How to Complete a Meal Application in ElderSuite

📝 Overview

A Meal Application stores the Meal Benefit Income Eligibility form for one client. Enter the household, benefit, and income information, save the application, and print the form for your records.

Open Nutrition Center from the ElderSuite main menu and click Meal Applications. The Meal Application List shows clients on the left and their applications on the right.

ElderSuite records and prints the information entered on the application. It does not determine the client's Free, Reduced, or Paid category and does not set Meal Type. After determining the category under the applicable food-program rules, set Meal Type on the client's record. The Claim for Reimbursement uses that field.

Meal Records is separate. It records the meals actually served on each service date.

⚙ How It Works

1. Open Meal Applications

Open Nutrition Center and click Meal Applications.

Highlight the client on the left. The right side lists that client's Meal Applications and Recurring Meal Applications.

The list opens with active clients. Change View to All Clients when you need a client who is no longer active.

For a Limited Access user, this workflow requires the Edit Meal Applications permission.

2. Add and Complete the Application

Click Add New. The Meal Application opens for the highlighted client with today's date and Print Later selected.

Complete the sections that apply on the Meal Benefit Income Eligibility form:

• Part 1. All Household Members lists household members, including the enrolled adult. Mark No Income when applicable.
• Part 2. Benefits records qualifying benefit information and the applicable case number.
• Part 3. Total Household Gross Income records the household income information.

Some printed information, such as client contact and demographic details, comes from the client's record rather than being entered on the Meal Application screen.

Click Save & Close. A client and complete Date are required for the application to save.

3. Set Meal Type on the Client Record

The Meal Application does not classify the client. After the center determines the appropriate category, set Meal Type on the client record:

1. Open Client Center → Client List.
2. Select the client and open Edit Client.
3. Open Admission Info.
4. In Categories & Types, set Meal Type to Free, Reduced, or Paid.
5. Click Save & Close.

4. Print the Form

Open the application and click Print. Save any pending changes before printing. The completed Meal Benefit Income Eligibility form opens in the Report Viewer.

New applications start with Print Later selected. Meal Applications can also be printed in groups from the list using 'Print Later' Records or Print by Date Range.

Meal Application - Meal Benefit Income Eligibility Form in Report Center → Nutrition Reports opens the same Meal Application list.

5. Set a Recurring Schedule When Needed

Open the application and click Make Recurring. For an application that already has a recurring schedule, use Edit Recurring Schedule.

Choose Monthly or Yearly and enter the Next Due Date. The next due date must be in the future.

When creating the recurring schedule for the first time, ElderSuite lets you either Copy the current application into a separate recurring record or Convert the current application into the recurring record.

At sign-in, ElderSuite asks permission to create recurring records that have come due. If the user selects Yes, ElderSuite creates the due record, calculates the following due date, and reschedules the recurring record. If the user selects No, nothing is created at that sign-in.

Recurring applications appear under Recurring Meal Applications.

✅ Important Limitations

ElderSuite does not calculate an eligibility result from the income entered on the application and does not automatically update Meal Type.

The recurring schedule can create the next Meal Application after approval at sign-in; it does not change the client's Meal Type.

Meal Applications can be printed individually or in batches, but ElderSuite does not provide a bulk data export of Meal Applications.

Use the applicable state agency or food-program sponsor as the authority for eligibility rules, required documentation, and renewal frequency.

💡 Need More Help?

For step-by-step instructions, click Ask Eddie from within ElderSuite.