Statement of Purpose
Use this article to configure the options available in a client’s Custom Assessment, including assessment dropdown values, client attributes, restrictions, task categories, individual tasks, medication options, and additional care considerations.
These instructions apply to non-OASIS assessments, including the Standard Custom Assessment Version 3. OASIS forms are governed at the federal level and are not customized through the same process described in this article.
Before You Begin
Complete the applicable administrative configuration before beginning a new client assessment.
Prerequisites
Before following these instructions:
Confirm that the Custom Assessment you want to use is active in your portal.
Determine whether you need to:
Add or edit dropdown values.
Add a client attribute category.
Add an attribute value or code.
Identify an attribute category as a restriction.
Rename a task section.
Add, edit, or deactivate an individual task.
Configure medication types, routes, or units.
Configure additional care considerations.
Complete structural changes, such as renaming task sections, before creating the assessment that will use the revised form.
Be aware that modifying the form structure creates a copy of the assessment.
Do not expect later configuration changes to update an assessment that has already been completed and locked.
Recommended Order of Operations
Review the available Standard Custom Assessment.
Configure administrative dropdown values.
Configure client attribute categories and values.
Configure restrictions, if applicable.
Rename task sections, if needed.
Add, edit, or deactivate tasks.
Configure medication dropdown values.
Configure additional consideration values.
Create or open the client’s assessment.
Verify the configured values in the assessment.
Complete and lock the assessment only after the information has been reviewed.
Part 1: Open a Client Care Assessment
Add a New Assessment
Open the applicable Client profile.
Select the Assessment tab.
Open the Care Assessment section.
Select the green Add Assessment button.
Review the list of assessments that are active in your portal.
Locate the Custom Assessment you want to use.
Select Select beside the applicable assessment.
Understand the Assessment Sections
Assessments contain five primary tabs:
Face Sheet
Needs and Requirements
Tasks
Medications
Additional Considerations
Some information on the Face Sheet is populated from the client profile. The Face Sheet can also include information such as:
Living will
DNR status
Durable power of attorney
Person responsible for the power of attorney
Prognosis
Diagnosis
Emergency preparedness rating
Part 2: Configure Face Sheet Dropdown Values
Some Face Sheet options are populated from the profile, and configurable dropdown values in the administrative settings.
Configure an Emergency Preparedness Rating
Open Admin Settings.
Open the client-related settings.
Navigate to DDM Client Management.
Open the applicable dropdown configuration.
Select Emergency Preparedness Rating. (Anticipated Length of Care Type, Marital Status, Gender, and Prognosis are also configurable in the same way).
Review the values currently available.
Add or adjust the applicable values.
Save the changes.
Return to an in-progress assessment.
Refresh the assessment.
Verify that the revised values appear in the Emergency Preparedness Rating dropdown.
Changes can appear in an in-progress assessment after it is refreshed. Changes do not cascade into an assessment that has already been completed and is therefore locked.
Part 3: Configure Client Attributes and Restrictions
The Needs and Requirements tab contains client attribute categories and attribute values. Attribute categories may include areas such as:
Availability
Cooking Skills
Driving Restriction
Experience
General
Language
Level of Ability
Personal Care
Pet Restriction
Pets
Skill Type
Smoking Restriction
Transportation
Vehicle Type
A client attribute describes what the client needs or requires. A corresponding caregiver attribute describes the caregiver’s experience, qualification, skill, or applicable characteristic recorded in the system.
Add an Attribute Category
Add a category when an appropriate category does not already exist.
Open Admin Settings.
Navigate to the client management configuration.
Open Attribute Categories.
Select Add Attribute Category.
Enter a category name.
If applicable, identify the category as a restriction.
Enter a description. The description may contain up to 100 characters.
Save the category.
Add an Attribute Value or Code
Add a value when the category already exists but an option is missing. For example, if Language already exists as a category, add the required language as a new value instead of creating another Language category.
Open Admin Settings.
Navigate to the client management configuration.
Open Attribute Codes.
Select Add Attribute Value.
Select the category under which the value should appear.
Enter the new value.
Save the value.
Open or refresh the applicable in-progress assessment.
Confirm that the new value is available under the appropriate category.
Configure a Restriction
A category may be configured as a restriction so that a client requirement can be considered when matching the client with a caregiver. An unselected or blank status may affect how a caregiver is included in matching results.
Open Attribute Categories in the client administrative settings.
Add or edit the applicable category.
Identify the category as a restriction.
Save the category.
Add the necessary values under Attribute Codes.
Verify that the corresponding client and caregiver records use compatible values.
Test the matching result before relying on the restriction in a live scheduling workflow.
