News

On Sunday, the Star Tribune ran a story covering the long-term care workforce crisis and the dynamics at the Capitol playing out this legislative session. The article outlines the $1 billion spent in Sen. Jim Abeler’s proposed human services bill. Specifically, it highlights the $358 million targeted at increasing the wages of professional caregivers in long-term care settings.

This week the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) provided LeadingAge Minnesota with an update on the status of care center rate notices for the rate year that began on Jan. 1. As expected, they will be releasing metro-area care center rate notices first and then sending out other rate notices as audits are finished.

The Minnesota Board of Executives for Long-Term Services and Supports (BELTSS) has announced the coming retirement of Randy Snyder, its long-time Executive Director, on July 6.

During in-person assisted living surveys, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has increased its focus on side rails and other bed-attached assistive devices, often known as bedside rails, safety rails, grab bars, or assist bars.

In a series of weekly webinars over the past several weeks, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) provided detailed information about emergency preparedness expectations for assisted living settings and what to anticipate when surveyed. You can review the five emergency preparedness presentations on the MDH website.

LeadingAge Minnesota members virtually gathered for our largest advocacy event of the year, the Day at the Capitol. Aging services providers from across the state met with over 50 lawmakers, including several Senate and House legislative leaders, to make their voices heard and advance important policy initiatives for seniors and their caregivers.

As long-term care settings face staffing shortages throughout the state, Governor Walz set a goal in Dec. 2021 to recruit and train 1,000 new certified nursing assistants (CNAs) through the Next Generation Nursing Assistant initiative. On Tuesday, Governor Walz joined CNAs and other health care professionals at St. Paul College to announce the initiative surpassed its goal.

On behalf of the Long-Term Care Imperative, we are sharing a petition to support an important bill that would help raise your wages and address the staff shortage in senior care.

Infection prevention and control is a significant focus in our settings, particularly because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Minnesota, we are starting to see an increase in another common illness: the Norovirus.

The current round of applications for nursing facility moratorium exceptions has closed, and MDH recently informed LeadingAge that fifteen care centers submitted proposals for this round. A review committee will hear the proposals on May 3 and 4, and the MDH commissioner will announce the approved projects by June 22.

Last week, Governor Tim Walz released an updated supplemental budget that proposes to use the state’s more than $9 billion in general fund surplus. The Governor's proposed budget serves as a negotiating position in final budget conversations. Legislators in the House and Senate majorities will also advance their budget proposals in the upcoming weeks.

This week the Minnesota House of Representatives and Senate approved passage of Senate File 2876, granting certain temporary waiver authorities to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS), and authorizing DHS to invest $1 million in an emergency staffing pool.

In assisted living settings, there is a critical difference between “I’m Okay Checks” and “Security Checks” that every provider should understand.

During the Coaching Room on March 1, members asked questions about tuberculosis (TB) programs in assisted living. As a result of the questions from the Coaching Room, we've taken the two most asked questions and responded.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) recently informed LeadingAge Minnesota that they are ending this current round of Assisted Living Resident Satisfaction surveys. The surveys are currently being conducted under contract by Vital Research.

Please note the corrected date range for the increased rate for Housing Support. 

On July 1, 2022, the Housing Support maximum monthly room and board rate will increase significantly to $1,041.

Two new reference tools for assisted living facilities are now available in the Minnesota Department of Health’s Food Code Requirements section of the Resources and FAQs page. These documents give an overview of the Minnesota Food Code and outline the requirements that assisted living facilities must meet to serve food safely and prevent foodborne illnesses.

Minnesota’s new congressional and legislative district maps, which will govern for the next decade, were released yesterday.

The state's legislative and congressional districts are redrawn two years after every census to ensure each elected official represents an equal number of constituents. According to our state's constitution, the legislature is tasked with this duty.

This week, a bill introduced in the Minnesota House of Representatives to impose workforce standards in nursing home settings would yield troubling unintended consequences if passed. HF 3405, introduced by House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler (DFL-Golden Valley) and supported by SEIU, would establish the Minnesota Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board with broad authority to regulate employment standards for nursing home workers. 

The Minnesota Department of Human Services has announced an increase to the Housing Support rates effective mid-2022. On July 1, 2022, the Housing Support maximum monthly room and board rate will increase significantly to $1,041.