Hello System Administrators,
To help guide you through the upcoming months of Data Standards updates, we have created the System Administrator Checklist below. We have split the checklist into two sections: what you can do before October 1, and what you can do on or after October 1.
Please refer to the 2022 HMIS Data Standards Summary of Changes article for more details on any of these items.
Notes:
- Non-HOPWA Funded Projects
For all non-HOPWA Funded projects using a custom Program setup screen, add the “Medically Assisted Living Facility (hopwa_assisted_living) field to the Program setup screen and update the field on the project's setup to the correct picklist option. If you prefer, Bitfocus can map the "HOPWA-funded Medically Assisted Living Facility" field to "NA - non-HOPWA funded project" for you. Please contact your BFF by October 29 if you would like us to assist.
For non-HOPWA Funded projects using the System Program Setup Screen, no additional action is required, as these were mapped automatically on October 1 to “NA - non-HOPWA funded project."
HOPWA-Funded Projects
For all HOPWA Funded projects using a custom Program Setup Screen or the System Program Setup Screen, update the “Medically Assisted Living Facility” (hopwa_assisted_living) field on the Program setup. Mapping was not conducted for HOPWA-Funded projects for this data element, so data entry is required for these projects. - Please note that for YHDP Enrollment and Exit Screens, the field R5 School Status (rhy_school_status) is set to “Not required.” According to the YHDP HMIS Manual, “Beginning October 1, 2021, YHDP-funded agencies do not need to collect R5, instead, these agencies should collect C3.” We will keep R5 (rhy_school_status) available on the YHDP Enrollment and Exit screens for the short term to allow YHDP projects to phase out and retire this field.
- For the label “RHY Specific Youth Information” on the RHY Status screen, we adjusted the display constraints to match the pregnancy status as follows:
- Age = Greater than 17, OR
- Head of Household = Yes
To assist you in collecting the new V7 HP Targeting Criteria for SSVF Homeless Prevention projects, here is the updated Homeless Prevention Screening Form. - For those configuring C2 Moving on assistance -C2 Moving on assistance - Other: When ‘5 - Other (please specify)’ is selected, the Service Item Title should reflect the “Please Specify” information. This is similar to how we implemented HUD VASH Voucher Tracking services. Please contact our Help Center if you need assistance with this setup.
Data Standards System Administrator Checklist
Before October 1:
Custom Screens (if utilizing custom screens)
- The 2022 System Enrollment/Status/Exit screens are available and can be copied and modified with your local fields in preparation for the Data Standards release on October 1, 2021. Please copy these screens and modify them, as applicable, so they are available on October 1, 2021.
Note: Please do not give your users access to the new screens until October 1, 2021.
Review the HUD Exchange 2022 HMIS Data Standards materials
- Be sure to familiarize yourself with the resources available on the HUD Exchange 2022 HMIS Data Standards page for additional guidance, backdating, and mapping information:
Looker Guidance
- You will need to update Looker reports that will be affected by the Data Standards updates. You can view the list of Looker report updates in our Field Adjustments article.
R14 RHY Service Connections
- Review your community/local documentation for references to “Substance abuse treatment” and/or “Substance Abuse Ed/Prevention Services;” update the wording to "Substance use disorder treatment" and "Substance use disorder Ed/Prevention Services" in any applicable program templates that use automated provisioning. For existing programs, update the service item wording as appropriate.
3.03 Date of Birth Logic
- As of February 2021, our system does not allow "Client doesn't know," "Client refused," and "Data not collected" to be used in conjunction with a valid or approximated date of birth. We strongly recommend you review historical client records (prior to February 2021) to make sure that "Client doesn't know," "Client refused," and "Data not collected" are not used in conjunction with a valid or approximated date of birth; clean up the data as needed. While it is most important to review historical data going back to October 1, 2019, we recommend reviewing all historical data for this issue to ensure the highest data quality in your community.
W1 HOPWA Service Provided
- Review your community/local documentation for references to “Substance abuse services/treatment;” update the wording to “Substance use disorder services/treatment” in any applicable program templates that use automated provisioning. For existing programs, update the service item wording as appropriate.
