Permission and Accounts
What sites and projects do I have access to in STAR?
Even if you came here to have another question answered, this is important information to help you navigate STAR.
When you first log into STAR, you might see a list of different dashboards. If you have Vendor Administrator permission, you’ll see the Vendor Administration section. If you have permission as a Vendor / Provider, you will see the name or names listed. The dashboards are divided by who manages the programs at your agency, so you might also see multiple versions with different State Agency acronyms listed. You might see none of these (if your access is simple) or a combination of all of them.
Here’s how you’ll be able to look at what you have access to:
If you have Vendor Administrator permission: You’ll be able to see which of your agency’s sites you have Vendor Administrator permission over in the Vendor Administration section of STAR. In the navigation bar to the left, you will see a drop-down menu listing all the sites you have access for. Selecting a given site will bring up that site’s Profile and Staff Roster.
If you have Vendor / Provider permission: You’ll be able to see what programs and projects you have access to once you log into your dashboard. Programs are listed on the left. Click it, and you will see a list of all the projects you have access to. A dropdown menu on the left will list the various sites you have access to for that program, too. Because permission in STAR is organized around project, you might have different sites listed for different projects.
How do I get a STAR account?
New users cannot request their own accounts in STAR, so you’ll need to ask someone else to request it for you.
The needed information will be your name, your email address, your level of access, the sites you need access to and the projects you need access to. Permissions in STAR are organized around projects and distinguished by site, so make sure this information goes into the request.
If you are working with a State Agency program manager, ask that program manager to request an account for you.
If you are a team member at a vendor / service provider, there will be a vendor administrator user somewhere in the organization. That user will be the one to send in a request to give you an account.
How do I give my team members access to STAR?
Before we continue, please keep in mind that staff and users are two different things in STAR. This section is about adding users. User means someone who has a STAR account and can use STAR’s various functions; staff means someone listed in your agency as a provider when billing for and/or recording services, or entering data.
Access to all parts of STAR requires an explicit request from a designated person or user. This includes both adding and removing permissions.
The following people can request access (or removal) for a STAR user:
State agency staff (finance, program managers)
Vendor administrators (the person who works to set up the account - and anyone else designated a vendor administrator)
Executive staff, as listed in STAR when setting up the vendor account. However, to avoid confusion, we recommend adding any executive staff as vendor administrators, who are going to be adding/removing staff.
We understand that providing valuable services to the community takes time - so, if this staff member cannot make the request, CC’ing them to a request email or otherwise demonstrating written approval is acceptable as well.
How to send the request? Easy!
Send an email to support@fallingcolors.com and include all of the following:
The name of the user(s)
Their email address(es)
Which site(s) they need access to
Which project(s) they will need access to
What level of access they need. For the vast majority of vendors, this is going to be vendor (i.e., data entry, billing, other program activities if applicable), vendor administrator (adding / removing users; updating staff records and credentials; updating vendor profiles), or vendor financial administrator (boxing ring / claims recoupment information).
How do I change or remove STAR access for myself or a team member?
Simply send a request to support@fallingcolors.com stating what you’d like to change, for whom.
As with any other user requests, only vendor administrators or State agency staff can request changes.
Can team members at my agency share a STAR account?
Due to our HIPAA compliance measures, users in STAR cannot share an account. Please see the section above about adding users, if you would like to learn how to set someone up with an account.
Staff Roster and Licensure
Why isn’t a staff member appearing in the drop-down, when I’m submitting billing?
In STAR, staff members need to be added by a vendor administrator user. This is performed in the Vendor Administration section of STAR, under the Staff tab.
So, the first thing to check is to see if the user has been added. If they have, there are a few other things to troubleshoot:
The staff member must be active at the facility you’re billing for. Staff are automatically made active for at least one site when added in STAR, but you will need to make sure they are activated at the right sites, if your vendor account included multiple sites. Vendor Administrators select the site they are looking at from the dropdown menu to the left of the screen.
The staff member needs a license or certification. STAR requires that every staff member have a licensure or certification selected, in order for them to appear in lists when adding services. In terms of what to add, you should have this information from your Program Manager at the State: STAR support staff can inform you what has been used in the past, but they are not qualified to tell you what your program requirements are. The same goes for documents needed for upload - you’ll need to check with your program manager. There are some cases when you do not have a relevant document to upload - in these cases, a blank pdf will work. But please check with State Agency staff.
The staff member does not have the correct licensure or certification. As in the above item, if you’re not sure what to select, ask your Program Manager at the State.
The staff member’s licensure or certification has expired. Most licensure / certification selections in STAR will require an expiration date. Make sure this date is correct. If the date has expired, add a new entry with a later date.
How do I update staff licensure / certification information?
To make updates to staff licensure or certification, you need to have Vendor Administrator-level permission.