Important: A blank value is still meaningful to the matching process. A client who requires a non-smoking caregiver may be matched with a caregiver marked as a non-smoker or with no selection recorded for that attribute.
Compliance Consideration
Configure and use client and caregiver restrictions in accordance with your agency’s policies and applicable employment, human rights, equal opportunity, and anti-discrimination requirements. Only collect information that is permitted, necessary, and relevant to service delivery.
Part 4: Rename Task Sections
The Tasks tab has three default sections:
Personal Care
Companion Care
Transportation
Renaming a section changes the label displayed on the form. The underlying task key remains unchanged.
Rename a Task Section
Open Admin Settings.
Open Custom Forms.
Select the Assessment form type.
Filter the results to show active forms.
Select Search.
Open the Custom Assessment you want to modify.
Open the Tasks section of the form.
Select Edit beside the task section you want to rename.
Review the underlying key displayed in the API-related configuration.
Change the displayed section name.
Review the revised name in the preview.
Select Save.
The Personal Care, Companion Care, and Transportation task keys remain the same even when their displayed names are changed. Saving a structural modification to the form creates a copy of the assessment.
Important Copy Limitation
A structural change made in the Custom Forms editor creates a separate copy of the assessment. Tasks do not copy between altered assessment versions in the same way they may copy between assessments of the same type. Plan and complete structural changes before your team begins using the revised version.
Part 5: Add, Edit, or Deactivate Individual Tasks
Individual tasks are managed separately from the task-section names.
Add a Task
Open Admin Settings.
Navigate to DDM Client Management.
Open the applicable task management area:
Personal Care Tasks Management
Companion Care Tasks Management
Transportation Tasks Management
Select Add.
Enter the task information.
If required, configure the applicable EVV task mapping.
Confirm that the task is active.
Save the task.
Open or refresh the applicable assessment.
Confirm that the task is available in the correct section.
Edit a Task
Open the applicable task management area.
Locate the task.
Select the option to edit it.
Update the permitted task information.
Save the changes.
Verify the result in an in-progress assessment.
Deactivate a Task
Open the applicable task management area.
Locate the task you no longer want staff to select.
Edit the task.
Clear or deselect Is Active.
Save the task.
Confirm that the task is no longer available for new selection.
Do Not Delete Tasks Unless Required
The recommended practice is to deactivate an unused task instead of deleting it. Some tasks have secondary questions or functionality. Pet-related tasks and certain meal-preparation tasks are two examples. Deleting such a task permanently removes its associated secondary functionality.
Part 6: Configure Medication Options
The Medications tab allows users to add medication information to the assessment. Configurable medication-related dropdowns include:
Medication type
Medication route
Medication unit
Dose Frequency
Dose Instructions
Add a Medication Dropdown Value
Open Admin Settings.
Navigate to the client management dropdown configuration.
Open the medication option you want to configure, such as Medicine Type.
Review the existing values.
Add the required value.
Save the change.
Open or refresh the applicable in-progress assessment.
Open the Medications tab.
Confirm that the new value appears in the appropriate dropdown.
Part 7: Configure Additional Considerations
The Additional Considerations tab may contain information related to:
Dietary restrictions
Fall history
Mobility and transfer history
Behaviors
Risk factors
Impairments
Diabetic protocols
Communication barriers
Allergies
Language barriers
Durable Medical Equipment
Cultural considerations
Add or Adjust an Additional Consideration Value
Open Admin Settings.
Navigate to DDM Client Management.
Locate the dropdown or configuration area related to the information you need to update.
Review the available values.
Add or adjust the applicable value.
Save the change.
Open or refresh the applicable in-progress assessment.
Open Additional Considerations.
Confirm that the updated value is available.
Examples of configurable areas include behaviors, communication barriers, diabetes management options, and durable medical equipment.
Best Practice Recommendations
Configure Before Creating Assessments
Complete dropdown, attribute, restriction, task, and structural form configuration before staff create assessments. This reduces the likelihood of different clients being assessed with inconsistent versions.
Use Clear, Specific Names
Choose labels that staff can understand without additional explanation. Avoid creating multiple categories or values that mean the same thing.
Add Values to an Existing Category When Possible
If the required category already exists, add a new attribute value instead of creating a duplicate category. For example, add a missing language under the existing Language category.
Test Restrictions
Test each restriction using sample client and caregiver records. Pay special attention to blank caregiver attribute values because no selection can affect matching behavior.
Deactivate Tasks Instead of Deleting Them
Clearing Is Active preserves the task and any secondary functionality while removing it from active use. Deletion can permanently remove dependent questions or behavior.
Limit Structural Form Changes
Renaming task sections creates a modified copy of the assessment. Complete these changes intentionally and document which assessment version staff should use.
