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Frequently Asked Questions

Updated

Balance of State VESTA HMIS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) from training sessions

(Based on questions from our training sessions)

How to get help? Email support.vestama@zendesk.com

  • How far back are our old clients going to be inputted in Vesta from ETO? All clients active on or after 1 October 2012 will be migrated to VESTA
  • Will I have to electronically sign the VESTA user agreement when I log in the VESTA Live site? Yes
  • How do I access the live site? https://www.vestama.net/
  • How often do you resign user agreement, and will there be a prompt when you need to resign? Annually, and yes there will be a prompt.
  • How often does my password expire? Every 90 days
  • How do I access the demo site? https://demo.vestama.net
  • Is there any browser preference with VESTA? No, but we recommend you use the latest Microsoft Edge for VESTA, especially for users who will be using VESTAdocup. VESTA is accessed through the web so you can use it on any device. VESTAdocup is only available on Windows.
  • Are we able to search by partial name without DOB, or SSN? Yes, use the "Search" feature at the top of the page, to the right of the "Dashboard" feature.
  • What are the instructions for partial SSNs? 0s for missing digits? No, use leave blank and be sure to use the SSN Data Quality Code "Partial"
  • Why did I received an error message when I selected "client doesn't know" for SSN and had to re-select the same option from the drop-down menu? VESTA uses SSN to deduplicate clients and displays the page again in the attempt to collect the full SSN.
  • When exiting families, when you exit the HOH, will it prompt you to exit the other family members? Yes.
  • Since we can edit the start/annual assessments, does that mean that we will no longer need to complete an update assessment when any information changes? NO! You still need to do an update assessment when info changes. Do not edit an assessment to document a change. Updates should be recorded when there is a change that occurs during a time other than when an Annual is due.
  • Where and how do we enter case notes? Use the "Encounters" feature located in the left-hand navigation area.
  • Do documents uploaded share with other programs?
    Anything marked with a red square is NOT shared with other agencies at all.
  • It would be great to learn how to share data and keep date private. A client consent must be signed before some information, marked with a green circle, will be shared. Anything marked with a red square is NOT shared with other agencies at all.
  • Do documents uploaded share with other programs? This depends, if the client signs a consent, some information is shared.
  • Can we add a client consent for someone who is blind or disabled? Yes, the client can consent verbally, and the case manager can sign on their behalf.  In a perfect world, the case manager would read the document to the client and then ask the client, “Do I have your permission to sign your name?”  If the client answers, “yes,” then the case manager can note somewhere in the file (maybe on the document itself) that client’s name is being signed by [name of signor] with the permission of the client.
  • How do you revoke access when the client states he no longer wants his information shared Navigate to the Consent feature listed on the left-hand side of the screen and use the revoke feature.
  • How do I exit a client? You can exit in the client status dashboard part or the intake/exit wizard from the navigation bar. Make sure you go through all the steps.
  • What HMIS response should we use if a client puts an "X" for gender?

    The top of page 80 in the FY2022 HMIS Data Standards has the option for response category 4

    “A gender that is not singularly ‘Female’ or ‘Male’ (e.g., non-binary, genderfluid, agender, culturally specific gender)”

  • What is Latin a/o/x in the HMIS Data Standards?

    The term "Latino" means roots in Latin American nations, which include not only Spanish-speaking communities but also Portuguese-speaking (in the case of Brazil) as well. In Spanish, the "o" at the end of "Latino" can mean "male" or include men and women as a group. "Latina" would mean only women. Civil rights movements in the United States have opened avenues for us to question our gender identity, demand recognition for all members of the community, and also create space in which we can refute normative gender identities--such as by using "Latinx." Latinx is a gender-neutral or nonbinary way to refer to a person of Latin American descent.

    Page 77 in the FY2022 HMIS Data Standards has the descriptions for the response categories.

  • If I need to email a program manager to correct universal elements on a client, how should I word the email to protect the client's privacy? You should always use the client's ID when referring to the client in an email, never their name. Don't use the client's name in an email. Use the VESTA ID instead.
  • Can we get a copy of the data standards emailed?

FY 2022 HMIS Data Standards Manual - Version 1.2 (hudexchange.info)

HMIS Data Standards - HUD Exchange

  • Are the data standards the same as the training manual? No, the Data Standards Manual define the data elements that must be collected in HMIS and the training manual will cover how to use the VESTA HMIS software.

Here is the Link to VESTA readiness page where you will find the VESTA HMIS Reference Guide as well as other helpful information.

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