If you have this permission, a Vendor Administration link will appear, when you log in (or you will go directly there, if Vendor Administrator is the only permission you have). Once on this page, click the Staff tab at the left of the screen to access or create staff records.
I’ve updated my licensure / certification, but I’m still getting an error. What’s going on?
This could also be an issue with expiration dates, but usually this means you do not have the correct licensure saved. Certain services are set up only to accept billing for staff with a particular licensure. Occasionally, this required licensure does not line up with the real life licensure that the provider has and is able to bill real services for.
If you don’t know what it is, you can first check to see what other staff members have saved, particularly if you know they have recently submitted billing.
If looking at other staff doesn’t help, you can contact your program manager or Falling Colors support. We are happy to help you, but we highly recommend bringing this to your program manager’s attention, because they will need to be alerted to what licensure is missing in the system, and you will have the best knowledge of what in fact is missing. STAR enters requirements like this at our State Agency’s direction.
Client Records and Surveys
I’ve brought up a client’s record, but I can’t enter any surveys. What do I do?
Surveys in STAR function differently depending on the program, but there are a few common things to check.
Is the client activated in the project? Surveys will not be available, if the client hasn’t been activated in the project yet. To activate a client in a project, go to the Projects tab, select the right location (if there are multiple options) and click Activate for the appropriate project.
Do you have the proper certification? In order to fill out some surveys, a STAR user must have certification saved in their staff profile. Not all users can perform this - only vendor administrators can update staff certifications.
In this instance, “certification” does not necessarily mean that a certificate must be uploaded. It will depend on individual program requirements. If there is no relevant certificate to add, certification can be added anyway.
Has your certification been finalized? This is relevant for YSA and CANS surveys only. If you know for a fact that certification has been saved, and the surveys still aren’t working, your certification might not be finalized. There is a final step that must be performed by STAR staff to enable YSA and CANS surveys. Contact your vendor administrator, or email support@fallingcolors.com if you believe this is what’s happening.
These steps should cover it. If you are continuing to have issues, don’t hesitate to contact us.
I’ve filled out a survey, but it’s not showing as completed. What do I do?
The status of a survey depends on which button you clicked when you left it:
If you clicked Save and Exit, this means the survey was not complete.
If you clicked Complete Survey, this means the survey was complete.
You might be wondering: I completed my survey, but it’s still saying it’s incomplete on the list and showing “Save and Exit” when I edit it - so what do I do?
It is very common to have skipped a question or two.
Open up the survey (by clicking “Edit” from the “…” menu).
Then, take a look at the navigation menu to the left of the survey, and make sure that every box has a checkmark. If you see any fractions (e.g., “33 / 37”), this means there are still unanswered questions. You will be able to Complete the survey once every single box has a checkmark (i.e. every required question is answered).
Billing - Uploads and Encounters
I have funding available, but I can’t add services / can’t find the funding. What’s going on? (Non-client-based services)
Don’t panic! There are several things to check, here. Please follow the items in order and go down the list.
This list applies to non-client-based services. If you have to bring up a client record to add a service, you are looking at a client-based service, so please scroll down to the next section. If your work was with clients, but, in STAR, you don’t have to bring up a client record, then it is still a non-client-based service.
Are you logged into your account, at the right place? Make sure you are logging in at star.bhsdstar.org. Only certain vendor users (vendor administrators) can create STAR accounts so, If you do not have an account, please contact either your supervisor or your State Agency contact and ask them to send us an “add user” request.
Do you have access to the funding? Providing access can sometimes get lost in the shuffle, especially if there is new funding at an agency that has been with STAR for a while already. Access needs to be specifically requested for all users for all fund sources - accounts are not automatically updated. You will know you have the access, if you can log into the right dashboard (this will happen automatically, if you only have one to choose from) and you can see the name of the program / application in question on the left. If you can see it, that means you have the right access. If you can’t see it, then you will need to request access to the funding. Again, this request must be made by a vendor administrator.
Are you on the correct fiscal year? This problem occurs most often shortly after a new fiscal year has started. Once you have clicked on the program name, there will be tabs displaying the various fiscal years when that fund has / had funding. Click on the fiscal year you are billing for to bring up the correct fund source.
Are you billing for services before the billable start date? You cannot enter services that occurred before the project’s billable start date. For most providers, this will be the 1st of the previous month. For example, if it is September 16th, you can only bill as far back as August 1st. If you need to bill before this date, please contact your program manager about opening a billing windows.
Are you billing for services before the fund source end date? This is similar to but slightly different from the billable start date. All funds have an end date, beyond which you cannot bill for services. For the vast majority of projects, this will be the end of the state fiscal year (6/30). Beyond that, you will need to bill for the next fiscal year. However, occasionally funds will have a different date. You can check this by hovering your mouse cursor over the “details” icon in the table where you view your allocations. If you have any concerns, you will need to contact your program manager, because this is not something that Falling Colors can change without State Agency approval.
