For people and families who have not started an assessment
Where do I start if I need home support but do not have a case manager?
Start with the county or Tribal Nation assessment contact in the DHS directory and ask about a MnCHOICES assessment. If you already work with a managed care coordinator, ask who handles your assessment. You can describe the help you need without knowing a waiver name. A provider inquiry and an assessment request are different steps; keep a record of both.
Decide what you need the first call to accomplish
The first call is an access conversation. Its purpose is to reach the team that can explain the assessment process for your circumstances. You do not need to decide whether every difficulty belongs under IHS, personal assistance, or overnight support before making contact. Start with a few concrete activities and the assistance that is currently missing.
Write a two-sentence description: where the person lives, what has become difficult, and what they want help doing. Avoid sending a complete medical history just to find the correct intake desk. Ask the receiving team what details they need and how to share them.
Use the current directory instead of an old phone list
Open the DHS county and tribal contact directory and follow the entry that applies to your situation. Tell the contact if you recently moved, live somewhere different from your mailing address, or already receive services through another agency. Ask who will take ownership of the request rather than assuming a transfer has happened.
When someone redirects you, record the name of the team, the contact route, and whether they are forwarding the request or asking you to call. Those are different outcomes. A referral to another desk can otherwise feel like an assessment request even though no receiving team has it.
Try this first-call script
“I am calling about support at home for myself or someone I am helping. We live in [county or community]. The main difficulties are [two concrete examples]. We would like to ask about a MnCHOICES assessment. Are you the right team, and what is the next step?”
Then ask how the person can participate in the conversation, whether interpretation or an accessible format can be arranged, and what information to have ready. If you are calling for someone else, explain your relationship and ask how that person should authorize your involvement. This script is an original planning aid, not an official intake form.
Keep requests, appointments and decisions separate
Use one line for each conversation. A message left, an intake completed, an assessment appointment, and a decision after assessment should each have their own status. Do not mark an assessment as scheduled until a date or scheduling arrangement has actually been confirmed.
| What happened | What to record | What remains open |
|---|---|---|
| Message left | Date, recipient and callback route | Whether the team received the request |
| Intake conversation | Requested information and next owner | How scheduling will happen |
| Appointment agreed | Date, format and participants | Preparation and access needs |
| Results received | Documents and explanation contact | Questions about the decision and next steps |
Describe urgency without inventing a start date
If circumstances change while you are waiting, tell the assessment team what changed and when. A family member becoming unavailable or a move approaching can be important context. Ask what route to use for an urgent change and what to do while the assessment process continues.
Do not turn a provider's willingness to discuss services into a promise that funded care can begin that week. Assessment, service planning, authorization, and actual staffing require separate confirmation. If someone is in immediate danger, use emergency services rather than an assessment voicemail or website referral.
Prepare once the next step is confirmed
After the team explains what will happen, build a short preparation file: the person's priorities, examples of daily support needs, current help, and questions. Include what the person manages well. A useful assessment conversation describes the whole routine, including differences between a typical day and a difficult one.
Keep the request tracker with your appointment details. If you do not hear back as discussed, follow up using the recorded contact and describe the last agreed action. Once you have an assessment date, use the separate preparation guide for the actual meeting.
Assessment request and callback tracker
Use one copy for the initial request. Add dated entries after each conversation; do not mark an appointment or service as confirmed based only on a voicemail.
Download worksheet (.txt)- Reason for calling
- Describe two activities where support is needed.
Illustrative entry: Help keeping an afternoon routine and getting to a chosen community activity.
- Receiving team
- Record the agency, contact route and person who responded.
Illustrative entry: County assessment intake; name and callback route recorded privately.
- Request status
- State exactly what happened and when.
Illustrative entry: Intake conversation completed; appointment not yet scheduled.
- Participation needs
- What does the person want arranged for the conversation?
Illustrative entry: Person wants a sibling present and written questions in advance.
- Next action
- Name the owner and the agreed follow-up point.
Illustrative entry: Intake team to explain scheduling; family will check back as discussed.
- Changed circumstances
- What new information needs to reach the team?
Illustrative entry: Regular informal support will be unavailable next month.
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 redirected call
A daughter calls a provider asking for “waiver care” for her father. The provider can discuss its services but does not schedule his county assessment. She uses the DHS directory, reaches intake, and learns that the team needs a separate request. Her record changes from “called a provider” to “assessment intake completed, awaiting scheduling.” She keeps the provider's information for later and prepares two examples of the support her father wants. This avoids treating a useful provider conversation as a completed assessment step.
This example is invented to explain the worksheet; it is not a client story or a promised outcome.
Your next step
Find the appropriate assessment contact in the DHS directory, make the first request, and record the next owner before comparing provider start dates.
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.