Community First Services and Supports (CFSS) help people with common daily activities so that they can be more independent in their homes and communities. Most CFSS services are at home, but they can also help people wherever their daily activities take them, like the supermarket, at work, or at the library.
CFSS services are for people who get Medical Assistance (MA) benefits and need help with physical care and other supports from a paid worker. Some people with MinnesotaCare also qualify.
Note: CFSS replaces the Personal Care Assistance (PCA) program. CFSS is similar to the PCA program, but there are some new benefits, like allowing a spouse or parent of a minor child receiving services to be paid a support worker. People began moving from the PCA program to CFSS in October of 2024. Learn more about the transition from PCA to CFSS.
How It Helps
CFSS pays for a support worker who can help you with physical care like dressing, bathing, grooming, eating, toileting, transferring, mobility, and positioning.
Your support worker may also help with other things, like meal preparation, shopping, paying bills, reminders, and travel with the person to medical appointments or community events.
A support worker cannot help you with things like home maintenance and repairs or medical tasks, such as giving injections, or deciding when or how much medication you should take.
CFSS can also pay for some things or services that help you, like assistive technology or laundry service.
You can find out more about CFSS on the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) website.
How to Qualify
To qualify, you must contact your local county or tribal human services office and ask for an assessment for Community First Services and Supports. They’ll send a person to visit you where you live, review your health situation, and see how much and what types of help you need.
You might be able to get CFSS if you live in the community and not a facility, such as a skilled nursing home, and the assessment shows that you:
- Need help with the types of physical care and other supports that a support worker performs related to physical disabilities, chronic disease, aging, behavioral diagnoses or mental illness
- Can make your own decisions about care or have someone who can, and
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Qualify for MA.
- Note: If you have MinnesotaCare and are pregnant or under the age of 19, you may also qualify. You could also get CFSS if you are in the Alternative Care (AC) program.
If CFSS is right for you, a CFSS consultation provider will help you understand how the program works, figure out the services you need, and write a service delivery plan that meets your needs. Your plan will include the types of services you’ll get, the amount of time you’ll get for services, and when the services can start. It could range from 30 minutes a day to 24 hours per day depending on your needs.
Note: If you currently live in a nursing home or other type of facility, you can ask for an assessment for CFSS. However, you cannot get CFSS consultation services (or any services and supports through CFSS) until you live in the community.
What You Pay
You do not pay any fees or copayments for Community First Services and Supports. However, you may have to pay amounts related to your MA eligibility, such as an MA spenddown, an MA-EPD premium, or an MA-Waiver obligation.
Note: If you don’t qualify for CFSS, you can pay for similar services with your own money by finding a Home Care and Home Health Agency licensed by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).
How to Apply
If you qualify for MA, the first step is to contact your local county or tribal human services office to get an assessment. You don’t have to fill out any forms.
If your assessment shows that CFSS could help you, you will get a list of CFSS consultation services providers to learn more about CFSS and help make your service delivery plan. The consultation services provider will also be the resource that helps you understand how to get support workers.
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