dex-stage-3-fields - Pnyx's Help

# Recording Stage 3 Fields on a Progress Note From **11 August 2026**, the Department of Social Services requires extra information on every session submitted through the Data Exchange for a range of CHSP activities. DSS calls these the **Stage 3** fields — 15 new session-level questions covering who delivered the service, where it was delivered, how meals were handled, and how travel time was spent. Comm.care shows the Stage 3 fields **directly on the Progress Note**, so there is nothing new to learn about workflows or navigation. If a field appears, DEX needs an answer for that session. If it doesn't appear, DEX doesn't want it for that service type — don't go looking for it. > _**Note:** Stage 3 only applies to DSS-funded services. NDIS and privately-funded Progress Notes are unaffected._ ## When the fields appear The Stage 3 fields are gated by the **`(Program Activity, Service Type)`** pair on the Progress Note. Comm.care asks DEX what each service type requires, then shows only those fields. That means: - **You'll see different fields on different Progress Notes.** A Meal Delivery note asks about meal counts and engagement time. A Domestic Assistance note asks only about the sub-contractor and volunteer questions. - **If you change the Service Type on the note, the fields update.** Any answers you'd already given for fields that no longer apply are dropped from the payload. - **A red asterisk (`*`) means DEX requires an answer.** Fields without an asterisk are optional — you can save and submit the note with them blank. > _**Note:** Comm.care reads the requirements from DEX at the moment you open the note, not from an old copy. This is intentional — it means Progress Notes delivered before 11 August that you reopen today will now show the Stage 3 fields you need to complete, without any hunting._ ![[Dex-stage-3-new-fields-home-repairs.png]] *The two Stage 3 fields DEX requires for this activity — Subcontractor delivered, and Volunteer involved in direct service delivery — should be visible as toggles at the bottom of the DSS section on the Progress Note* ## The 15 fields, grouped The Stage 3 fields fall into four small groups. You'll only ever see a subset on any one note. ### Who delivered the service | Field | What it means | | --- | --- | | **Subcontractor delivered** | Yes if the person delivering was not an employee or volunteer of your organisation. | | **Volunteer involved in direct service delivery** | Yes if a volunteer delivered the service predominantly directly to the client. | ### Where and how the service was delivered | Field | What it means | | --- | --- | | **Service location setting** | Pick **Home** or **Community**. | | **Overnight support included** | Yes if the session included overnight attendance at the client's home. | ### Engagement and travel | Field | What it means | | --- | --- | | **Engagement time (minutes)** | Time spent building connectedness and trust with the client, on top of the service itself. Optional. | | **Trip time (hours + minutes)** | Travel time — count only while the client is in the vehicle. Optional. | | **Trip distance (km)** | Distance from pick-up to the agreed destination. Optional. | > _**Note:** Enter trip time as hours and minutes — Comm.care converts it to total minutes for you before sending it to DEX._ ### Meals | Field | What it means | | --- | --- | | **Meal provided** | Yes if a meal was provided during the session. | | **Meal cooked off-site** | Yes if the meal was prepared somewhere other than your organisation's own location. | | **Items texture-modified** | Yes if at least one meal in the session was texture-modified. Only one needs to be. | | **Main meals** | Count of main meals. | | **Light meals** | Count of light meals. | | **Desserts** | Count of desserts. | | **Beverages** | Count of beverages. | | **Snacks** | Count of snacks. | > _**Note:** For counts, `0` is a real answer. "No main meals" is different from "I didn't record it" — enter `0` if none were provided._  ## Filling in a Progress Note, end to end You create a DSS Progress Note the same way you always have — from the Calendar, from a Circle's Timeline, or from the Home Page. See [Progress Notes](../progress-notes/creating-progress-notes.md) if you need a refresher. Once the note is open: **Step 1**: Set the **Status** to _Provided_. Stage 3 fields aren't required for cancellations or no-shows. **Step 2**: Confirm the **Related Service**. This is what tells Comm.care which Stage 3 fields to show. **Step 3**: Scroll to the **DEX** section of the note. The Stage 3 fields sit here, alongside the existing DEX fields your organisation is used to (Extra Items, Total Cost, and so on). **Step 4**: Answer every field marked with a red asterisk. Leave optional fields blank if you don't have a value. **Step 5**: Click **Save**. Comm.care validates that the mandatory Stage 3 fields are populated, then sends the session to DEX.  ## What happens after you save Comm.care sends the session to DEX in the background. You can check the outcome the same way as before: - On the Progress Note itself, look at the **DSS Sync Tracker** panel. - If DEX accepted the session, you'll see a success entry with the DEX session ID. - If DEX rejected it, the message DEX returned is shown **verbatim** — no re-wording. The field name that DEX is unhappy with is usually named in the message. > _**Note:** Comm.care does not translate DEX error messages. If the wording is unclear, it will match what you'd see in the DEX portal, and the DSS helpdesk can help interpret it: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) or 1800 020 283._  ## Backfilling Progress Notes from before 11 August DSS requires Stage 3 data for **all sessions delivered from 1 July 2026 onwards**, not just from the go-live date. If your organisation delivered CHSP services between 1 July and 11 August against an affected service type, those Progress Notes will need updating. Reopening a Progress Note automatically shows the Stage 3 fields it now needs — you don't have to delete and recreate the note. Fill in the answers, click **Save**, and Comm.care will re-submit the session to DEX with the new data. > _**Note:** If your organisation was one of the three affected by the mid-August cutover, our support team has already sent you a list of the Progress Notes needing backfill. If you can't find that email, get in touch._  ## Printing a Progress Note for audit The Progress Note PDF now includes every DEX field that was sent for the session, Stage 3 fields included. If you print a note as audit evidence, the answers you gave will be on it. - Boolean answers print as **Yes** / **No** (not `true` / `false`). - Coded fields (like Service Location Setting) print as the human-readable description, not the DEX code. - A `0` count prints as `0`, not as a blank.  ## FAQ **Why does the field list change when I switch Service Type?** Because DEX has different requirements for different service types. Comm.care shows you only what applies to the service type currently selected on the note. **A field I saw yesterday isn't there today. Where did it go?** Most likely someone re-synced your DSS account and DEX has updated the requirements for that service type. Comm.care always reflects the current requirement set — check with your coordinator if the change is unexpected. **Can I leave the optional fields blank?** Yes. Comm.care will save the note and submit the session without them. Engagement time, trip time and trip distance are the three fields DSS currently marks as optional; that set is controlled by DEX and could change without a Comm.care update. **A grandfathered Service Type is showing as locked on an old note. Why?** DSS occasionally retires Service Types. If a note was created against one that no longer appears in the current dropdown, Comm.care keeps that value on the note (so the data isn't lost) but locks the field so it can't be changed. The Stage 3 fields for that Service Type still render normally and the note can still be saved.