For case managers and referral coordinators
How should we follow up when an HCBS referral is still pending?
Follow up on the specific unresolved decision: receipt, missing information, service fit, authorization or staffing. Include the date and relevant reference from the earlier contact. Ask who owns the next step and what is needed to move it forward rather than asking only whether there is an update.
Find the last confirmed fact
Check what the provider actually acknowledged. A confirmation email may show receipt without establishing that the referral has been reviewed. Keep the date, contact and stated next step together so another coordinator can understand the status.
Avoid resending a complete sensitive packet simply because a receipt is missing. Use the agreed intake contact to check whether the original information arrived and ask what, if anything, needs to be sent again.
Ask one answerable question
A focused follow-up might ask whether the proposed schedule has been checked or which document is still needed. Include only the information needed to identify and resolve that question through the appropriate channel.
If urgency or the requested arrangement has changed, state the change clearly. Do not assume a previous discussion still describes the current request, and do not imply that urgency guarantees staffing.
Record the next owner and keep the person informed
Write down who is taking the next action and any follow-up point that person actually agreed to. If no date was agreed, mark it as unconfirmed. Avoid inventing a response deadline and reporting it as a provider promise.
Tell the person or authorized contact what is known and what remains open. Separate the referral status from any interim support arrangements that the responsible team needs to address.
Referral follow-up log
Download this editable worksheet, add your notes, and bring it to the relevant planning conversation. Leave unknown details blank and identify who can confirm them.
Download worksheet (.txt)- Referral reference
- When and through which agreed channel was the request sent?
- Last confirmed fact
- Was receipt, review, missing information, fit or staffing actually confirmed?
- Current question
- What single decision or missing detail is holding up the next step?
- Owner and follow-up
- Who is addressing it, and what follow-up point was agreed?
- Update to the person
- What can be communicated accurately, and what remains uncertain?
An optional discussion tool, not an official assessment, authorization, service plan, or emergency plan. Keep completed copies private and share through an agreed channel.
Illustrative planning example
A coordinator receives a referral receipt but no staffing decision. The follow-up asks whether the requested evenings have been reviewed and names the original submission date. The update to the family says review is pending, not that a worker has been assigned.
This example is invented to explain the worksheet; it is not a client story or a promised outcome.
Your next step
Use the provider’s agreed follow-up route. For Clemens Health, call (651) 354-1196 to clarify a referral’s next step rather than assuming a second form submission is needed.
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.