Services
Everything you need to self-direct your care.
As your FMS provider, Aspen handles the financial and administrative work behind the scenes so you can focus on the support that matters. Here's exactly what you get, no surprises, no upsells.
Core FMS services
What we do for you
Enrollment & onboarding
We walk you and your caregivers through every form the IRS, the State of Minnesota, and your lead agency or MCO require, including the specific paperwork when a parent, spouse, or family member is the caregiver.
- IRS Form SS-4 (household employer)
- Form 2678 (appointment of agent)
- Minnesota employer tax registration
- Direct deposit authorization
- New-hire paperwork (W-4, I-9, state withholding)
- Parent/spouse-specific documentation
- Program-specific enrollment (CDCS or CFSS)
Background studies
We run all required studies through Minnesota DHS NETStudy 2.0, including fingerprinting where required and the PCA/CFSS support worker training and test. We track re-study dates and remind you in advance.
Payroll processing
We pay your caregivers on a reliable bi-weekly schedule by direct deposit or paper check: regular hours, overtime, and holiday pay under the SEIU contract. If a check will be late or short, we call you before payday, not after.
Tax withholding & filing
Federal and Minnesota income tax, FICA, federal and state unemployment, and workers' compensation. We withhold, deposit, and file all of it: quarterly Forms 941, annual Form 940, and every required Minnesota Department of Revenue filing.
Year-end W-2s & 1099s
Every January, your caregivers get accurate W-2s and any vendors get 1099s, on time. If a caregiver loses a W-2 or needs a corrected one, we re-issue it the same week.
Budget tracking
Real-time visibility into your authorized budget, what's spent, what's pending, and what's left. Monthly statements and email alerts as you approach limits. If your case manager updates your authorization mid-year, your portal updates immediately.
EVV timesheets
Mobile-friendly EVV timesheets that meet Minnesota DHS and federal 21st Century Cures Act requirements. Caregivers clock in and out from a phone; you approve from yours; entries flow straight into payroll. Landline IVR and alternate devices are available for caregivers without a smartphone.
SEIU contract compliance
CFSS and CDCS workers are represented by SEIU Healthcare Minnesota & Iowa. We handle holiday premiums on the nine designated holidays, PTO accrual, and the monthly reporting spreadsheet to DHS by the 20th.
Billing
We bill MN-ITS, your lead agency, or your MCO directly. You never see that complexity, and your caregivers get paid regardless of how slowly the state reimburses us. We carry the cash-flow risk so you don't have to.
Compliance & audit support
If your program is audited, or DHS, your MCO, or a federal reviewer asks for documentation, we have it: every timesheet, paystub, tax filing, and background study, organized and ready. No filing cabinet at home.
Year-round customer support
Phone, email, online portal, in-person when needed. Real humans, fast answers, in the language you're most comfortable with. You'll have a primary point of contact who knows your situation and doesn't make you re-explain your whole story.
How we work
We set it up right the first time.
From household-employer registration to your caregiver's first payable shift, we handle the paperwork with you, not at you.
Compliance
Staying compliant is a team effort.
Self-direction works because the system trusts you, and that trust comes with rules. Some are on us as the FMS. Some are on you as the employer. Here's how the responsibilities split.
What Aspen handles for you
- All federal, state, and local tax withholdings, deposits, and filings
- Quarterly and annual employment tax returns (941, 940, MW-1, MW-5)
- Workers' compensation coverage and reporting
- W-2 and 1099 issuance and filing
- Background studies through DHS NETStudy 2.0 and re-study tracking
- PCA/CFSS support worker training compliance tracking
- SEIU contract compliance: wages, holiday pay, PTO, monthly DHS reporting
- EVV timesheet collection and reporting to DHS
- Record retention and audit response
What you handle as the employer
- Stay enrolled in Medical Assistance and complete your annual reassessment on time
- Approve EVV timesheets accurately and on time
- Only authorize work that's in your service plan
- Stay within your authorized budget
- Notify Aspen promptly of changes: new hires, terminations, address or schedule changes
- Make sure caregivers complete required PCA/CFSS training
- Provide a safe working environment
- Keep your own employee-side records
Where most compliance problems come from
- 1Approving EVV timesheets for time that wasn't actually worked. Even small fudges add up and trigger audits.
- 2Letting background studies lapse. Work performed during a lapse can't be paid.
- 3Going over budget without a revision. Your case manager has to approve any changes.
- 4Failing to report a change: a caregiver moving out of state, a new caregiver starting, or an extended hospitalization.
The good news: we watch for all of these and flag them before they become real problems.
Clear all along
You always know where your budget stands.
Real-time budget tracking and monthly statements mean no surprises: you see what's spent, what's pending, and what's left.
Proven, not promised
Results our families can see.
Reliable payroll, on-time filings, and answers when you need them. We track how we're doing so the service keeps getting better.
Money follows the person
Your budget belongs to the participant, not the FMS.
The dollars authorized by your lead agency or MCO follow you, not us. It's not Aspen's money and it's not the agency's money. It's the participant's authorized funding, and it travels with them.
You can switch FMS providers anytime and your budget moves with you: no lost dollars, no restarted authorization.
You can change your service plan within program rules and your budget adjusts.
Unused budget generally doesn't roll over. Your authorization is annual, so plan accordingly.
Traveling out of state? Because the budget follows you, approved services can continue while you're temporarily in another state, as long as the care is in your Minnesota service plan. We handle the multi-state tax mechanics, but tell us before the travel, not after. You must remain a Minnesota resident.