Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Data

1. Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Data Data Collection & Reporting Basics

2. Session Topics • About HMIS • Roles and Responsibilities • HMIS Set-up Process • Data Collection Requirements • Reporting Requirements • Tools and Resources for new grantees

3. What is HMIS? • A Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) is a community-based software application that collects and reports on client-level information about the characteristics and needs of people who are served by programs intended to prevent and end homelessness Reference: HMIS Training Manual

4. Homelessness Data Before HMIS • Estimates of the numbers of homeless people locally, regionally, and nationally varied widely • Programs filed paper reports with counts of people served, often based on paper records • Communities conducted point-in-time counts but there was no way to get an unduplicated count of people at the community level over time • There was no reliable way to assess the effectiveness of homeless programs

5. The Beginning of HMIS The FY 2001 HUD Appropriations Act required HUD to take the lead in working with communities to collect “an array of data on homelessness in order to prevent duplicate counting of homeless persons, and to analyze their patterns of use of assistance, including how they enter and exit the homeless assistance system and the effectiveness of the systems.”

6. Goals of HMIS • Produce an unduplicated count of homeless persons for each Continuum of Care • Help understand the extent and nature of homelessness locally, regionally, and nationally • Understand patterns of service use • Measure the effectiveness of programs

7. VA Participation in HMIS • The utility of HMIS data at the local level depends on participation by all programs that serve people who are homeless and at risk of homelessness, regardless of funding source • VA is committed to grantee participation in HMIS to support community-based service planning and coordination for Veterans who are homeless and at risk of homelessness

8. SSVF and HMIS • SSVF programs are required to participate in their local HMIS • Grantees operating within the jurisdictions of multiple HMIS implementations will participate in multiple HMIS implementations • If you have not already begun working with your local HMIS to get your SSVF program set up, you should do this immediately • Technical assistance is available to your program, your HMIS, and the HMIS vendor

9. Local HMIS Requirements • SSVF programs are participating in local HMIS implementations • A local HMIS may have additional requirements • Communicate with your local HMIS administrator to be sure that you understand local requirements • If local requirements conflict with SSVF program requirements, contact your regional coordinator to seek technical assistance

10. Grantee Roles and Responsibilities: The SSVF Grantee is responsible for all activity associated with agency staff and use of the HMIS • CoC Participation • HMIS Participation and Governance Compliance • Privacy and Security Compliance • HMIS Policy and Procedure Compliance • Data Quality Compliance • Community Planning/Use of Data

11. Grantee Roles and Responsibilities: • CoC Participation • Attend/Participate regularly in CoC meetings and workgroups • Represent Veteran population in planning process • Improve coordination with other service providers • Increase awareness of homeless Veteran needs • Identify additional resources for homeless Veterans • HMIS Participation and Governance Compliance • HMIS Agency Participation Agreement • HMIS End user Agreements • Client Consent

12. Grantee Roles and Responsibilities: • Privacy and Security Compliance • Know HMIS Privacy and Security requirements • Communicate HMIS Privacy and Security requirements to data custodians and system users • Regularly monitor for compliance • HMIS Policy and Procedure Compliance • Establish business controls and practices to ensure compliance to HMIS policies • Communicate HMIS policy and procedure requirements to data custodians and system users • Monitor compliance and periodically review business controls and practices for effectiveness

13. Grantee Roles and Responsibilities: • Data Quality Compliance • Know Data Quality expectations for timeliness, completeness, and accuracy • Communicate Data Quality expectations to end users • Monitor for compliance • Community Planning/ Use of Data • Provide quality data for community planning • Actively participate in planning process • Provide data on program characteristics (Program Descriptors) for HMIS and CoC program inventory and reporting purposes

14. HMIS System Administrator Each HMIS implementation designates a system administrator to provide day-to-day management and support to the HMIS project • Program set up guidance • Training and technical assistance support • Oversight and monitoring of HMIS operations • Management of HMIS documentation, including client consent, privacy and security practices, and other policy and procedures

15. HMIS System Administrator Contact your local System Administrator to identify the locally specific HMIS participation requirements: • Training, certifications, fees, participation standards, monitoring expectations • Assistance with monthly data uploads to the VA Repository • Local system administrators are likely to be your initial resource for TA and support

16. HMIS Software Solution Provider • Software solution provider is the entity that created and/or services the software your HMIS uses • There are many different software solution providers. Each may play a slightly different role in each community • Solution providers often release general product use documentation that may be very helpful for SSVF program staff.