Is there, in fact, funding available? It’s possible that funding has been requested and not allocated yet; or sometimes other team members at your agency might have spent it. You will see available funding listed in the tables. If the funding levels don’t seem correct, please contact the funding State Agency. They will reach out to us if they need us to make any changes.
Are approved services saved for this project? This is a common configuration error - funding as been allocated and enabled, but no services have been selected yet. If this is the case, you will be able to see the listing for the fund source, along with allocation totals, but the name of the project won’t be a clickable link. If this is the case, please contact your State Agency program manager - who will be able to contact us with any necessary updates.
These are the most common points to troubleshoot. If none of these apply, you should be able to add services from the “Add Service” button.
I have funding available, but I can’t add services / can’t find the funding. What’s going on? (Client-based services)
Don’t panic! There are several things to check, here. Please follow the items in order and go down the list.
(This list applies to client-based services. If you have to bring up a client record to add a service, you are looking at a client-based service, so you’re in the right section. If your work was with clients, but, in STAR, you don’t have to bring up a client record, then it is still a non-client-based service, so please refer to the section above.)
Are you logged into your account, at the right place? Make sure you are logging in at star.bhsdstar.org Only certain vendor users (vendor administrators) can create STAR accounts so, If you do not have an account, please contact either your supervisor or your State Agency contact and ask them to send us an Add User request.
Do you have access to the funding? This step can be missed, especially if there is new funding at an agency that has been with STAR for a while already. Access needs to be specifically requested for all users for all fund sources - accounts are not automatically updated. You will know you have the access, if you can log into the right dashboard (this will happen automatically, if you only have one to choose from) and you can see the name of the program / application in question on the left. If you can see it, that means you have the right access. If you can’t see it, then you will need to request access to the funding. Again, this request must be made by a vendor administrator.
Is there, in fact, funding available? It’s possible that funding has been requested and not allocated yet; or sometimes other team members at your agency might have spent it. You will see available funding listed in the tables. If the funding levels don’t seem correct, please contact the funding State Agency. They will reach out to us if they need us to make any changes.
Do you have the client record up? To bring up a client record, you can use the relevant client list in your dashboard. You can also look up clients by clicking the Client menu in the top menu bar, selecting FIND CLIENT, then entering the relevant information to bring up the record.
Is the client activated in the project? Make sure the client is activated or opted-in by visiting the Projects tab. If your agency has multiple locations, you will need to select the correct location using the drop down. If you find there are no projects to select except at a main location, this is very common - you should still be able to enter services properly.
Is the client’s mandated data up-to-date? Usually there will be an exclamation point (but not always) next to the Mandated Data tab, but not always. Take a look at this guide to read about Mandated Data troubleshooting.
Are the client’s surveys filled out? As with Mandated Data, you may see an exclamation if there are tasks to completed on the Surveys tab. Take a look at the entry below for surveys troubleshooting tips.
If you are unsure what surveys need to be completed before entering services, we would recommend contacting your supervisor or State Agency program manager.
How do I add extra supporting documentation to an encounter service?
The Supporting Documentation “service” has been created to allow additional documents to be added onto an invoice. Though it’s not a service, we sometimes refer to it as one, because it functions like the other services in the system.
This is usually only available if you are entering encounter services. If it’s not an option available to you, it may be intentional. Contact your State Agency program manager if you have any questions.
The most important thing to know about Supporting Documentation is that you can only add a Supporting Documentation service for a given day if a billable service has already been added. So this means you will need to have already entered the service or services you are providing documentation for, and the dates have to be the same. This includes any services you might have directly added to a client profile.
To enter Supporting Documentation, go to your STAR dashboard and open up the service as you would any other, upload the needed documentation, and then save. You will find your uploads attached to the STAR invoice generated for the billable services the documentation goes with.
I’m having trouble uploading my services. Can I just email my documents to you?
Unfortunately, no.
In order for an invoice to be paid, it must be entered in STAR.
If you’re having difficulties, first take a look at any error messages you may be receiving and check to see if what they mention is true or not. Then, if it still isn’t clear, send an email to support@fallingcolors.com
What is a billing window? How do I open a billing window?
When talking about billing windows, we are generally talking about the billable start date. This is the earliest date a service can have, when you are billing in STAR. The billing window is the time from this date until the present day.
Billable start dates are organized by project. Remember that projects and fund sources don’t entirely overlap, so it’s also possible for the billable start date for the same fund source to be different, depending on which project you are billing under.
So, when making a request to open a billing window, you will need to reference the project(s), not the fund source.
