DHS to conduct telephone survey with new Elderly Waiver participants

Posted on January 27, 2021 by Bobbie Guidry

The Department of Human Services (DHS) Aging and Adult Services Division announced this week that they are working with the University of Indianapolis Center for Aging and Community and Knowledge Services to conduct a telephone survey of new Elderly Waiver (EW) participants. The purpose of the survey is to learn about new EW participants’ long-term care needs and decision-making leading up to enrollment.

Between Jan. 26 and July 31, 2021, staff from Knowledge Services will contact new EW participants, or their legal guardians, by mail and by phone to invite them to participate in the telephone survey. Knowledge Services may also contact individual case managers and care coordinators for help determining if individual EW participants would be able to complete the survey themselves or if another person may need to complete the survey on the person’s behalf.

While DHS hopes EW participants will participate in the survey, it is voluntary, and will have no impact on their eligibility or the services they receive. The survey is private, and the only people who will know what a respondent says are Knowledge Services staff conducting the interviews. Minnesota’s Elderly Waiver program and people in the University of Indianapolis (who are doing the analysis) will know the survey responses, but not who responded.