GT Independence, Eagan

GT Independence

Alternative Care Waiver (AC), Brain Injury Waiver (BI), Community Access for Disability Inclusion Waiver (CADI), Community Alternative Care (CAC) Waiver, Developmental Disabilities Waiver (DD), Elderly Waiver (EW), Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP) Enrolled Provider

A Financial Management Services (FMS) provider is a qualified home and community-based service agency that provides fiscal management services to people self-directing their services. This agency assists individuals with the employment and payment of direct support workers; paying vendors and suppliers; and the billing and bookkeeping of self-directed service funds.

This agency also assists in:
* Ensuring what the person spends his/her funds on follows the rules of the program and the lead-agency-approved plan
* Helping the person obtain workers’ compensation
* Educating the person on how to employ workers
* Documenting and reporting all spending of program funds
* Initiating background studies for workers
* Filing federal and state payroll taxes for workers on the person’s behalf

FMS providers serve as the individual’s fiscal agent. This means the FMS provider’s role is to support the person to fulfill his/her responsibilities in being the employer of his/her workers

If you want to find direct support workers who may be able to assist you, go to [Direct Support Connect[TM]](http://www.directsupportconnect.com). You’ll be able to create a profile about your needs and interests, search for direct support workers and connect securely within the site. If you are a direct support worker looking for a person/employer to support, you can also create a profile and do a search.

FMS providers are experts in accounting and finance, and employment regulations and practices. These agencies are accountable to several state and federal agencies including: the Minnesota Department of Labor, the Minnesota Department of Revenue, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) the US Department of Labor, and the Internal Revenue Service.

Learn more about this waiver service in the [Community-Based Services Manual](https://www.dhs.state.mn.us/main/idcplg?IdcService=GET_DYNAMIC_CONVERSION&RevisionSelectionMethod=LatestReleased&dDocName=DHS-307068).

Anyone self-directing their services and seeking help with employing and managing workers, and paying for services and goods that support the individual to continue living in the community may use an FMS provider.

People on the following publicly funded self-directed consumer direction programs are required to use an MHCP enrolled Financial Management Services (FMS) provider:
* Consumer Directed Community Supports (CDCS) – for people on the Medical Assistance Home and Community Based Services waivers or the Alternative Care Program
* State-funded Consumer Support Grant (CSG)
* Self-Directed Services under Title III of the Older Americans Act
* Veteran Directed Home and Community Based Services

Financial Management Services providers charge a monthly fee for fiscal management services. These fees vary depending on the scope of services needed.