New York State Incident Management and Reporting System
Frequently Asked Questions

I have a NIMRS question, who should I contact?

Please contact the NIMRS Help Desk.

For more information, check out our Learning Center page.

Enrollment/Access:

We are an agency that does not currently use NIMRS. How do we sign up?

NIMRS Requests for Access (RFAs) are processed electronically through the OMH “Security Management System” (SMS). For more information on the SMS application and its use, please visit: OMH Security Management System for NIMRS Access Requests

How do we get access to NIMRS for a new employee?

New staff at a local facility should direct requests for NIMRS access to their Facility SMS Security Administrator.

New York State Office of Mental Health staff are required to submit an Electronic Request for Access (e-RFA) via the intranet. Contact nimrshelp@omh.ny.gov to request the e-FRA form.

How do I Deactivate or remove NIMRS access from staff who have left our unit.

An e-RFA should be submitted to Deactivate access of NYS staff. The SMS Security Administrator should Deactivate staff at local facilities.

Does OMH offer training on NIMRS?

Yes! Visit the NIMRS Learning Center for Training Videos, User Guides and Guidance documents. The NIMRS Group also offers Custom Training Webinars. To learn more about training options or to schedule a webinar, contact the NIMRS Unit.

How long does it take to get access to NIMRS once my facility Security Administrator makes request to OMH?

SMS issues e-tokens for new users within 24 hours.

Using NIMRS:

The NIMRS Unit cannot reset a PIN or unlock a password.

I've forgotten my pin number or have been locked out of NIMRS for three failed attempts at logging in. Who should I contact?

Please contact the appropriate NYS ITS Service Desk:

• For: Local Providers - Passwords or tokens can be reset by calling 800-435-7697 (Option 2) or by email at HealthHelp & request a password reset.

• For: NYS Employees - Passwords or tokens can be reset by calling 844-891-1786 or by email at Fixit. Token issues – Use The Self-Service Console.

How often do I have to log into NIMRS so that my token doesn't expire?

To keep your token active, you must log into NIMRS every 6 months or your account will be automatically locked. Users who have not logged in within one year will need to contact their facility Security Administrator to re-establish access.

What Browser do we need to use to access NIMRS?

Any Browser! If you use Edge, you no longer need IE mode.

What are the linking rules?

Incidents from the JC can be linked to existing NIMRS incidents if the following rules are met:

1. VPCR Contact Name closely matches the NIMRS Client Name (for at least one person)
2. VPCR “Incident Date To” is within 7 days of the NIMRS Incident Date
3. Existing NIMRS Incident is Open
4. JC Death incidents can only be Linked with other JC Death incidents

Are providers required to enter the safety check information into NIMRS?

If a Safety Check is not entered in NIMRS, the facility will receive a call from OMH. All safety check information should go into the safety check tab, not the incident narrative.

What if the service recipient doesn’t have a Qualified Person (QP)? How should I complete the Jonathan’s Law tab?

The client recipient can be their own QP, the provider should consider whether providing the individual with Incident information is consistent with treatment goals.

Jonathan’s Law is required for the following incident types:

• Death
• Abuse & Neglect
• Wrongful Conduct
• Missing Person

If QP wasn’t notified, only the “Reason Why" question is required

When should a JC 3 Business Day Review (BDR) incident be imported? How do we know when the classification is updated?

All reportable incidents should be imported into NIMRS upon receipt and emailed to OMH within 24 hours. 3 BDR incidents will be appropriately upgraded or downgraded in NIMRS, when the JC updates the VPCR. You should receive a reclassification notification email from the JC.

What if I need clarification on the 14 NYCRR Parts 524 regulations?

Call 518-474-3619, ask for the Central Office Regional Clinical Risk Manager (CRM) for your county, and you will be connected.

1. The classification of my Justice Center incident is incorrect. How do I get it reclassified?

2. The Justice Center incident we received isn’t our client. How do I have it reassigned?

3. The incident we reported to the VPCR (Vulnerable Persons Central Register) didn’t arrive in our Justice Center Import Queue. How do we find its status?

Answers to Q. 1, 2, 3 above:

Send an email to The Justice Center directly. Include only the Justice Center incident # (101-, 301-, or 901-) in the subject line. Also, include the reason/explanation for the reclassification request in the body of your email. Please cc your CRM.

What is NIMRS Deletion Policy?

NIMRS Deletion Policy