decisions about their needs.
MnCHOICES incorporates MnCHOICES assessments, managed care health risk assessments, the support plans associated with both assessments and LTSS evaluation into one web-based application. The person’s MnCHOICES assessment responses determine eligibility for a number of public programs, including home and community-based waivers and personal care assistance.
The application uses an electronic rules-based system that ensures consistency and applies rules equally. The MnCHOICES application supports a person-centered approach to creating support plans to meet each person's strengths, goals, preferences and assessed needs.
The MnCHOICES application combines the work completed in the following legacy systems to facilitate the work of counties, tribal nations and managed care organizations (MCO) and the agencies they contract with:
- The MnCHOICES Assessment (MnA) application. DHS launched MnA in 2013. It consolidated three different assessments – the Developmental Disabilities Screening, Long-Term Care Consultation and Personal Care Assistance Assessment – into one application.
- The MnCHOICES Support Plan (MnSP) application. DHS launched MnSP in 2016. This system allowed for a single, streamlined and comprehensive process to develop support plans, calculate rates and gather feedback from people about their experience with LTSS via the LTSS Improvement Tool. DHS added the Elderly Waiver Residential Service Tool to the application in 2019.
- Legacy assessment and support planning tools and other assessment/support planning tools used by MCOs.
Lead agencies are beginning to use the new MnCHOICES application on a rolling basis. DHS will retire the MnA and MnSP at the end of the rolling launch.
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History
All lead agencies (counties, tribal nations and managed care organizations) use the revised MnCHOICES to increase efficiencies and consistency in assessment and support planning across the state. The MnCHOICES Revision supports compliance with federal and state regulations and statutes. This project is responsive to legislative direction in Minn. Stat. 256B.0911, subd. 32(b), directing the commissioner of human services to modify the MnCHOICES application and assessment policies to create efficiencies for lead agencies. The revision will use existing policy and practice to build upon and replace the original MnCHOICES applications (MnA and MnSP). It will provide greater support for:
- Person-centered assessment and support plan.
- A person’s informed choice in service and support planning.
- Elimination of duplicate/repetitive assessment questions.
- Shorter assessment times and faster access to services,
- Improved application response time.
- Reassessment workflow support.
- Business content management.
- User access management by lead agencies.
- Automated enforcement of data and security policy.
- Streamlined workflow/process between assessment and support plan.
- Real time guidance for user practice.
DHS has partnered with lead agencies in the development, testing and launch of the revised MnCHOICES application. Representatives from all lead agency types are part of the ongoing MnCHOICES Systems Governance Group and Input Group. The previous assessment and support planning tools will be retired, allowing for several months transition to minimize negative impact on lead agencies and people who receive services.
DHS will continue to improve MnCHOICES over time.
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Assessments
Certified assessors use the MnCHOICES assessment to determine program and service eligibility for people. A certified assessor meets with a person to gather information about their needs. A MnCHOICES assessment includes key elements managed care organizations need to complete a full health risk assessment. After the assessment is complete, the certified assessor reviews a summary of the assessment and provides referrals, resources and next steps.
The MnCHOICES assessment brochure, Steps to get help, DHS-7283 (PDF), answers the following questions:
- Where do I start?
- What is a MnCHOICES Assessment?
- How should I prepare?
- What will a certified assessor ask me?
- How will a MnCHOICES Assessment help?
- What happens after the assessment?
- What are my rights”.
The brochure is also available in several languages besides English:
Health risk assessment
MCO care coordinators use the MnCHOICES health risk assessment (HRA) to:
- Capture health care needs, health status and health risk factors.
- Gather information about a person’s needs in their daily life, both activities of daily living, or ADLs, and instrumental activities of daily living, also referred to as IADLs.
Care coordinators may not use an HRA to determine eligibility for waiver programs, Community First Services and Supports or Housing Stabilization Services. But the HRA does include items that may be used to refer the person for these programs and services.
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Support plans
There is a support plan associated with each of these assessments in the revised MnCHOICES application:
- MnCHOICES assessment: If the person receives publicly funded services, the worker develops a plan with the person to deliver services based on the person’s needs and preferences to support their life in their community.
- MnCHOICES MCO assessment: The care coordinator works with the person to develop a plan to deliver long term care and health care services based on the person’s needs and preferences. It also ensures the services provided by managed care are incorporated into a person’s plan, provides the person with key information they can refer back to about the types and frequency of support from their care coordinator and when they should contact their care coordinator.
- MnCHOICES health risk assessment: The care coordinator works with the person to develop a plan to deliver health care services designed to meet the needs and preferences of the person and to support the person to live as independently as possible. The care coordinator also ensures the services provided by managed care are incorporated into a person’s plan, provides the person with key information they can refer to about the types and frequency of support from their care coordinator and when they should contact their care coordinator.
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LTSS Improvement Tool
DHS has designed a tool to gather feedback about people's experience with long-term services and supports in Minnesota. Case managers and certified assessors use it to gather feedback from older adults and people with disabilities who receive long-term services and supports. DHS is measuring quality to ensure that the needs of people with disabilities and older adults are met. Gathering annual feedback about how services and supports work for each person helps DHS to improve services.
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More information
eList announcements
News on the status of MnCHOICES is coordinated through the Aging and Adult Services Division (AASD) and the Disability Services Division (DSD) eLists, as well as the MnCHOICES eList.
View past updates:
Subscribe to an eList on the DHS Email subscriptions page.
Employees and contractors for lead agencies (counties, tribal nations and managed-care organizations) may sign up for email updates related to the MnCHOICES assessment and support-planning system, including the MnCHOICES Matters electronic newsletter, memos, system statuses, etc. To sign up for the MnCHOICES eList, fill out this online form.
On the web
