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Getting started with CFSS in Minnesota
The steps from asking for an assessment to your first day of services, in order, with who to contact at each point.
Transition dates changed in 2026. Confirm yours with your county, tribal nation or health plan, or write to DHS.CFSS@state.mn.us.
Who may qualify for CFSS
The lead agency's assessment decides eligibility. To get CFSS, and PCA before it, a person must live in the community rather than in a hospital, nursing facility, ICF/DD or a foster care setting licensed for more than six people. They must also not live in housing owned or controlled by their PCA or CFSS provider agency.
The person must be on a Minnesota Health Care Program: Medical Assistance, a home and community-based services waiver, or Alternative Care. MinnesotaCare qualifies only for pregnant people and people under age 19.
An assessment must find that the person needs hands-on help, or cueing and supervision, with at least one activity of daily living, or has a Level I behavior. A Level I behavior is physical aggression toward themselves or others, or destruction of property, that needs an immediate response from another person. The person also must not be using the Family Support Grant.
The person must be able to direct their own care or have a participant's representative do so. A representative is required for people under 18, for adults with a court-appointed guardian, and for anyone the assessment finds cannot direct their own care. Under PCA this person was called the responsible party.
The steps
Confirm your coverage
You need Medical Assistance, a home and community-based services waiver or Alternative Care, or MinnesotaCare if you are pregnant or under 19. You also need to live in the community and not use the Family Support Grant.
Ask for an assessment
If you are under 65, call your county or tribal nation. If you are 65 or older, call your managed care organization if you have one, otherwise your county or tribal nation. The DHS county and tribal directory lists the numbers, and Minnesota Aging Pathways at 800-333-2433 can help connect you with services.
Complete the assessment
The lead agency must assess you within 20 business days of your request and send results within 10 business days. You also receive a notice of action letter and the DHS form Information for people eligible for CFSS services (DHS-6893U).
Pick a consultation services provider
Contact consultation services providers until you find one who can work with you, then tell your county, tribal nation or health plan so they authorize the service. Some providers have waiting lists, so you can contact several. Your PCA agency cannot also be your consultation services provider.
Choose a model
Decide between the agency model, where an agency employs your workers, and the budget model, where you employ them with help from a financial management services provider. Your consultation services provider explains both.
Select your provider agency or FMS provider
Choose an enrolled CFSS provider agency or a financial management services provider. Ask about their intake process, since services start only after your plan is approved and their intake is finished.
Write and submit your service delivery plan
With as much or as little help as you want from your consultation services provider, write the plan that lists the help you will get and when. The provider submits it to your county, tribal nation or health plan to approve or deny.
Start services
After approval you receive a service authorization letter showing the total amount of CFSS, the approved services and the start and end dates. You may begin once the plan is approved, services are authorized and you have finished your provider's intake.
If you already receive PCA
Your county, tribal nation or health plan moves you from PCA to CFSS at your yearly reassessment. DHS says people who use PCA or the Consumer Support Grant receive up to six months of those services while they work through the switch. Read the PCA and CFSS guide for the current timeline, and the assessments guide for what happens at a reassessment.
Common questions
Who is eligible for CFSS?
People who live in the community, can direct their own care or have a representative who does, are on Medical Assistance, a waiver or Alternative Care (MinnesotaCare in limited cases), are not using the Family Support Grant, and are found eligible in an assessment. Eligibility is the same as PCA.
How do I get an assessment?
Under 65, contact your county or tribal nation. Age 65 or older and in a managed care organization, contact your MCO; otherwise your county or tribal nation. The lead agency must complete the assessment within 20 business days of your request.
What does a consultation services provider do, and can my PCA agency be mine?
They explain your CFSS options, help you write your service delivery plan and give ongoing support. Your PCA or CFSS provider agency cannot also be your consultation services provider.