One DHS People, Access and Culture · Learning path · I'm changing a form, notice, or policy
Policy, form, or notice change
You are preparing a policy, form, notice, or letter and want to make sure it is clear, accessible, and workable for the people who will use it.
Outcome: By the end, you will have a clear record of the change, its effect on people, access needs, sources, follow-up responsibilities, and a review date. You can usually complete routine changes with these resources and ask the policy owner or your Equity Director about high-stakes questions or conflicting Official sources.

SITUATIONS THAT MAY FIT THIS PATH
• A staff- or public-facing form, letter, or notice
• A policy or procedure text change
• A process change people must follow

SIX STEPS TO WORK THROUGH IN ORDER
1. Consider access and impact — Use Ask to work through plain-language, access, and process questions. If you need a statute or rule, the answer will be clear about whether an official source is available. · Ask a question — program page /ask?path=gp-2
2. Consider community context (If relevant) — If the change may affect particular Minnesota communities more heavily, read the relevant brief for language, naming, and access considerations. · Explore Minnesota Communities — program page /minnesota-communities
3. Choose practical resources — Use the change-planning guide, plain-language checklist, language access checklist, and equity impact questions as needed. · Form, notice, or letter change guide — program page /library/ja-form-notice-change · Plain language and accessible documents — program page /library/ja-plain-language · Language access checklist — program page /library/ja-language-access-checklist
4. Draft your change and access notes — Record who will be affected, access needs, the effort the process asks of people, source labels, follow-up responsibilities, and a review date. Use the downloaded checklist to write your answers in a tool you normally use. This page does not save them.
5. Review your work — Confirm that every source is clearly labeled, access needs and process barriers are specific, and the next steps have responsible people and dates.
6. Talk it through with a consultant (optional) — A consultation can help when the stakes are high or Official sources conflict. Most day-to-day access questions can be worked through with these resources. · Request a consultation — program page /support/request?path=gp-2

WHAT A USEFUL RESULT LOOKS LIKE
Still needs work
• A general statement that equity was considered without any language, access, or process details
• A statute cited from memory
Ready to use
• Specific notes about barriers and access
• Sources are clearly labeled
• Unanswered policy questions are taken to the policy owner
Privacy: No individual accommodation case details; general access needs only. This page does not save your answers or progress. Notes saved through an earlier version may still be in this browser's site data; this page does not show or delete them.

CHANGE IMPACT NOTES AND ACCESS CHECKLIST
Privacy: This is a blank published checklist. If you complete a downloaded copy, store and share that file according to DHS requirements. Nothing you write in that file is saved back to this page.
Form, notice, or policy name (required): What is changing.
Who receives this and what they will need to do (required): Consider who may not be able to complete the steps and what happens then.
Language and access notes (required): Is this a vital document? Which languages are needed? Has it had a plain-language review? Are accessible formats and phone or in-person options available?
Time, steps, and other barriers (required): Consider deadlines, required documents, and return methods. Note anything that can be removed or simplified.
Sources and their authority labels (required): Label each source Official, Guidance, or Outside source; check before use. If you cannot find a source, note that you asked the policy owner.
Who reviewed this before release (required): Consider communications, language access, accessibility, and the policy owner.
What you chose not to assume (required): Note the assumptions you avoided about the people receiving this.
Who will address each barrier (required): Add one line for each barrier, including the action and the person responsible.
Review your notes against
• Every follow-up has a named owner
• A next review date is set
• This is connected to your specific work
• Language, disability, and communication access were considered for this work
• You named who was involved and the role they had
• You noted what you chose not to assume
• Every source has an authority label and can be verified

QUESTIONS TO BRING TO ASK
• We are changing a renewal notice. What access and burden questions should we work through?
• Where is the plain language checklist?
• Two guidance documents disagree about a notice requirement. What should I do?

One DHS People, Access and Culture