The vast majority of projects have a billable start date that is the first of the previous calendar month. For example, if it is October 30th, the earliest you can bill for, by default, would be September 1st. That will be the same on October 31st. The next day, on November 1st, the earliest you can bill would be October 1st.
There are some rare exceptions to this - but, if your program is configured this way, you will be told by your program manager.
Opening a billing window is simple:
First, download this form.
Fill out all the fields on the form.
Remember that Project is the name of the state-funded operation you are billing under, not the fund source, or the name of your agency. If you are unsure what the project is, see the very first question on this page.
Send the document to your State Agency program manager. All Billing Window Requests require State approval.
Your program manager will take it from there. Depending on the situation, they will need to send the document for further approval by the finance department, or send it to Falling Colors directly.
Billing - Claims
How do I check the status on a submitted claim?
First, you’ll need to make sure you have claims project permissions. If you do, you’ll see the word “Claims” appear at the left of your dashboard. If this is missing, please contact your vendor administrator, or, if you are a vendor administrator, send a message to support to update your permissions.
If you do have the right permissions, you should see an application called Claims History appearing at the right of your dashboard, in the Overview section.
In the Claims History, you can search for claims by the (STAR) claim ID, your own internal claim ID, or client ID. You will also need to specify a date range.
For more information on Claims History, check out [this guide.]
How do I cancel a claim I’ve already submitted?
That will depend on how long it’s been since submission.
Either way, you will need to contact Support at support@fallingcolors.com
If it’s the same day that you entered the claim, there’s a good chance Support can halt the claim immediately. The claim will appear as “failed,” and Support will make a note to record that the claim was intentionally failed.
If the claim has not been paid out yet, there is a simple procedure for removing the claim, though it will take a bit longer if it’s beyond the first day.
If the claim has been paid out already, it will need to be recouped (see below for more information).
How do I recoup / refund a claim that has already been paid?
Quite simple: send an email to support@fallingcolors.com with the claim or claims that need to be recouped.
To make the process as swift as possible, please identify the claims the STAR claim ID. These IDs are nine-digits-long and usually begin with 2. For example:
212345678
No other information is needed - Falling Colors staff will be able to bring up the total information for this claim using the ID.
The claims will be added to the Boxing Ring, the “waiting area” for claims that are queued for recoupment. Recoupment will occur on the next payment day, when your agency is being paid for an invoice with an amount greater than the amount of the recouped claims.
To view the Boxing Ring, go to to the QA Review menu and select Boxing Ring. To view these menus, you need Vendor Financial Admin permission. Vendor Administrators can request Vendor Financial Admin permission for themselves or other team members. Any team members who may be tasked with recouping claims should be granted this level of access.
Invoices and Payments
My Program Manager says I need to correct an invoice, but STAR won’t let me / I don’t know how to do that. How do I correct an invoice?
A more detailed guide on Correcting Invoices can be found here [is there one?]
But here are some common issues that users run into:
Not going to Corrections Required
Invoice not marked for corrections
Details Tab
Corrections must be submitted
How long do I have to correct my invoice?
You have 30 days to correct an invoice that has been marked for corrections. If you do not submit the corrections within 30 days, it will be automatically denied, and the funding will be released back into your account. If you notice this has happened, please contact your State Agency program manager.
I’ve entered an invoice, but my program manager says they haven’t received it yet. What’s going on?
This might be confusion over the difference between STAR Invoices and Pending Services - or about the invoicing schedule.
Invoices are groups of services (which might themselves be agency invoices) that have been grabbed by the system and made available for review/approval by lead agency staff.
Pending Services are new submissions made by service providers. These are still "fresh," and they can be edited or deleted by the provider. However, they cannot yet be approved and won't show up in any of the approval sections of STAR for review. Many pending services are records of submissions of an invoice by the agency, hence the confusion in terminology.
All projects in STAR follow an Invoicing schedule. The Invoicing Schedule determines when Pending Services will be grouped into an invoice and appear in “Pending Approval.”
For most projects, this will occur either nightly or semimonthly. Semimonthly invoices are created on the 1st and 16th of the month.
All invoices are created at the earliest possible time on that day, i.e., at 12:00 or 12:01 am.
Where in STAR will it tell me if an invoice has been paid yet?
There are a couple ways to check.
The first is on the invoice itself. You can review the status of the Invoice by bringing it up in the Invoice History feature. In addition to the invoice showing up in the Paid list, a dollar sign symbol indicates that a payment has been issued:
The second way is to check the Payment Detail report, available from the individual provider’s dashboard. From there, you can search for the invoice number - many payments are for multiple invoices, so it will often be grouped with other invoices.
We’ve received a payment from Falling Colors, but I’m not sure which invoice it goes with. How do I look that up?
This information is available in the Payment Detail report. See the instructions in the above item.
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