HUD’s 2026 HMIS Data Standards Changes - What’s the Latest?

Back in August, we shared that a series of HUD-required changes would be coming to Minnesota’s HMIS. In the weeks since that announcement went out, ClientTrack developers have been hard at work putting those changes into place.

What’s been accomplished so far?
CaseWorthy, our HMIS software vendor, has completed two rounds of baseline system updates. With those in place, ICA’s developers begun editing our software’s custom components, like the data collection forms users see when stepping through their workflows.

Because Minnesota’s HMIS uses a custom program enrollment form, ICA’s developers are responsible for adding the new Sex data element to that form.

What’s coming up next?
There are still some updates on CaseWorthy’s plate, so ICA staff will continue reviewing their work for any potential issues and readying custom components in anticipation of an October 1 release date.

While we don’t expect HUD to mandate any further changes at this late date, the possibility remains since an official data standards manual has yet to be released. Until there is documentation from HUD, the best available sources of information are CaseWorthy’s robust knowledge base article and ICA’s own release notes. Questions or concerns about the data standards changes can also be directed to our Helpdesk at mnhmis@icalliances.org.

What do I need to do to prepare?
In previous years, there were dedicated trainings and handouts for users to review in preparation for the release of data standards. However, owing to the nature of this year’s updates and the transition to ClientTrack, preparation looks different this time around for users. The best way to get ready for October 1 is to keep an eye on ICA’s release notes, as more details will be added over the next two weeks to help users understand what’s new in Minnesota’s HMIS.

The 2026 Data Standards Changes all have the special release type “Requirement”.