For people and case managers whose approved support has not been fully staffed
What should we do when services are authorized but the requested hours remain unfilled?
Write down the specific uncovered times and tasks, then tell the case manager and provider what has and has not been confirmed. Separate a missing worker from a service-scope, document or schedule mismatch. Review interim arrangements and alternatives with the responsible team. Authorized hours do not guarantee staffing, and an unfilled shift should not quietly become an assumed family responsibility.
Describe the gap precisely
Start with the actual requested visits and compare them with confirmed delivery. Include partially filled weeks, canceled visits and proposed starts that never became confirmed. A statement such as “we need more staff” does not show which activities or times remain unsupported.
Record the practical consequence from the person's perspective. They may be unable to attend a chosen activity or may be relying on help that was intended to be temporary. Keep the description factual and distinguish what happened from what someone fears could happen. Urgent concerns should follow the person's established response process.
Identify the blocker rather than repeating the referral
Ask the provider which issue is preventing confirmation. The answer may be worker availability, travel, a requested time window, missing intake information, or a service outside its scope. Those problems call for different next steps.
Keep the provider's exact level of commitment clear. “Checking staffing” is not a waitlist position or a promised start. If the provider cannot offer the requested arrangement, record that answer and discuss alternatives with the case manager. Repeatedly sending the same packet does not solve a staffing problem.
Compare partial offers against the actual need
A provider might offer some days or a different time. Review what the offer would address and what would remain uncovered before agreeing. More hours at the wrong time may not meet the person's priority, while a smaller well-timed arrangement might be useful.
| Offer or status | Question to ask | Do not assume |
|---|---|---|
| Some requested days available | Which tasks and days would remain unfilled? | That the rest of the week will follow automatically |
| Different time offered | Does that time work for the person's routine? | That any available hour is interchangeable |
| Staffing check underway | What information or next response is expected? | A guaranteed worker or start date |
| Another provider suggested | Who will contact them and transfer relevant information? | That a suggestion is an accepted referral |
Discuss interim support without assigning it by default
Ask what existing backup plan applies and what needs review. If a relative or friend is willing to help temporarily, record the specific tasks, times and limits of that agreement. Do not write “family available” when no one has actually agreed or when the arrangement cannot continue.
DHS case-management resources include emergency backup-planning guidance. Use applicable procedures with the responsible team. This worksheet is not an emergency plan and does not authorize a substitute service, unpaid obligation or change in the person's assessed support.
Escalate with a short, decision-ready update
A useful update states the uncovered period, the provider's confirmed response, what temporary help is actually agreed, and the question requiring action. Ask for a named owner and next review point. Avoid sending a long chain of emails with no clear request.
For example: “Tuesday and Thursday evenings remain unfilled. Provider A can discuss afternoons only. No evening arrangement is confirmed. Please review the options for these specific visits with us.” This is an original coordination example, not a required agency format or a promise about how quickly a response will come.
Close only the part that is actually resolved
When a provider confirms a visit, update that entry and keep remaining gaps open. Confirm that the person knows who is coming and how changes will be communicated. A new referral or an approved schedule revision should not automatically close the entire staffing issue.
Review whether the actual visits occur and whether the arrangement fits the person's routine. If needs or preferences have changed during the search, bring those changes back to the planning team. The goal is a workable confirmed arrangement, not simply a tracker with no pending rows.
Unfilled support coverage and action record
Track actual gaps and confirmed offers. Keep authorization questions, provider staffing and temporary help on separate lines.
Download worksheet (.txt)- Uncovered visits
- Which days, times and tasks remain unfilled?
Illustrative entry: Tuesday and Thursday evening routines.
- Current authorization question
- Is any document or service detail unresolved?
Illustrative entry: Case manager to confirm the current arrangement if unclear.
- Provider response
- What did the provider actually confirm?
Illustrative entry: Afternoons possible to discuss; evenings not confirmed.
- Partial-offer fit
- Would the offered arrangement address the person's need?
Illustrative entry: Person says the activity requiring support occurs in the evening.
- Interim agreement
- Who explicitly agreed to what, and with what limits?
Illustrative entry: No temporary evening helper has agreed.
- Decision request
- What should the planning team review?
Illustrative entry: Options for the two uncovered visits.
- Action owner and review
- Who follows up and at what agreed point?
Illustrative entry: Named coordinator records responses and updates the person.
- Confirmed resolution
- Which specific entry is now resolved?
Illustrative entry: Close only after the actual visit arrangement is confirmed.
An optional discussion tool, not an official assessment, authorization, service plan, or emergency plan. Keep completed copies private and share through an agreed channel.
Worked example: a partial offer does not close the week
A person has requested support on four evenings. A provider confirms two and offers afternoons for the others. The tracker records two staffed evenings and two open evenings. The person explains that afternoons would not help with the chosen activity. The case manager reviews the remaining need while the confirmed visits proceed under the agreed arrangement. No one treats the family's involvement in phone calls as agreement to cover the other nights. The record stays accurate as the search continues.
This example is invented to explain the worksheet; it is not a client story or a promised outcome.
Your next step
Send the responsible planning contacts a concise description of the actual gap and ask them to review the unresolved arrangement with the person.
For a conversation with Clemens Health about your Twin Cities location, call (651) 354-1196 or send a referral. Service fit, authorization, and staffing need to be confirmed.
Minnesota resources
State resources explain program rules. The worksheet and examples are Clemens Health planning aids. Links were checked October 5, 2026; follow the current state guidance for eligibility and service questions.