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Acumen Fiscal Agent in NJ: DDD Enrollment, Timesheets, Pay Dates and Contacts (2026)

By Ameriwell Care

11 min read

Illustration of a care coordinator reviewing a service checklist with a client

Acumen Fiscal Agent handles payroll for New Jersey families who self-direct their DDD services and employ their own staff. If your family has been told to “enroll with Acumen”, this guide explains what Acumen does, how enrollment and timesheets work, when workers get paid, what it costs, and who to call.

Quick answer: Acumen is the fiscal intermediary for DDD’s Vendor Fiscal/Employer Agent (VF/EA) self-direction model, and for community vendor services. It took over from PPL in 2025. Acumen runs payroll, taxes and vendor payments; the family, as employer, hires the workers and approves their time in Acumen’s DCI app or web portal. Workers are paid every other Tuesday. Your New Jersey Acumen agent is on (848) 400-5903, and 24/7 customer service is on (833) 892-0413.

Ameriwell Care is not affiliated with Acumen. This guide summarizes public information from DDD and Acumen, linked in the sources at the end.

What is Acumen Fiscal Agent?

When someone in a DDD Medicaid waiver program (the Supports Program or the Community Care Program) self-directs, they or their family hire and manage their own workers instead of using a provider agency. DDD calls those workers self-directed employees (SDEs). A fiscal intermediary sits behind the family and handles the money side. DDD lists its tasks as:

  • processing payroll;
  • withholding and paying taxes;
  • paying workers based on their timesheets;
  • paying vendors based on their invoices.

DDD has two self-direction models, each with its own fiscal intermediary. Acumen serves the Vendor Fiscal/Employer Agent (VF/EA) model. Easterseals NJ serves the Agency with Choice (AWC) model. Acumen is also the fiscal intermediary for DDD’s community vendor services, such as Goods and Services.

Acumen replaced PPL as the VF/EA fiscal intermediary in 2025. The final deadline for families moving from PPL was October 17, 2025. Acumen says late enrollments are still processed, but they can delay plan approval and payments, so anyone who hasn’t finished should call their Acumen agent straight away.

Acumen (VF/EA) or Agency with Choice?

You can use only one model at a time. DDD’s February 2026 comparison sets out the differences:

VF/EA (Acumen)Agency with Choice (Easterseals NJ)
Who is the employerYou, or a family member or friend you choose, enrolls as employer of record and gets an IRS employer identification number (EIN)Easterseals NJ is the employer of record; you are the managing employer and don’t need an EIN
Monthly feePaid by the StateThe State pays the same amount as for VF/EA; the rest comes out of the person’s budget
Workers’ compensationPaid by the StateIncluded in the bill rate, paid from the budget
Employer taxesIncluded in the bill rate, paid from the budgetIncluded in the bill rate, paid from the budget
Training and CPR/First AidRequired; employee reimbursed through a State-funded stipendRequired; cost covered by Easterseals NJ
Paid time offSick time only: 1 hour for every 30 hours workedPaid time off based on hours and years worked
Health insurance for workersNot availableAvailable for employees working 30 or more hours a week

In both models the family chooses, hires and directs the workers, sets their hourly wage and approves their timesheets. Pick the model that fits your needs and your budget; your support coordinator and planning team can help you decide. If you switch models later, your workers go through the hiring steps again with the new fiscal intermediary, including fingerprinting and drug testing, but they don’t retake trainings they’ve already completed.

Who can you hire, and what do they need?

Anyone who meets DDD’s requirements, including a family member. DDD’s FAQ says it plainly: “Yes, you can hire a family member, including a parent, spouse, or guardian.”

The same requirements apply to every self-directed employee, “regardless of relationship to the person served or living arrangement”:

  • fingerprinting for criminal background checks, with ongoing re-checks;
  • offender registry and exclusion database checks, with ongoing re-checks;
  • a drug test before hiring, and random drug tests after;
  • a Child Abuse Record Information (CARI) check;
  • all mandatory trainings, within the required timeframes;
  • CPR and First Aid certification, renewed every two years;
  • electronic visit verification (EVV), unless exempted;
  • a daily service note for every visit.

