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·State program

Minnesota Consumer-Directed Community Supports (CDCS) / Community First Services and Supports (CFSS)

Minnesota offers two consumer-directed care pathways: Consumer-Directed Community Supports (CDCS), which provides individual budgets under home-and-community-based waivers and the Alternative Care program for hiring staff and purchasing goods/services, and Community First Services and Supports (CFSS), the new state-plan benefit that replaced Personal Care Assistance (PCA) and the Consumer Support Grant (CSG) effective October 1, 2024. CFSS is being phased in over 24+ months at reassessment (PCA/CSG transition deadline extended to September 30, 2027). CDCS remains a separate, currently active self-direction waiver option. Family members including spouses can be paid under both programs.

What it offers

Minnesota has two consumer-directed pathways: (1) CFSS (Community First Services and Supports) — the new state-plan benefit replacing PCA and the Consumer Support Grant effective October 1, 2024. CFSS is an entitlement (no waitlist) with a budget model (consumer-directed) and agency model. PCA/CSG members transition to CFSS at reassessment; transition deadline extended to September 30, 2027. (2) CDCS (Consumer-Directed Community Supports) — a separate, still-active self-direction option under HCBS waivers and the Alternative Care program, providing individual budgets for hiring staff and purchasing goods/services. Attendant pay rates are approximately $15–$18/hr. Family members including spouses can be paid under both programs.

ServicesCash Stipend
GC1 · Social SupportGC2 · Physical HealthGC4 · Financial Resources

Questions that decide eligibility

GiveCare prepares the questions; the program makes the decision. Bring these to the call or the application:

  1. 01

    Does the person receiving care live in Minnesota?

    Residency is usually the first thing a program checks.

  2. 02

    Does your relationship to the person — spouse, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, other relative, or non relative — count for this program?

  3. 03

    What counts as a qualifying disability or level of care need, and what documentation shows it?

  4. 04

    Does the VA disability rating meet the program’s minimum (our record lists null%)?

  5. 05

    Do the work hours meet the minimum (our record lists null hours)?

  6. 06

    Is there a caregiver-specific department, coordinator, or support line? Ask for it by name.

    Many agencies have one that isn’t advertised on the website.

  7. 07

    What documents do you need from us to start an application?

  8. 08

    Is there a waitlist right now, and how long is it?

This page is for discovery and preparation, not an eligibility determination. Program rules change — confirm every detail on the official source. More programs in Minnesota →