Review Before Locking
Confirm that all required configuration and client information are complete before locking the assessment. Administrative changes made afterward do not update completed and locked assessments.
Pros and Cons of Customizing the Assessment
Advantages
Allows dropdown values to reflect the information the agency collects.
Supports agency-specific client attributes and care requirements.
Allows task-section labels to reflect the organization’s preferred terminology.
Supports task-level EVV mapping where required.
Allows medication and additional-consideration options to be configured.
Provides a more consistent set of selections for assessment users.
Considerations and Limitations
Structural form modifications create a new copy of the assessment.
Tasks may not transfer between modified assessment versions.
Completed and locked assessments do not receive later configuration changes.
Blank attribute values may affect matching results.
Deleting a task may permanently remove secondary functionality.
OASIS forms are not customizable through this workflow.
Common Scenarios
Scenario 1: Add a Missing Language
The Language category already exists, but the client requires a language that is not currently listed.
Recommended workflow:
Open Attribute Codes.
Add a new attribute value.
Select Language as the category.
Enter the required language.
Save the value.
Refresh the in-progress assessment.
Select the language under Needs and Requirements.
Do not create an additional Language category when the existing category can be used.
Scenario 2: Add a New Client Requirement
The agency needs to record a type of requirement that is not represented by an existing category.
Recommended workflow:
Create a new attribute category.
Add a concise description.
Determine whether it should function as a restriction.
Add the required attribute values.
Test the category in an in-progress assessment.
Scenario 3: Rename the Default Task Sections
The agency uses different terminology for Personal Care, Companion Care, or Transportation.
Recommended workflow:
Open Custom Forms.
Locate the active Custom Assessment.
Edit the applicable task-section display name.
Do not modify the underlying key.
Review the preview.
Save the revised form.
Confirm which copied assessment version staff should use.
Scenario 4: Remove an Obsolete Task
A task should no longer be selected in new assessments.
Recommended workflow:
Edit the task.
Clear Is Active.
Save the task.
Confirm that it is unavailable for new selection.
Do not delete the task unless the agency has confirmed that it has no required secondary functionality.
Scenario 5: Update a Dropdown While an Assessment Is in Progress
A required value is missing from an assessment that has not yet been completed.
Recommended workflow:
Add the value in DDM Client Management.
Save the change.
Return to the in-progress assessment.
Refresh the assessment.
Confirm that the value appears.
Scenario 6: Update a Completed Assessment
A configuration option was added after an assessment was completed and locked.
Expected result: The new configuration does not cascade into the completed assessment.
Follow your agency’s approved correction, reassessment, or documentation process.
Troubleshooting
A New Value Does Not Appear in the Assessment
Possible causes:
The configuration was not saved.
The assessment was not refreshed.
The value was added under the wrong category.
The assessment is an OASIS form.
The assessment has already been completed and locked.
Resolution:
Confirm that the value was saved.
Confirm that it was added to the correct category.
Verify that the assessment is a non-OASIS assessment.
Refresh the in-progress assessment.
If the assessment is completed and locked, do not expect the change to appear.
A Client Is Matched with a Caregiver Who Has No Attribute Selection
A blank caregiver attribute can be included in matching for certain restrictions.
Resolution:
Review the caregiver’s applicable attribute.
Record an accurate value instead of leaving it blank.
Repeat the matching test.
Review other caregiver profiles for missing values.
Tasks Did Not Copy to a Revised Assessment
Tasks may not copy between structurally modified assessment versions in the same way they copy between assessments of the same type.
Resolution:
Confirm which assessment version is being used.
Review the tasks configured for that version.
Reconfigure the required tasks where necessary.
Retest the revised assessment before making it available to staff.
A Secondary Question Is Missing
The related task may have been deleted. Certain tasks contain secondary functionality, and deleting the task permanently removes that functionality.
Resolution:
Review the applicable task configuration.
Determine whether the original task still exists.
Contact your authorized system administrator or support channel if the deleted functionality cannot be restored through the available configuration.
A Renamed Task Section Still Shows Its Original Key
This is expected. Renaming the section changes its displayed label but does not change the underlying Personal Care, Companion Care, or Transportation key.
A Medication Is Not Found in Search
The medication list comes from a separate searchable database. An entry may still be made when a medication is not found, provided the field contains a value.
Associated Reports
Client Completed Assessments
Client Caregiver Relationship
Emergency Preparedness Rating
Assessment history or status
Report screenshot placeholder
If an associated report is confirmed, add a screenshot showing the report name, filter options, and relevant assessment fields.
Search terms and alternate spellings: client assessment, client care assessment, care assessment, custom assessment, customized assessment, standard custom assessment, assessment form, non-OASIS assessment, non OASIS assessment, client needs assessment, client evaluation, care needs assessment.