Individual personal care assistance (PCA) and Community First Services and Supports (CFSS) training

Minnesota law requires all individual personal care assistance (PCA) providers to take the Department of Human Service’s (DHS) Individual Personal Care Assistance (PCA) training and pass a one-time online test. Individual PCAs may take the training and test as often as needed. DHS also updated the training and test in preparation for the implementation of the Community First Services and Supports (CFSS) program. When DHS implements CFSS, workers who passed the combined test will be able to use their certificates in both programs.

This training is intended for:

People wanting to provide PCA or CFSS services for a person eligible for Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP)
PCAs currently employed and affiliated with an MHCP-enrolled agency

Learning objectives
Upon completion of the training, learners will be able to:
- Describe the PCA and CFSS programs and the role the worker plays in them
- Understand how to provide PCA and CFSS services in a person-centered manner
- Respond appropriately in the event the person’s health and safety are at risk
Prerequisites
People taking the online training must have:
- A computer, tablet or phone with Internet access (agencies may provide onsite access to their employees or potential employees)
- A valid email address
Registration and cost
Review the individual PCA training course as often as needed.

Register through the online training registration page to take the online test (you may take the test as often as needed, or until successfully completed). To register:
1. Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Event box
2. Click on the PCA/CFSS support workers option
3. Click the Next – Register button to open and complete the registration page and submit your registration
4. Check your email for the next steps
This online training is free.
Documenting successful completion

After passing the test, you will be able to print a certificate of successful completion. DHS will also send a copy of the certificate to the email address used to register for the test.

Give a copy of the completion certificate to the employer agency or agencies and keep a copy for your own records. If you lose your certificate, search your email for a message from dhs.dsd.learn@state.mn.us with a link to your certificate, or attempt to retrieve your certificate using the Certificate Lookup feature on the online training registration page. If you are unable to find your certificate, you can request a copy using the PCA certificate request form.

PCAs affiliated with a PCA provider agency should contact their PCA provider agency with questions. If the provider agency is unable to answer the question, the agency may contact the MHCP Provider Call Center at 651-431-2700 or 800-366-5411.

PCAs not yet affiliated with a PCA provider agency may email questions to the DSD Contact Form to submit an inquiry.or call 651-431-4300 or 866-867-7655.
Additional resources
- Individual PCA Standardized Training section of the PCA Manual.
- PCA Certificate - Request a Copy