Self-directed employees can provide community-based supports, individual supports, interpreter services, respite, supports brokerage and transportation. Assistive technology, home and vehicle modifications, goods and services, natural supports training and single-passenger transportation are bought through community vendors instead.

How to enroll with Acumen, step by step

  1. Talk to your support coordinator. They send your details to the fiscal intermediary. DDD says you should hear back within 3 to 5 days.
  2. Gather what Acumen asks for. For the person receiving services: full name, date of birth, Social Security number, DDD ID, Medicaid number, address and the support coordinator’s contact details. For the employer: name, date of birth, Social Security number, address and EIN. For each employee: personal and contact details, citizenship status, relationship to the employer, payment preference, hourly wage, start date, and the NJ-W4, W-4 and I-9 forms, plus a driver’s license if they will drive the person.
  3. Complete enrollment with your Acumen agent. Acumen offers help in person at its Hamilton office, by video meeting, or by phone. If employees enroll in person in Hamilton, the employer has to be there too.
  4. Wait for the plan update. Once your paperwork is processed, Acumen sends the billable rate to your support coordinator, who revises the service plan to show Acumen as the fiscal intermediary.
  5. Get your “Good to Go” letter. When Acumen receives the approved authorization, it sends the employer and each employee a Good to Go letter, with login details for the DCI app and web portal.

A self-directed employee can start only after Acumen confirms that all employer and employee paperwork is complete, including fingerprinting and drug testing, and the service plan has been updated with the bill rate and approved.

Timesheets: the DCI app and web portal

DCI is Acumen’s time and attendance system, and its electronic visit verification. Employees use the DCI mobile app to clock in and out, and can add their service notes there as they go. Employers and authorized representatives log in to the DCI web portal (acumen.dcisoftware.com) to review and approve employee time and vendor payment requests.

Service documentation is required for every visit, with no exceptions. The employee writes it, as a summary of the services provided, and the employer reviews it before approving the timesheet. Acumen asks employees to enter their time throughout the pay period, not all at once at the end.

Acumen’s NJ DDD payroll schedule

Acumen pays self-directed employees every two weeks, on a Tuesday. Each pay period runs Sunday to Saturday over two weeks, and payday is 10 days after the period ends. Two deadlines matter:

  • Employees submit all time and reimbursement requests by 9 p.m. Eastern on the Saturday the pay period ends.
  • Employers approve them in DCI by 9 p.m. Eastern the next day, Sunday.

Anything submitted late is paid in the next pay period. The next dates on Acumen’s schedule:

Pay periodSubmit time byApprove byPayday
Oct 11 to Oct 24, 2026Sat, Oct 24Sun, Oct 25Tue, Nov 3
Oct 25 to Nov 7Sat, Nov 7Sun, Nov 8Tue, Nov 17
Nov 8 to Nov 21Sat, Nov 21Sun, Nov 22Tue, Dec 1
Nov 22 to Dec 5Sat, Dec 5Sun, Dec 6Tue, Dec 15
Dec 6 to Dec 19Sat, Dec 19Sun, Dec 20Tue, Dec 29
Dec 20, 2026 to Jan 2, 2027Sat, Jan 2Sun, Jan 3Tue, Jan 12

From Acumen’s NJ DDD VF/EA pay schedule for June 21, 2026 to July 3, 2027. The full schedule is on Acumen’s New Jersey page.

Wages, costs and taxes

The family sets the wage. DDD’s FAQ says you decide each employee’s hourly wage, “but it needs to be within the Division’s ‘reasonable and customary’ limits and your budget must be able to support it.” To change a wage, send Acumen its Employee Pay Rate form at least two weeks before the pay period it should start in. Acumen doesn’t allow backdated rate changes.

The budget pays the wage plus employer taxes. Each hour of an employee’s time is charged to the person’s yearly DDD budget at a “billable rate”. Acumen’s FAQ gives the formula: the hourly wage plus the employer’s share of payroll taxes, divided by four for each 15-minute unit. So a higher wage means fewer hours from the same budget.