3.06 Gender
- Review your community/local documentation for references to gender. For client data, we will automatically map the values according to the mapping table shown in our Help Center "Gender" article, and no action is needed from you.
- For communities where this update affects custom screen field constraints (on any screen type), tracked characteristics, assessment processors, or eligibility criteria (anywhere in the system that eligibility can be configured), Bitfocus (your BFF or community’s local team) will be reaching out directly to assist in updating these custom items to meet the new gender requirements. We have completed an internal analysis to determine which communities are impacted by this change for these custom items, and we will reach out to you directly if you are impacted.
3.15 Relationship to Head of Household Logic
- For active enrollments, ensure that the Head of Household is a household member who has not been exited from the enrollment. For exited enrollments, ensure that another member of the household that is currently participating in the project is designated as the new Head of Household (retroactively to the beginning of the household’s enrollment). The new HoH’s program start date should align with the start dates of the other household members.
3.20 Housing Move-In Logic Update
- Review client records to ensure that Move-In Dates are on or between the Project Start Date and Project Exit Date. Update any client records where the Move-In Date is before the Project Start Date or after the Project Exit Date. Note: Any previously entered Move-In Dates that are out of compliance will not be adjusted with this release. However, on and after October 1, you will see a warning banner appear if any Housing Move-In Dates are out of compliance with the Project Start Date/Project Exit Date timing.
2.02 Project Information Operating End Date Logic Update
- Review client records to make sure that all Project Start Dates are before the project’s Operating End Date. Update any client records where the client’s Project Start Date is after the project’s Operating End Date.
3.11 Project Exit Date Auto-Exit Functionality Update
- We are updating the Auto-Exit Functionality so that the Project Exit Date for Night-by-Night Emergency Shelters will be recorded as the day after the client's last bed night, even if the client receives services through that enrollment after the last bed night. If you have a Night-by-Night Emergency Shelter that is operating under the distributed CE model, be aware that if a client is auto-exited, any CE services provided after the last bed night will not be counted. Please review your use of the auto-exit functionality so that services provided through Night-by-Night shelter projects are not abandoned.
3.04 Race
- Review community/local documentation for references to race; update to match this updated language from HUD:
- American Indian, Alaska Native, or Indigenous
- Asian or Asian American
- Black, African American, or African
- Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
- White
- Client doesn’t know
- Client refused
- Data not collected
3.05 Ethnicity
- Review community/local documentation for references to ethnicity; update to match this updated language from HUD:
- Non-Hispanic/Non-Latin(a)(o)(x)
- Hispanic/Latin(a)(o)(x)
- Client doesn’t know
- Client refused
- Data not collected
4.20 Coordinated Entry Event
- The new Referral Event 17 (“Referral to Emergency Housing Voucher") will be an inferred event in Clarity Human Services.
On or After October 1:
HUD CSV Export and Data Import Tool (DIT)
- HUD CSV Export version 2022 will be available as of October 1 in alignment with the 2022 HMIS CSV specification. The previous HUD CSV Export version will remain available for the near future for any applicable reporting purposes, and beginning October 1, the DIT will only accept CSV version 2022 imports in order to ensure accurate import into the database.
Program Templates
- On October 1, update existing program templates with the new [2022] System screens or with custom versions of the [2022] screens if created.
4.02 Income and Sources for Persons Aging into Adulthood
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System Administrators and Agency Managers should select the desired warning threshold for the banner, email notification, and Clarity Inbox notification on the Aging into Adulthood Notification picklist. To make this selection, go to the Program Setup page, set the Aging into Adulthood toggle ON, and then select the threshold from the Threshold of picklist.
The Aging into Adulthood Notification on the program setup page applies to income as well as non-cash benefits; there will not be two separate Aging into Adulthood Notification toggles.
