Integrated Community Supports
Integrated community supports — 245D services delivered in a setting where housing and service are separate, and a licensor expects your record to show that separation is real.
ICS was created so people can receive support where they live without the service and the housing being the same thing. That principle is not just philosophy; it is what a DHS licensor checks. Setting requirements, lease or occupancy arrangements, and the person's ability to choose and control their own space all come under review.
The other half of the review is ordinary 245D: CSSP addenda, outcomes and methods, progress reviews, incident reporting, and staff training. Providers who came to ICS from a residential model often carry over documentation habits that no longer fit.
We audit both halves — the setting requirements and the service record — and rebuild the pieces that were inherited rather than designed.
The Minnesota rules that govern this setting
Written in plain language, at the level of what each body of rules governs.
245D service standards
Chapter 245D governs the service: person-centred planning, the CSSP addendum, service documentation, progress reviews, incident and restraint reporting, staffing, training, and the required policy set.
Human services licensing — Minn. Stat. Chapter 245A
Chapter 245A carries the licence process: application, background studies, licensor authority, correction orders, and sanctions.
Setting requirements and the HCBS settings rule
ICS settings must support community integration, privacy, choice of roommate and space, control over daily schedule, and access to food and visitors. Federal HCBS settings expectations shape what a licensor looks for on site.
Housing and service separation
The person's housing arrangement is distinct from the licensed service. Documentation should make clear what the person is paying for, what the service delivers, and that leaving the service does not automatically mean leaving the home.
This page is general information for Minnesota providers, not legal advice. Requirements change — always confirm current expectations with the Minnesota Department of Health or the Department of Human Services before acting.
What licensors look at
- Evidence that housing and service are separate in practice, not just on paper
- Setting characteristics: privacy, lockable doors, choice of schedule, access to food
- CSSP addenda that reflect a community-integrated, choice-driven support model
- Service documentation showing methods and progress, not shift coverage
- Incident reporting, internal review, and trend analysis
- Staff orientation, annual, and person-specific training records
Findings that keep coming back
- Documentation that reads like a group home record in an ICS setting
- House rules that restrict choice without any person-specific justification
- Progress reviews late for part of the caseload after a growth period
- Addenda not updated after a change in the person's goals or CSSP
- Person-specific training undocumented for staff rotating between sites
- Restrictions applied setting-wide instead of individually assessed and reviewed
How we support ICS providers
Common questions
How is ICS different from CRS?
In CRS the licence attaches to the residential setting and the service together. In ICS the person's housing is separate from the licensed service, and a licensor will look for evidence that the separation is genuine in daily practice.
Do we need a different policy set for ICS?
You need the full 245D policy set, written for how ICS actually operates. Reusing a group home manual is one of the fastest ways to collect correction orders.
What trips up new ICS providers most often?
Blanket rules. A rule that applies to everyone in the building — curfews, kitchen access, visitor limits — is hard to defend when the standard expects individual assessment and documented justification.
Can you review our setting before our first licensing review?
Yes. A pre-review of the setting, the lease structure, the policies, and a file sample is the engagement we recommend before your first visit.