Rule writing help

Each resource (program, service, etc.) has a list of one or more rules that are used to determine eligibility. Each rule is linked to one assessment question, and an assessment question can be used by any number of rules for any number of resources.

When assessing a client, a questionnaire of relevant questions for available programs is built and displayed to the user. They will only be shown questions that are used to determine eligibility for available programs.

For example, let's consider two eligibility questions, and their use in multiple services:

Assessment questions

Here are two assessment questions - date and income - that will be used below to determine eligibility for multiple services:

Assessment question name Description Type
DOB When were you born? Date
Monthlyincome What is your monthly income? Number
Livingsituation Where are you currently living? Multiple choice

Note that the first question doesn't ask age, it asks birthdate. This is more flexible, as it allows a case worker to review an eligibility determination at a later date, when the value may have changed. For example, a 17-year-old might apply shortly before their birthday for a service that only serves 18+, but are not eligible. A week later, they turn 18, and meet with their case worker, who will see their age as 18 due to the system calculating their age based on birthdate instead of a fixed number (in this case, 17) that never changes.

Resources and resource rules

Now, consider two resources that use the above assessment questions to determine eligibility:

Resource Rule name Question Rule expression Rule comments
Children's shelter Under18 DOB Value > Now.AddYears(-18) Must be under 18 years old
IncomeUnder50PerWeek Monthly income Value < (50 * 4.33) Weekly income must be under $50
Adult shelter Over18 DOB now.AddYears(-18) Must be at least 18 years old
IncomeUnder800PerMonth Monthly income < 800 Monthly income must be under $800

Key:

Note the use of the variable 'Now' for the age rules. This is a built-in variable corresponding to the current date.

As you can see, the rule expressions are basic comparison expressions (using C# syntax) that can make use of assessment question answer values, and special global variables.

Also, note that while asking a single income question (as a monthly value), the answer can be used in calculating eligibility with different time periods (above, monthly and weekly). This is more efficient than asking separate monthly and weekly income questions to the client.

