Community First Services and Supports (CFSS) cost reporting

CFSS cost reporting background

Reporting begins in 2024, which is the first year in a three-year reporting cycle. All CFSS provider agencies will report at least once during the cycle. DHS will notify agencies in the spring of their reporting year, if they are required to report. Agencies will have the summer to complete the online cost report. For specific dates, see the schedule on the Timeline tab.

A cost report must include 12 months of business costs. The last day of the 12-month period cannot be more than 18 months before the submission day. For most organizations, this period would be their most recently completed fiscal year, however they define their fiscal year.

Cost reports include the revenues and costs associated with providing agency model CFSS services. These revenues and costs are everything included under an organization’s Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN), or tax ID. This may include multiple NPI or UMPI numbers, but all costs that are being reported should be under the organization’s one FEIN. DHS asks provider organizations and agencies to report only these costs so we can better understand the costs associated directly with providing CFSS. For more information about what is included in a cost report and how to report it, see the CFSS Cost Reporting Tool Instruction Manual.

Reporting notifications

DHS notifies the provider organizations that are required to report their CFSS costs each year. We send these notifications via email to authorized agents on March 31. Notifications will also be sent to providers’ MN-ITs inboxes. Authorized agents can be assigned in the MPSE Portal.

Not all provider organizations are required to report in a year. If an authorized agent has not received a reporting notification, then it is not their organization’s reporting year.

Online reporting system

DHS partnered with Minnesota IT Services (MN.IT) to develop a web-based reporting platform that streamlines the reporting process for providers. This system is anticipated to go live on March 31, 2024. Providers will be able to access the system when DHS notifies them, via their authorized agent, of their year to report.

Annual reporting timeline

To find out more about cost reporting and what DHS expects of CFSS providers, see Community First Services and Supports (CFSS) and Personal Care Assistance (PCA) Cost Reporting (under development). 

Resources

• Cost reporting overview: For a quick overview of what you will be reporting, see the CFSS cost reporting overview webpage.
• Covered services: For a list of some of the typical services covered by the cost reporting requirement, see the List of PCA/CFSS Services webpage.
• Manual: The CFSS Cost Reporting Tool Instruction Manual is a step-by-step guide on how to report costs. It is currently under construction and will be published live soon. It will include definitions, plain language explanations and many examples. DHS encourages you to read the manual before completing the report and use the information as a reference while working through it.
• Workbook: DHS created an Excel-based workbook to help providers plan for their online reporting and do offline work within their organization. Providers can use the CFSS Cost Reporting Manual as they fill out the workbook. It aligns with both the online system and the Excel-based workbook. Note: The workbook is for providers’ internal planning purposes only. It does not take the place of the online reporting system. Provider organizations must enter their cost-reporting information into the web-based platform to be considered complete and to meet reporting requirements outlined in statute. This workbook cannot take the place of a submission via the online reporting system.
• Provider tool kit: Because cost reporting is a new requirement, providers might not have been tracking all of the information DHS asks for in the cost report. Regardless of whether providers have previously tracked these items, providers still must report on them to the best of their abilities. To prepare for cost reporting, review the CFSS Cost Reporting Manual and Excel-based workbook to ensure your organization’s record-keeping is adequate for reporting. DHS also created the following tools that may help ensure your organization is ready for cost reporting:
  • Staff time tracking: The cost report asks about the different types of work on which a staff member/group of staff members spend their time. This can include direct care for multiple types of services and program support time to complete documentation or plan for activities. Use PCA/CFSS Cost Reporting Time-study Worksheet, DHS-7190B (PDF), to track working hours in your organization.
  • Cost tracking: Cost tracking worksheet-Blank (PDF)
  • Cost tracking: Cost tracking worksheet-With Examples (PDF)

Links

• PCA/CFSS cost reporting overview
• CFSS Cost Reporting Tool Instruction Manual (Coming soon)
• PCA/CFSS Excel-based workbook (XLS)
• PCA-CFSS list of services
• Cost tracking worksheet-With examples (PDF)
• Cost tracking worksheet-Blank (PDF)
• PCA/CFSS cost reporting frequently asked questions
• PCA/CFSS Cost Reporting Time-study Worksheet, DHS-7190B (PDF)
• Transition from PCA and CSG to CFSS

Still have questions?

• Visit the CFSS cost reporting frequently asked questions webpage.
• If you have questions not answered in the FAQ, email DHS.costreport@state.mn.us with questions or input about CFSS cost reporting. Please allow up to three business days for a response.