What DDD pays separately. Under VF/EA, DDD pays Acumen’s monthly fee and, for now, the workers’ compensation insurance. Neither comes out of the person’s budget.

Sick time. Employees earn 1 hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked, and can see their balance in the DCI portal.

Taxes for live-in caregivers. If the employee lives with the person they care for and provides the services in that shared home, some or all of their wages may count as “difficulty of care” payments, which aren’t subject to federal or New Jersey income tax. Acumen has a form for this. Certain family relationships can also qualify for exemptions from some payroll taxes, listed in Acumen’s billable-rate FAQ. Ask a tax professional before relying on either.

Acumen contact numbers for NJ DDD

ForContact
Your NJ Acumen agent: enrollment, rates, general questions(848) 400-5903, enrollment-nj@acumen2.net
Vendor questions(848) 400-5738, Vendor-NJ@acumen2.net
DCI help and after-hours support (24/7)(833) 892-0413
In-person appointments3705 Quakerbridge Road, Suite 205, Hamilton, NJ 08619
DCI web portalacumen.dcisoftware.com

For questions about your plan or which model to use, start with your support coordinator. DDD also has a Fee-for-Service Helpdesk at DDD.FeeForService@dhs.nj.gov, and an Office of Education on Self-Directed Services at DDD.OESDS@dhs.nj.gov.

If you also use the Personal Preference Program

You can get both DDD self-directed services and NJ FamilyCare’s Personal Preference Program if you’re eligible for both, but you can’t use one EIN for both. In PPP, only the person receiving services can be the employer. So to self-direct DDD services under VF/EA with Acumen, someone else has to enroll as the employer and get their own EIN. If that doesn’t work, DDD says the options are Agency with Choice, if the budget supports it, or a traditional provider agency.

Frequently asked questions

What is Acumen Fiscal Agent in NJ?

The fiscal intermediary for DDD’s Vendor Fiscal/Employer Agent self-direction model and for community vendor services. It runs payroll, pays taxes and pays vendors for families who employ their own staff. It replaced PPL in 2025.

What is the phone number for Acumen in New Jersey?

Your NJ Acumen agent is on (848) 400-5903 or enrollment-nj@acumen2.net. Customer service, including DCI help, is available 24/7 on (833) 892-0413.

How do I enroll with Acumen for NJ DDD?

Start with your support coordinator, who sends your details to Acumen; you should hear back within 3 to 5 days. You then complete the employer and employee paperwork with your Acumen agent, in person in Hamilton, by video or by phone.

When does Acumen pay in New Jersey?

Every other Tuesday, 10 days after each two-week pay period ends. Time is due by 9 p.m. Eastern on the Saturday the period ends, and employer approval by 9 p.m. the next day.

Can I hire a family member through Acumen?

Yes. DDD allows families to hire a family member, including a parent, spouse or guardian. They must meet the same requirements as any other self-directed employee.

What is the difference between Acumen and Easterseals Agency with Choice?

With Acumen (VF/EA), the family is the employer and needs an EIN, and DDD pays the monthly fee and workers’ compensation. With Easterseals NJ (Agency with Choice), Easterseals is the employer, part of the monthly fee comes out of the budget, and workers can get paid time off and health insurance.

How do I log in to Acumen DCI?

Employees use the DCI mobile app; employers use the web portal at acumen.dcisoftware.com. Login details come in the Good to Go letter. For login problems, call (833) 892-0413.

Not sure you want to be the employer?

Self-direction gives families a lot of control, and a lot to manage: hiring, finding cover when a worker calls out, approving timesheets on deadline, and keeping track of paperwork. Some families would rather a provider agency carry that. Ameriwell Care is a DDD-approved provider of home-based, community-based, family-based and behavior support across New Jersey. Through our family-based support, a family member can still be the paid caregiver while we handle the employer side. Our page on New Jersey programs that pay family caregivers compares the options. Questions? Call (732) 655 2911 ext. 101 or send us a message.

Sources

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