17. CoC Staff The CoC addresses homelessness for a defined geographic region through coordinated planning, funding, and management of homeless assistance resources • Coordinates system of housing and services to address homeless needs • Designates a HMIS to track the extent of homelessness and measure program effectiveness • Establishes strategic plan for the CoC

18. SSVF Data in Context National SSVF Program Local Continuum of Care Your SSVF Program Client

19. Quiz Whose primary responsibility is it to ensure compliance with HMIS data quality and privacy and security requirements?

20. Answer • Yours! The grantee is responsible for maintaining compliance with data quality standards, as well as privacy and security requirements.

21. CoC Staff CoC may operate the HMIS or may designate/authorize a HMIS lead agency to perform the following: • Establish HMIS participation guidelines and expectations • Establish privacy protections for client data entered into HMIS • Establish security protections to create safe and secure HMIS operating environments • Monitor and enforce compliance with participation requirements

22. Goals of SSVF Data Collection • Produce an unduplicated count of Veterans and household members served by the SSVF program nationally • Understand the characteristics of Veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness • Identify which other VA-funded services SSVF clients may be accessing • Measure the effectiveness of the SSVF program

23. Data Flow • SSVF grantees enter program data into local HMIS application • Every month, SSVF data is exported from HMIS and uploaded to VA Repository • National-level reporting is generated based on uploaded data

24. Data Collected in HMIS • Who are your clients? • When did you serve them? • What are their characteristics? • What are their circumstances at the time they enter your program? • Do they have any special needs? • What services are you providing? • Did their circumstances change while in your program? Reference: SSVF Data Collection Template, 2010 Revised HMIS Data Standards

25. Who Are Your Clients? 100% of your records in HMIS must include: • Name • Social Security number • Date of birth

26. When Did You Serve Them? These data elements are required: • Program entry date • Program exit date • Dates on service records

27. What Are Their Characteristics? Required for each client record: • Race • Ethnicity • Gender Required for each program entry • Veteran status (adults only) • Disabling condition

28. What Are Their Circumstances When They Enter Your Program? Required at each program entry: • Residence prior to program entry (adults only) • ZIP code of last permanent address (adults only) • Housing status • Income and sources • Non-cash benefits

29. Do They Have Any Special Needs? These data elements are optional: • Physical Disability • Developmental Disability • Chronic Health Condition • HIV / AIDS* • Mental Health • Substance Abuse* • Domestic Violence

30. Special Issues for Special Needs • Information about specific disabilities is collected as clients enter the program, at least once per year while they are enrolled, and at program exit • If you collect data related to HIV/AIDS or substance abuse for SSVF and enter it into HMIS, that data may not be shared with other organizations • If your HMIS doesn’t allow keeping HIV/AIDS and substance abuse data private, don’t enter it into HMIS

31. What Services Are You Providing? These data elements are required for each service provided when it is provided: • Financial Assistance Provided • Housing Relocation & Stabilization Services Provided This data element is optional: • Services Provided

32. Did Their Circumstances Change While In Your Program? These data elements are required at program exit: • Destination • Housing status • Income and sources* • Non-cash benefits* *Also collected at least once annually for clients who are in your program for more than one year

33. Data Reporting Requirements • Repository upload: • Upload of client and program level data to a secure SSVF Repository managed by the VA • Uploaded anytime between the 1st and 5th business days of each month • Each upload contains a data set reflecting program activity from program inception to the date of export • See Repository user notes for more detailed instructions on the upload process • Coversheet: • SSVF grantees must submit a monthly coversheet to their Regional Coordinator by the 5th business day of the following month. • Purpose is to collect information on the data elements that are currently not required in HMIS by the 2010 HMIS Data Standards. • Quarterly Reports: • Complete quarterly reports addressing programmatic and financial information. • For more information, see VA Web site at: http://www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf_grantee_resources.asp