Current assessment questions

Multiple-choice options
Assessment question name Description Type Name Prompt
Medicaid Status What is the person's Medicaid status? SingleChoice Has
NoButEligible
Ineligible		 Has Medicaid
Doesn't have Medicaid, but is eligible
Doesn't have Medicaid, and is not eligible
Current Age What is your current age? Number
Homeless Status What is the person's current homeless status? SingleChoice NotAtRisk
Unstable
Imminent
Chronic
ExperiencingHUD14		 Stably housed / not at risk of homelessness
Unstably housed
Imminent risk of homelessness
Chronically homeless
Experienceing Homelessness (HUD cat 1 & 4 only)
High In-Home Care Provider Turnover Has the individual had high in-home care provider turnover? SingleChoice No
Yes		 No
Yes
Substance Use Disorder Does the person you are working with have any of the following substance use disorders? MultipleChoice Stimulants
Opioids
Other		 Stimulants
Opioids
Other
Frequent ED Visits Has the person you are working with had frequent Emergency Department visits? SingleChoice No
Yes		 No
Yes
Ordered To Outpatient Competency Has the person been ordered to outpatient competency restoration? SingleChoice No
Yes		 No
Yes
Listed on HCA Referral Is the person listed on the HCA referral list for Forensic Outreach Services? SingleChoice No
Yes		 No
Yes
Referred By Forensic Navigators Was the person referred by Forensic Navigators? SingleChoice No
Yes		 No
Yes
Qualifies as a Trueblood classmember Does the person qualify as a Trueblood classmember? SingleChoice No
Yes		 No
Yes
PRISM Score of 1.5+ Does the person have a PRISM score of 1.5 or higher? SingleChoice No
Yes		 No
Yes
Unable To Retain Employment Is the person unable to retain employment? SingleChoice No
Yes		 No
Yes
Multiple Inpatient Treatment Episodes Has the person you are working with had multiple inpatient treatment episodes? SingleChoice No
Yes		 No
Yes
Behavioral Health At Risk Without Intervention Does the person have a behavioral health diagnosis that is at risk of deterioration without intervention? SingleChoice No
Yes		 No
Yes
Severe Mental Illness Does the person have a severe mental illness? SingleChoice No
Yes		 No
Yes
Current Criminal Charges Does the person currently have criminal charges filed against them? SingleChoice No
Yes		 No
Yes
Homeless in the Past 5 Years Have you been homeless in the past 5 years (including couch surfing / doubling up)? SingleChoice No
Yes		 No
Yes
Income as percentage of AMI What is the household income, as a percent of AMI? Number
Behavioral Health Condition Does the person have a Behavioral Health Condition? SingleChoice No
Yes		 No
Yes
HoH Disability Does the Head of Household have a disability? SingleChoice No
Yes		 No
Yes
Covid-19 Severe Risk Is the person at severe risk from Covid-19, per CDC guidelines? SingleChoice No
Yes		 No
Yes
Eligible for LTS Is the person eligible for Long-Term Supportive Services? SingleChoice No
Yes		 No
Yes
HEN Referral Does the person have a HEN referral from DSHS? SingleChoice No
Yes		 No
Yes
Dependent in HH Does the person have a dependent living in the household? SingleChoice No
Yes		 No
Yes
Long-Term Subsidy Does the person have a demonstrated need for a Long-Term Subsidy? SingleChoice No
Yes		 No
Yes
Financial Hardship due to COVID-19 Does the person have a financial hardship due to the COVID-19 outbreak that threatens the household's ability to pay rental costs? SingleChoice No
Yes		 No
Yes
Unemployed in the Last 90 Days Have one or more individuals in the household been unemployed for 90 days prior to this evaluation? SingleChoice No
Yes		 No
Yes
Missed Rent Since March 2020 Does the person have any missed rent not paid since March 2020, and are still occupying the residence? SingleChoice No
Yes		 No
Yes
Housing Disrupted Due To Discrimination Has the person's housing been disrupted due to to their race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, or religion? SingleChoice No
Yes		 No
Yes
Eviction In Last 7 Years Has the person been evicted within the past 7 years? SingleChoice No
Yes		 No
Yes
ID / SSID Does the person you are working with have an ID or Social Security card? SingleChoice No
Yes		 No
Yes
Prev / Current Resources What kind of resources does the person have/had in place? MultipleChoice SSI
SSDI
TANF
HEN
ABD
Wages
Vet
ExFoster
FoodAsst
None		 Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
Social securtiy Disability Income (SSDI)
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) - Individual must have children in the household to access TANF
HEN - Short term incapacity plus unstably housed
ABD - Incapacity but is in the SSI/SSDI application
Wages - Person is employed but at risk of losing job
Veteran’s benefits
Extended Foster Care benefits
Food Assistance
No resources, or need to be reconnected
Has Medicaid Does the person you are working with have Medicaid? SingleChoice No
Yes		 No
Yes
Inpatient Status Is the individual currently in an inpatient setting such as a community psychiatric hospital, evaluation and treatment facility, substance use treatment facility and in need of housing resources upon discharge? SingleChoice No
Yes		 No
Yes
Prev Living Situation Safe Does the individual feel safe in returning to previous location? SingleChoice Yes
NoDV
NoSUD		 Yes
No, It was a domestic violence situation
No, It was unhealthy for their recovery (for SUD)
Prev Living Situation Available If Back Rent Paid If the previous living situation was healthy/safe but they owe back-rent, could the individual return to previous housing if arrears were paid? SingleChoice Yes
YesWithSupport
No
N/A		 Yes
Yes, but they may need support
No
N/A
Living With Fam / Friends Suitable For Recovery Is living with family members/friends a safe/healthy option that supports recovery? SingleChoice Yes
YesWithAssistance
No		 Yes, but doesn't need any assistance
Yes - The individual needs rent assistance
No
Veteran Status Did they serve in the military? SingleChoice No
Yes
YesNeedsApplAsst		 No
Yes
Yes, but they need assistance to apply for benefits
Prefer To Live Alone Does the person want to live on their own? MultipleChoice Yes
YesWithRentAssistance
YesWithEmploymentServices
YesWithHousingSupport
No		 Yes
Yes, but needs help with rent
Yes, but needs help with supported employment services through FCS
Yes, but needs supportive services to obtain housing
No
Need Support For Independent Living Does the person need support to accomplish activities of adult daily living (bathing, cooking, showering etc.) to live independently? SingleChoice Yes
No		 Yes
No
Previous Living Situation Prior to admission, where has the individual lived the most in the previous 12 months? SingleChoice ES
TH
Outside
FamFriends
OwnedOrRented
HospOrFacility
Incarcerated		 Shelter
Transitional Housing
Anywhere outside (e.g. street, vehicle, abandoned building, etc.)
With family/relatives/friends
A home or apartment that the individual owns or rents
Hospital, residential treatment facility/inpatient facility/substance use treatment facility
Incarcerated or under the custody of the Department of Correction
Planned Living Situation Where does the individual plan to stay after leaving the current setting? SingleChoice ES
TH
Outside
FamFriends
OwnedOrRented		 Shelter
Transitional Housing
Anywhere outside (e.g. street, vehicle, abandoned building, etc.)
With family/relatives/friends
A home or apartment that the individual owns or rents
Exiting Inpatient Status Is the individual currently exiting an inpatient setting for a behavioral health issue? MultipleChoice No
Yes		 No
Yes
FCS Health-Based Needs Select any of the following health-based needs the person has: MultipleChoice MentalHealth
SUD
3+ADL
HandsOnADL
ComplexPhysical
ObjPhysicalImpair
None		 Mental health need where there is need for improvement, stabilization or prevention of deterioration of functioning resulting from the presence of a mental illness
Need for outpatient substance use disorder (SUD) treatment
Need for assistance with three or more activities of daily living (ADL)
Need for hands-on assistance with one or more ADL
Complex physical health need, which is a long continuing or indefinite physical condition requiring improvement, stabilization or prevention of deterioration of functioning
Objective evidence of physical impairments, and because of this, the individual needs assistance with basic work-related activities
None of these apply
FCS Risk Factors Select any of the following risk factors the person has: MultipleChoice None
Homeless12+Months
2+Contacts_90DaysInst
2+RCStays
FrequentIHCGTurnover
PRISM1.5+
NoEmpl90+Days
SUD
MentalHealthOrSUDRiskOfDeteriorating
NoEmplAgeDisabTBI		 None of these apply
Homeless for at least 12 months -or- Homeless on at least four separate occasions in the last three years (combined to equal at least 12 months)
Two or more contacts in the past 12 months or 90 or more consecutive days within an institutional setting
Two or more adult residential care stays within the past 12 months
Frequent turnover of in-home caregivers
Predictive Risk Intelligence System (PRISM) score of 1.5 or above
Unable to be gainfully employed for at least 90 consecutive days due to a mental or physical impairment
SUD with repeated inpatient treatment episodes
Diagnosed mental health and/or SUD that is at risk of deteriorating without intervention
An inability to obtain or maintain employment resulting from age, physical disability or traumatic brain injury

Current global variables

Name Value (current) Comments
Now 3/9/2026 5:34:41 PM
FedPovertyLevel 12880

Current global functions

These are not yet implemented, but it is expected they will be.

Name Parameters Example Comments
Age date Age(DOB) Calculates the current age based on a DOB. (more readable than DateTime functions)