4.03 Non-Cash Benefits for Persons Aging into Adulthood
- On the Program Setup page, select from the Aging into Adulthood Notification picklist to set the warning threshold for the banner, email notification, and Clarity Inbox notification. The Aging into Adulthood Notification on the program setup page applies to income as well as non-cash benefits; there will not be two separate Aging into Adulthood Notification toggles.
4.20 Coordinated Entry Event
- Beginning October 1, please be sure to configure the new “Referral to emergency assistance/flex fund/furniture assistance” and “Referral to a Housing Stability Voucher” Referral Events for your site’s Coordinated Entry program(s), as applicable. You can create the services for the program’s template and/or the service feature in Clarity Human Services. Note: as a best practice, we strongly recommend configuring the Coordinated Entry Event services as Delivery Type = Single Event.
- “Referral to Emergency Housing Voucher" will be an inferred event in Clarity Human Services that will be defined as a referral from a queue (Community Queue or other type of queue in Clarity Human Services) OR from the Eligibility Determination page to a project that has “HUD: PIH (Emergency Housing Voucher)” selected as the funding source. We will implement it as follows:
- Referral Event 17 (“Referral to Emergency Housing Voucher”) will be inferred when a program has “52 HUD PIH (Emergency Housing Voucher)” assigned as an active funding source.
- There should only be one inferred event per referral or Community Queue reassignment. Therefore if a program has an active funding source of “52 HUD PIH (Emergency Housing Voucher)” but it also matches an inferred program type, the CE Referral Event value 17 (“Referral to Emergency Housing Voucher”) will take precedence as the inferred CE Event recorded.
2.02 New HOPWA-Funded Medically Assisted Living Facility Field
- Beginning October 1, you will be able to select the new “HOPWA-funded Medically Assisted Living Facility” project descriptor when setting up a project. This field will be visible to all projects upon setup. System Administrators and Agency Managers should review program setups to ensure the new project descriptor “HOPWA-funded Medically Assisted Living Facility” is updated where applicable.
- For any of your existing programs that do not have a HOPWA funding source assigned, we will map the "HOPWA-funded Medically Assisted Living Facility" field to "NA - non-HOPWA funded project."
C2 Moving On Assistance
- On or after October 1, we recommend that you add the new service “Moving On Assistance Provided” to any applicable HUD-CoC Permanent Supportive Housing projects. You will be able to find the new category below “Moving Cost Assistance” in the service category picklist.
C3 Youth Education Status
- Collect this field for all clients in any YHDP-funded projects that are active as of project start. Data collected should reflect the Youth’s education status as of project start.
2.06 Funding Sources
- Please note that the following new funding sources will be added to the Funding Source picklist and available for projects starting October 1:
- HUD: CoC - Joint Component RRH/PSH
- HUD: HOME
- HUD: HOME (ARP)
- HUD: PIH (Emergency Housing Voucher)
Please review your current project funding sources to make sure they're set up correctly. If applicable, use the new funding sources as needed in your project setup.
V3 Financial Assistance - SSVF
- Update program templates for SSVF that use automated provisioning to reflect the following service category naming updates and new service item categories:
- The “General housing stability assistance - emergency supplies” service item category is being merged into “General housing stability assistance - Other,” and “General housing stability assistance - Other” is being renamed to “General housing stability assistance.”
- “Food assistance” is being added as an SSVF Financial Service service item option (“Financial Assistance" type).
- Review community/local documentation and existing service items for references to the SSVF Financial Services and for any language that should be updated.
- Existing SSVF programs should have the new Financial Assistance service item configured as applicable, and existing service items updated as appropriate.
W3 Medical Assistance
- Collect Field 4 (“Receiving Ryan White-funded Medical or Dental Assistance") as an update for clients enrolled in HOPWA projects as applicable.
W6 Prescribed Anti-Retroviral
- Collect the “Prescribed Anti-Retroviral” Data Element as an update for clients enrolled in HOPWA projects as applicable.
Thank you for your continued cooperation as we work to implement the 2022 HUD HMIS Data Standards. Please feel free to reach out to our friendly Help Desk staff at support@bitfocus.com with any questions.