34. Quiz! • Which of the following are NOT required data elements at program entry? • Housing Status • Residence Prior to Program Entry • Income and Sources • Mental Health

35. Answer • Mental Health is an optional data element • The other elements noted below are required and very important data to collect: • Housing Status • Residence Prior to Program Entry • Income and Sources

36. Data Quality Benefits • Ensures target population is being served and services are being tracked • Enables grant activity monitoring and performance measurement • Informs program planning and potential for mid-course corrections or adjustments *Note: Data provided to VA is cumulative – ‘bad data’ does not go away until it is corrected in the HMIS

37. Identifying and Correcting Errors • If your monthly upload into the Repository is rejected, you must update the erroneous/missing record in HMIS • If you do not have the resources to identify which records are missing data, technical assistance is available • Once issues are resolved in HMIS, a new export file should be created and uploaded to the Repository • Resolving issues may take some time – upload to the Repository as early as possible each month to allow extra time to make corrections and resubmit data

38. Data Quality Monitoring • There are two levels of data quality thresholds for SSVF data: Notify and Reject. • At the Notify level, users are alerted to potential data quality issues, but the Repository will accept the upload. • For example, if any client record is missing a last name, the user will be notified. • Grantees are strongly encouraged to correct issues at the Notify level. Even if the Repository does not reject your upload, missing data at these levels is a problem.

39. Data Quality Monitoring • At the Reject level, the Repository will reject the uploaded data set • For example, if more than 10% of client records are missing a last name, the upload will be rejected • Thresholds are currently set very high for the Reject level; if you are complying with the terms of your grant and making an effort to collect and enter data, you will have no problem submitting your data

40. Planning and HMIS Set-up • SSVF grantees should be contacting the CoC(s) and HMIS staff now • Negotiate and execute agreements • Start HMIS training, including data collection and privacy and security training • Work with HMIS staff for data entry needs • Consider that the SSVF Grant may cover multiple CoC jurisdictions. Where will data be entered? • Will subgrantees enter data directly into HMIS? • Request individual logon and passwords for all Repository users, including back-up staff.

41. Planning and HMIS Set-up • Establish and test data collection workflow and tools • Determine HMIS reporting capabilities • Determine who will upload data to the VA Repository: • Preferred method: HMIS Administrator will upload • Alternative: Grantee will manage the upload process • Caution: The Grantee is ultimately responsible for complete, accurate and timely uploads to the Repository – even if the HMIS Lead Agency agrees to manage the upload process!

42. Basic Steps and Sequencing for Implementation • Set-up • Develop intake forms that capture required VA SSVF information • Develop the SSVF workflow • Establish data collection and entry policies and procedures • Train staff

43. Basic Steps and Sequencing for Implementation • Set-up • Establish management and end user accountability for data accuracy, timeliness and completeness • Train SSVF staff to consistently collect and record all required information per policies/procedures and workflow • Test data entry using HMIS training database • Confirm that HMIS can produce all information needed for monthly and quarterly VA reporting

44. Basic Steps and Sequencing for Implementation • Data Collection and Entry • Supervise client data collection and entry • Include regular data monitoring as part of the data collection and entry process to assure that information is timely, complete and accurate • Provide feedback and additional training, as necessary, to data entry staff

45. Basic Steps and Sequencing for Implementation • Before Exporting Data From HMIS • Confirm that all information for the calendar month has been entered into HMIS • Use any available data quality tools to check for missing or erroneous data prior to the end of each month and update records in HMIS

46. Basic Steps and Sequencing for Implementation • Upload to the Repository • Make sure that your data is uploaded to the Repository BEFORE the last day of the upload cycle (the fifth business day of the month) • If data is rejected, correct errors and resubmit data to the Repository • Data may be resubmitted at anytime during the five day window – only the most recent successful upload will be stored in the Repository