Frequently Asked Questions

All settings must facilitate and optimize Medicaid beneficiaries to live according to their daily routines and rituals, pursue their interests, and maximize opportunities for their engagement with the broader community in a self-determined manner, as outlined in the individual's person-centered service plan. The plan must reflect clinical and support needs as identified through an assessment of functional need, and document the individual's preferences for community integration and how these preferences will be addressed in the setting they have chosen.

Settings can support community integration, in accordance with each individual's person-centered plan by strategies and practices such as:

• Finding out during initial assessments what individuals desire in terms of community engagement and educate them about how the setting's capabilities will meet the individual's needs and preferences. This should be done before the individual makes a decision about services and settings to allow the best fit between the person and place.
• Documenting the factors the person identifies as important in a community such as proximity to and involvement of family, connections to communities of faith, specific cultural resources and activities, and others.
• Recording individual preferences for community integration in the person-centered plan and how the setting will support those preferences (e.g., participating in their faith community, attending a favorite club, Sunday breakfast at the local diner, interests in volunteering or in working, etc.) as well as the transportation needed to achieve desired outcomes, recognizing that many of these activities are leveraged through natural supports and thus would not require Medicaid-funded resources.
• Providing individuals with opportunities to engage others in their settings through activities, outings, and socialization opportunities.
• Providing sufficient staff and transportation to enable individuals' participation in their activities of choice in the broader community. These could include opportunities for work, cultural enjoyment, worship, or volunteering. The person-centered service plan may also include provider-facilitated opportunities to engage in desired activities in the broader community.
• Ensuring that visitors are not restricted, and individuals can connect to their virtual communities of choice through social media noting that this alone does not substitute for community activities and integration.
• Ensuring that individuals have opportunities to visit with and go out with family members and friends, when they want this. Providing an inviting environment and flexible schedules and service times (e.g., meals, medication administration) can encourage family and friends' participation in the life of the residential setting and support their efforts to maintain individuals' connections to the external community.
• Reviewing at least annually whether any parts of the person-centered plan need change. It is important to note that the modifications requirement within the regulations defining home and community-based settings also applies to anyone in a residential or nonresidential setting, and thus the person-centered plan needs to document what services and supports should be made available to allow people to live where they want and do what they want during the day to assure maximum integration with the broader community. For more information on the HCBS rule requirements on person-centered planning, please refer to CMS' previous FAQs on this topic.

All settings, including those in rural communities and those in low density suburban areas, are encouraged to provide adequate transportation opportunities to meet beneficiaries' desires for meaningful community engagement and participation in typical community activities.

Note that visits by community members have value but do not substitute for community access for Medicaid beneficiaries receiving services in residential and adult day settings.

Supplemental Links:

• This FAQ was released as part of a larger set. View the full set. (PDF, 144.19 KB)

FAQ ID:94986

FAQ ID:92846

The spell check function is determined by your web browser and is not a feature within MACPro itself. Within Internet Explorer, there is an option to turn spelling correction on or off.

1. Under "Settings," choose the "Programs" tab and then select "Manage add-ons."
2. On the left hand tool bar, there is a "Spelling Correction" Add-on Type. There is a box labeled "Enable Spelling Correction" that can be selected.
3. Select "Enable spelling correction".

FAQ ID:92851

If there are questions or problems related to the system/website, please contact the MACPro Help Desk staff via email to MACPro_HelpDesk@cms.hhs.gov. If there are questions regarding the quality measure content or reporting please contact MAC Quality TA via the contact link at the bottom of the screen or by email to MACQualityTA@cms.hhs.gov.

FAQ ID:92726

User Management is a feature in MACPro that works in conjunction with the CMS EIDM user identification and authentication system. To request access to the MACPro application, a user must first go to the Enterprise Identity Management Portal (EIDM: https://portal.cms.gov ) and create an EIDM ID. Once an ID is created, the user must request access to the MACPro application by way of an EIDM role. Once their EIDM role request is approved, they may access MACPro via the link https://macpro.cms.gov  and enter their newly created EIDM credentials to log in. Once in MACPro, the user must request their MACPro roles and attributes via My User Profile under the Records tab. MACPro user role requests are approved by the State System Administrator, CMS System Administrator, or CMS Role Approver. Further detailed instructions can be found in the reference documents posted to Medicaid.gov (https://www.medicaid.gov/state-resource-center/medicaid-and-chip-program-portal/medicaid-and-chip-program-portal.html).

FAQ ID:92731

Yes, before logging out, save any information you have entered. Select the Logout link when you're finished with the application site and then close your browser. By doing so, you prevent others from potentially gaining access to your application in your absence.

FAQ ID:92736

Email the MACPro Help Desk at MACPro_HelpDesk@cms.hhs.gov.

FAQ ID:92741

The system automatically times users out and sends an error message when a user does not navigate the application within 60 minutes. When a 'Session Timed Out' error message appears, a loss of data may occur. Therefore, it is recommended to continually save your work every ten minutes.

Please take special note, writing in a text box for 60 minutes does not count as refreshing the page. You must select save or navigate through the application to avoid being timed out.

FAQ ID:92746

Once you upload a document, the system redirects you to a loading page. On this page there should be a green button labeled "Refresh". If it takes more than several minutes to upload your document you may hit the "Refresh" button. Do not navigate away from this page, otherwise it could cause a delay in the submission package process.

FAQ ID:92751

A validation error occurs when additional information is required for certain fields on a page. To avoid a validation error, enter in all required information before attempting to validate reviewable Unit data. For many screens this will occur upon selecting a button located towards the bottom of the page to validate your entries.

FAQ ID:92756