10000, Community Living Options Information Process (CLOIP)

Revision 22-2; Effective July 22, 2022

Contracted local intellectual and developmental disability authorities (LIDDAs) perform activities to provide information and education about community living options to persons who are 22 years or older residing in a state supported living center, or to the person’s legally authorized representative.

10100 Definitions

Revision 22-2; Effective July 22, 2022

In this section, the terms below have the following meanings.

Contracted local intellectual and developmental disability authority (LIDDA) – One of 13 LIDDAs that have a state supported living center (SSLC) in its local service area and with which Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) will contract for provision of the Community Living Options Information Process (CLOIP).

Designated LIDDA – The LIDDA assigned to a person in accordance with Section 5000, Guidelines for Determining and Changing Designated LIDDA.

Person – An adult resident who resides in an SSLC and who is 22 or older.

Legally Authorized Representative (LAR) – Has the meaning assigned in the Continuity of Services Rule – State Facilities, Title 40, Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Chapter 2, Subchapter F. A person authorized by law to act on behalf of a person with regard to a matter described in this subchapter, and may include a parent, guardian, or managing conservator of a minor, or the guardian of an adult.

Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) – Has the meaning assigned in the Continuity of Services Rule – State Facilities, Title 40, TAC Chapter 2, Subchapter F. IDD professionals and paraprofessionals and other concerned persons, as appropriate, who assess a person’s treatment, training, and habilitation needs and make recommendations for services, including recommendations of whether the person is best served in a facility or in a community setting.

  • Team membership always includes:
    • the person;
    • the person’s LAR, if any; and
    • persons specified by a LIDDA or SSLC, as appropriate, who are professionally qualified, certified or licensed with special training and experience in the diagnosis, management, needs, and treatment of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
  • Other participants in IDT meetings may include:
    • other concerned people whose inclusion is requested by the person or the LAR;
    • at the discretion of the LIDDA or SSLC, people who are directly involved in the delivery of IDD services to the person; and
    • if the person is school eligible, representatives of the appropriate school district.

10200 Standardized Information Materials

Revision 19-4; Effective September 9, 2019

Contracted local intellectual and developmental disability authorities (LIDDAs) will provide and explain the Explanation of IDD Services and Supports publication and the Long Term Services and Supports publication to all persons and LARs.

In addition to the required material in the preceding paragraph, contracted LIDDAs will provide and explain other informational and educational materials developed and approved by Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) that provides a more complete explanation of specific types of services. Educational and informational materials will be person friendly and in a format that provides for easy interpretation and can include written, audio, Power Point, CD or DVD formats. The style and substance of the materials are crucial to education and awareness. Communication devices and techniques (including the use of sign language) will be used, as appropriate, to facilitate the involvement of the person and legally authorized representative (LAR).

HHSC will provide coordination, support and funding for these standardized materials. HHSC will assure the development of curriculum and the provision of training for contract LIDDAs and state supported living center (SSLC) staff regarding the Community Living Options and Information Process (CLOIP), the developed materials and their use.

Designated LIDDAs, upon request by the contracted LIDDA, will provide information about specific programs and services available where the person or their LAR, on behalf of the person, is interested in living. This may include, but is not limited to, specific information about services, supports and providers in the local service area. Designated LIDDAs may provide the information directly to the person and LAR or to the contracted LIDDA.

In addition to the materials described above, a person and/or LAR will be offered the opportunity to visit living options available in the community and to visit with persons/peers using these options with their prior consent.

10300 LIDDA Responsibilities

Revision 22-2; Effective July 22, 2022

The contracted local intellectual and developmental disability authority (LIDDA) must:

  • provide community living options information to all people living in the assigned state supported living center (SSLC) and their legally authorized representative (LAR) at least one time per year;
  • complete the Community Living Options and Information Process (CLOIP) Instrument and provide a written report to the SSLC and designated LIDDA by 14 calendar days before the person’s SSLC annual planning meeting; 
  • attend the SSLC annual planning meeting in person or by teleconference 100 percent of the time, unless the resident or their LAR has specifically requested the LIDDA not participate;
  • submit through the Client Assignment and Registration (CARE) System and the Mental and Behavioral Health Outpatient Warehouse (MBOW); and
  • update the Community Services Interest List (CSIL) application, if necessary. 

10400 LIDDA and SSLC Collaborative Relationship

Revision 19-4; Effective September 9, 2019

The state supported living center (SSLC) will assist Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) staff to identify the annual planning meeting date for each adult resident of the SSLC. An annual calendar of scheduled or tentatively scheduled meetings will be provided to the contracted local intellectual and developmental disability authority (LIDDA).

Post implementation of the Community Living Options and Information Process (CLOIP), the SSLC qualified intellectual disability professional (QIDP) will provide the contracted LIDDA service coordinator with 45-days’ notice of annual planning meetings.

When a planning meeting is requested at a time other than the annual meeting in which the person or legally authorized representative (LAR) needs information about community living options, all efforts will be made by the SSLC QIDP to notify the LIDDA service coordinator no later than 45 days prior to the meeting date so the CLOIP can be initiated with the person and/or LAR.

The SSLC QIDP will facilitate access by the contracted LIDDA service coordinator to the person and/or LAR for the purpose of establishing a positive relationship between them and the LIDDA service coordinator.

