Personal IDs

Personal IDs

Introduction

With the launch of Community Services 5.17.00 on October 1, 2025, WellSky implemented new counting methodology with the use of the Personal ID that has affected CMIS and our system's implementation.

The Personal ID is a unique SHA-256 hashed 32-character hex value created from several elements:
• First Name, Last Name, and Suffix
• Social Security Number
• Date of Birth
• Race and Ethnicity
• U.S. Military Veteran Status
As these data elements are updated in CMIS, a client's Personal ID will change - this is not a static identifier in our system.

The Personal ID is not meant to be recorded manually, for physical client records, as the data element can change over time.
Personal IDs are meant to be used via copy & paste when searching for clients in CMIS.

Additional information and updates about Personal IDs will be communicated to CMIS users by Housing Alliance Delaware once they are made available by WellSky and/or HUD. Housing Alliance Delaware has confirmed that the implementation and use of Personal IDs has been fast-tracked by WellSky, so they will provide more updates as they evaluate the impact of Personal IDs being introduced to other CoCs' HMIS systems.

Housing Alliance Delaware will also be updating CMIS training materials to incorporate locating and using Personal IDs.

Reporting

Previously, reports mostly used the Client ID (or CMIS ID) in most reports. Now, these reports will utilize the Personal ID for counting. This update allows for more consistent counts.

This update has affected the following reports:
  1. CoC APR
  2. ESG CAPER
  3. Coordinated Entry APR
  4. Data Quality Framework
  5. PATH Report
WellSky expects counts to either remain the same or slightly increase due to improved deduplication within these reports, if you are comparing reports over time.

Exports

All exports from CMIS replaced the Client ID with Personal ID. This includes:
  1. Hashed HMIS CSV - used by RHY-funded providers and to use in Eva
  2. VA Repository Export
  3. System Performance Measures
  4. HUD CSV FY2026

Client Search

Reports in CMIS that replaced Client ID with Personal ID are still searchable in CMIS.
In early March, Housing Alliance Delaware added the "Personal ID" search field that is now visible in the Client Search:




Searching for a client by their Personal ID should take the CMIS user straight to the profile of the associated Client. If the search does not work, either:
  1. The report where the Personal ID was copied from is outdated.
  2. The associated client's personally identifiable information and/or demographics have been updated in CMIS.
  3. There is a system issue. Contact HAD if you are having long-term issues searching using the Personal ID field.

Housing Alliance Delaware understands that this is new to those who are used to searching by Client ID from their reports, especially for those who are used to Client IDs in their Exports. This is something that we would like to communicate as we are all transitioning to this new way of locating and searching for clients in CMIS.

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