Not Yet Compliant with HCBS Standards? Use New Assurance Templates

Posted on August 22, 2018 by Bobbie Guidry

If you are a Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) provider not yet compliant with the HCBS Settings Rule, two new assurance templates from the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) will help you meet attestation requirements and get in compliance with the new standards. 

There has been some confusion from providers since the templates were distributed. The following information will help clarify the intended audience and use of the templates. 

Did the templates go to everyone?

No. The templates were distributed to providers who are not yet compliant with the standards from the DHS reviewer’s perspective. 

If the same information was submitted for all sites in an organization, why did not all sites receive the new request?

There are different factors for why some sites may not be in compliance even though providers submitted the information for all sites in an organization. For example, not all sites were reviewed by the same reviewer or there may be technical issues such as database issues or failure to send attachments. 

How do we know which areas DHS finds us lacking so we don’t change the wrong practice?

Areas of concern would have been indicated on the audit letter you received previously from DHS. 

Although these assurance statement templates would have been helpful earlier in the process, they are now in place should a provider add settings or have compliance questions. They have assisted over 100 Customized Living Provider settings to reach compliance in the past week.