Consumer-directed community supports

Consumer-directed community supports (CDCS) is a service option that allows people eligible for a waiver or the Alternative Care (AC) program to self-direct their care. It gives people more choice, flexibility and responsibility for their services and supports.

Using CDCS people may:

Choose or design the services and supports that fit their assessed needs.
Decide when to receive services and supports.
Hire the people they want (including parents and spouses) to deliver those services and supports.

CDCS also allows people to buy:

Non-traditional supports
Special therapies
Assistive technology
Supplies
Home/vehicle modifications.

Eligibility
Choice and responsibilities
Planning
Your budget
FMS providers
Learn more

Eligibility

To select CDCS, an assessment must determine a person is eligible for one of the following:
Choice and responsibilities

The flexibility built into CDCS allows people to tailor services and supports to their unique needs. People who select CDCS may:
- Decide how to spend their budget based on their assessed needs.
- Hire people they know, such as family, friends and neighbors.
A person who selects CDCS is agreeing to take on additional responsibilities, such as:
- Developing their CDCS community support plan.
- Serving as the employer of their workers, with support from a financial management services (FMS) provider.
- Hiring, training and supervising their workers.
- Monitoring their spending and the outcomes of their plan.
People can use the DHS-created training CDCS – Is it right for you? to learn more about CDCS and how to decide if it is a good option for them.
Planning

People use person-centered planning processes to develop their CDCS community support plan. People can get help to write their plan from family members and friends. People may also choose to hire a CDCS support planner, using part of their budget.

Format

DHS created CDCS Community Support Plan, DHS-5788A (PDF) for people to write their plan. This template includes all the required components to help the person with calculations. People may also choose to use an alternative format, but it must contain all the elements in the template.

Training

People can use CDCS service categories (for people using CDCS) to develop their plan.
Your budget

Your CDCS budget is set using information from your most recent assessment and screening documents. For more information, refer to the Consumer directed community supports (CDCS) budget webpage.
FMS providers

A financial management service provider helps people with their employer-related responsibilities and financial tasks.

Visit the Financial management service provider information webpage for a list of agencies DHS has approved. Links on the page will take you to detailed information about each agency’s rates. Lead agencies must work with these enrolled providers to assure access to consumer-directed services for people.
Learn more

For more information about CDCS, contact:
- Your local county or tribal nation.
- Your health plan member services if you are 65 or older and enrolled in a managed care plan.
Resources

For a list of resources, visit CDCS resources.