MnCHOICES Assessment and Support Plan

The MnCHOICES Assessment and Support Plan applications are part of a multiyear effort by the Department of Human Services to transform long-term services and supports for people with disabilities and older adults in Minnesota.

The MnCHOICES team, Minnesota IT Services, internal and external partners are working together to improve the applications and the assessment and support-planning process. As progress continues, the MnCHOICES team will provide updates and information about the work on this site.

Overview
Applications
History
News and updates
More information

MnCHOICES is a comprehensive web-based application that integrates assessment and support planning for Minnesotans who need long-term services and supports. MnCHOICES is for people of all ages who have any type of disability or need for long-term services and supports. MnCHOICES embraces a person-centered approach to ensure services meet each person's strengths, goals, preferences and assessed needs.
- The MnCHOICES Assessment application consolidates three different assessments: the Developmental Disabilities Screening, Long-Term Care Consultation and Personal Care Assistance Assessment.
- The MnCHOICES Support Plan application allows for a single, streamlined and comprehensive process to develop support plans, calculate rates and gather feedback from people about their experience with long-term services and supports (LTSS) via the LTSS Improvement Tool.
For more information, see the MnCHOICES fact sheet (PDF) and the MnCHOICES Community-Based Services Manual (CBSM) pages.
MnCHOICES Assessment application

Certified assessors use the MnCHOICES Assessment application to determine program and service eligibility for people. The assessment process is a person-centered, face-to-face discussion with people to gather information about their needs.

MnCHOICES Support Plan application

The MnCHOICES Support Plan application uses MnCHOICES assessment information to help the certified assessor summarize the information discovered during the assessment process and communicate next steps to the person. If the person goes on to receive publicly funded services, the support planner works with the person to develop a plan to deliver services based on the person’s needs and preferences.

LTSS Improvement Tool

DHS has designed a way 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. We are 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 us to make improvements to the service system. Visit the Frequently asked questions about the LTSS Improvement Tool webpage for more information.
DHS identified the need for improvement in the long-term services and supports assessment process, including eligibility determination and support plan development. DHS had several reasons to update the long-term services and supports assessment process. One significant reason was to eliminate the need for multiple assessments for people to access appropriate supports and services. In addition, MnCHOICES was developed to:
- Support a person-centered approach in assessment and support planning
- Ensure consistency and equal access to services and supports statewide
- Provide better access to assessment data for programmatic and budgetary decisions
- Increase quality management
- Manage programs and services efficiently and effectively.
DHS launched MnCHOICES Assessment in 2013 and MnCHOICES Support Plan in 2016. The MnCHOICES team is working on a MnCHOICES application revision. This application redesign will incorporate needed changes identified by lead agencies, including feedback obtained at regional meetings from August to October 2016.
Sept. 12, 2019: The MnCHOICES team provides an Elderly Waiver Residential Services Tool update. We are working with Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) to gather requirements for the tool. It will be ready for internal review and testing soon. Lead agencies will begin training in the new tool in May 2020 when it is available in the training zone. DHS will launch the tool for use by all lead agencies in August 2020.

Aug. 27, 2019: The MnCHOICES team provided lead agencies with an update on MnCHOICES. The MnCHOICES and MNIT teams have collected requirements in the request for proposal (RFP) process. It is in final review. The Department of Human Services (DHS) and MNIT will post the RFP in late 2019 or early 2020. During the RFP process, the MnCHOICES team is taking the opportunity to narrow the scope of our work to focus on enhancements to our current application. After we decide on the RFP decisione, we will resume our work gathering requirements and developing the next version of MnCHOICES.

July 24, 2019: The MnCHOICES team announces integration of the Elderly Waiver residential services tool into MnCHOICES Support Plan. DHS is working to incorporate the Elderly Waiver residential services tool into the MnCHOICES Support Plan application. Read the Memo re: Elderly Waiver Residential Services Tool and MnCHOICES Support Plan (PDF) for more information.

April 5, 2019: The MnCHOICES team notified lead agencies about an adjusted timeline for the MnCHOICES revision. The state has determined that the launch of the MnCHOICES revision, set for July 2019, must be delayed at least two years. We plan to determine whether there is a better path forward. This will include an RFP for an outside vendor to explore alternatives to our current path. It’s important that we take the time to ensure the MnCHOICES revisions are done right so that the new system works for everyone involved in the process.
- CBSM - MnCHOICES
- CountyLink - MnCHOICES
- MnCHOICES People We Serve website
- MnCHOICES eList, a free email subscription service offered by DHS and the MnCHOICES team. You will receive a one-way email notification periodically as new information is available. The anticipated audience for this email list is lead agencies, supervisors, managers and stakeholders of MnCHOICES. However, we welcome anyone who would like to subscribe. Subscribe to email announcements from MnCHOICES using this online form. Visit the MnCHOICES Communication page for past issues of the MnCHOICES Matters email newsletter.
- MnCHOICES Assessment: Steps to get help, DHS 7283 (PDF), answers the 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? And What are my rights? The document includes instructions to have the brochure read in different languages by telephone.