To the extent not otherwise prohibited by state or federal confidentiality laws, the SSLC QIDP will facilitate access by the contracted LIDDA service coordinator to the resident’s records. The results of the person’s most recent annual planning meeting will be copied for the contracted LIDDA record for preparation and use in CLOIP discussions with the person and/or LAR. An additional copy will be provided to the person or LAR by the contracted LIDDA service coordinator at the beginning of the CLOIP. If the person and/or the LAR has determined they are not interested in community options, these records would not need to be accessed.

The contracted LIDDA service coordinator will provide documentation of the results of the CLOIP to the SSLC QIDP no later than 14 calendar days prior to the annual planning meeting.

The SSLC QIDP will continue to be responsible for contacting the person and/or LAR and the designated LIDDA of the date, time and location of the annual planning meeting no later than 45 days in advance.

The SSLC QIDP will continue to have responsibility for discussions with the person or LAR that is needed prior to the annual planning meeting, other than the CLOIP.

The contracted LIDDA service coordinator will participate in the SSLC planning meeting in addition to the person or LAR. It is strongly preferred the LIDDA service coordinator attend in person, but for purposes of meeting the performance measures, a teleconference will be accepted.

The designated LIDDA service coordinator may participate in the SSLC planning meeting when placement or continuity of service issues is pending.

The SSLC and the contracted LIDDA will work together to provide persons, and/or LARs and SSLC staff, information about community living options and about the risk of moving to a community living option. This can be accomplished through organized activities or functions held at the SSLC or at the contracted LIDDA.

10500 LIDDA and Adult Resident, LAR and/or Interested Family Member Collaborative Relationship

Revision 19-4; Effective September 9, 2019

The contracted local intellectual and developmental disability authority (LIDDA) will use the annual planning meeting schedule at the state supported living center (SSLC) to assign staff caseloads. Contracted LIDDA service coordinators should be assigned in such a way as to meet with, and complete, the Community Living Options and Information Process (CLOIP) for SSLC persons.

The contracted LIDDA service coordinator will contact each person or legally authorized representative (LAR) on their caseload in person or by phone, as circumstances allow, to begin to establish a positive working relationship. A person and/or the LAR can designate any other significant person in their life, such as some other interested family member or friend, to be involved in the discussions. The contracted LIDDA may develop an interlocal agreement with a designated LIDDA to meet its contract obligations in this process due to the location of the LAR. This process may require several contacts in the months prior to the annual interdisciplinary team (IDT) staffing. If the person or LAR expresses they have no interest in community living options, no further contact, other than annually, will be made by the LIDDA.

The LIDDA service coordinator will provide the person and/or LAR with the standardized informational and educational materials on community living options. The LIDDA service coordinator will discuss the options in a way that allows them to express an understanding and awareness of the options discussed.

If the person or LAR wishes to know specific details of options and supports in a specific location, the LIDDA service coordinator will make this information available and coordinate visits to community living options, at their request, prior to the deadline for completion of the CLOIP.

All telephone and in-person contacts made for purposes of the CLOIP, including those by a designated LIDDA, will be documented with a progress note and the appropriate encounter code provided by Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). These will be part of the contracted LIDDA’s record, along with the previous year’s planning meeting results, the LIDDA person’s identifying information record and a summary of the CLOIP, as described in this section. The contracted LIDDA may include any other documents in the contracted LIDDA record at their discretion.

The LIDDA service coordinator will document the results of the CLOIP to include the following:

  • The person or LAR received an explanation of community living options appropriate to their level of awareness and interest;
  • Assessment of the awareness of the person or LAR of community living options. This assessment will be based on his or her experience with, information about, and exposure to community living options including visits to community options if requested; and
  • Preferences of the person or LAR for remaining a resident of the SSLC where they presently reside, for moving to another SSLC, or for a specific community living option.

The LIDDA service coordinator will document these results on the CLOIP Instrument, Local Authority Service Coordinator Community Living Options Information Process Worksheet.

10600 SSLC Annual IDT Staffing

Revision 19-4; Effective September 9, 2019

The annual state supported living center (SSLC) interdisciplinary team (IDT) meeting will review the Community Living Options and Information Process (CLOIP) Instrument, Local Authority Service Coordinator Community Living Options Information Process Worksheet, and identify and document:

  • Awareness by the person or legally authorized representative (LAR) of community living options, which must be based on his or her experience with, information about, and exposure to community living options;
  • Preferences of the person or LAR for a specific living option;
  • Supports and services needed by the person in the preferred living option related to safety, mobility, medical, behavioral, psychiatric and work/day activities;
  • Local intellectual and developmental disability authority (LIDDA) input and recommendation; and
  • Most appropriate living option for the person at the current time.

Except as provided below, the SSLC IDT will develop, as part of the Personal Support Plan, an action plan to address one or more of the following:

  • Transition process with timelines to facilitate a timely, appropriate and successful transition from the SSLC to the community living option;
  • Supports and services needed by the person to reside in the preferred community living option at a future date;
  • Increasing the person’s awareness of the community living options; and
  • Increasing the LAR’s awareness of the community living options.

IDT-created action plans and goals are available through the SSLC whether or not the person prefers to remain at the facility.

If there is not consensus by the IDT, regarding the most appropriate living option at the current time, the SSLC will implement Division 4, Section 2.276 of the Continuity of Services Rule – State Facilities, which allows for the head of the SSLC to name a review team to evaluate the situation and make a consensus recommendation to the head of the SSLC within 21 calendar days. The person or actively involved party may request a review of the head of the SSLC's decision by the Office of the Independent Ombudsman for SSLCs.