News

The Caregiver Stabilization Act (SF 7) was heard in the Senate Human Services Committee on Monday afternoon.

LeadingAge Minnesota completed a survey of our adult day services members to evaluate their financial health and the challenges they are facing in recovering from the impacts of the Covid pandemic. The results make clear that adult day service providers face many challenges as they attempt to maintain this vital part of the network of services for the elderly and disabled.

The Public Health Emergency (PHE), first declared in Jan. 2020 and extended continually for 90-day periods since then, has been extended for another 90 days until April 11. 

The Department of Human Services (DHS) recently informed us that they intend to offset the revenue from the federal Employee Retention Credit (ERC) from care center costs based on the wages and taxes used in the ERC application. That means that some care centers will see reductions in their rate for the rate year that started this Jan. 1. DHS auditors have begun requesting detailed information from care centers that have applied for the ERC to determine these offsets.

Earlier this week, the Minnesota Legislature gaveled in the start of this year's session. LeadingAge Minnesota and our Long-Term Care Imperative partner are prepared to advocate for our members and share our key message throughout the session, which is slated to end in May. With a $17 billion budget surplus, lawmakers must act to ensure access to care for Minnesota's seniors and that caregivers receive the wages they deserve.

With the assistance of several nurse leaders, LeadingAge Minnesota created a sample document for assisted living organizations to communicate expectations to staff. Understanding when an unlicensed person (ULP) must contact a registered nurse (RN) can be confusing, and the resource can help clarify some of your questions.

LeadingAge Minnesota's exciting new Data Portal continues to expand to provide opportunities for tracking and benchmarking your performance on key metrics. In January, we will launch the assisted living quality and services measures portal application.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or Board) was very busy last week. The Board issued four new rulings that significantly impact labor relations between employers and employees. 

The Minnesota Legislature will convene on Jan. 3, 2023. LeadingAge Minnesota has finalized its member-developed, board-approved legislative priorities for the upcoming session. At the top of the list: ensuring providers across the continuum of care have the resources needed to ensure access to care for Minnesota's seniors and pay caregivers the wages they deserve.

LeadingAge Minnesota's Data Portal will include an exciting new tool in January – a compensation data portal that allows providers to benchmark their wages for key positions against other providers statewide or a select group of providers in their market area. The compensation data portal also collects information on differentials and bonuses for each position to provide a robust look at overall compensation.

Whenever a nursing home changes ownership, the new owner must apply for an operating license before taking over the operations of an already licensed organization. Aug. 1 amendments to the change of ownership (CHOW) process took effect. The current licensee remains responsible until the new owner is properly licensed. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has the updated information and forms and process available.

Beginning Jan. 2, 2023, there will be an updated Minnesota Nurse Aide Knowledge Test with improved test questions.

LeadingAge Minnesota's exciting new resource, The Workforce Data Portal, gives members a great way to see how they compare to other providers on crucial workforce metrics. Members who have submitted data for the third quarter (July through September) can view reports that provide custom comparisons.

This week, Minnesota's budget forecast for the 2024-2025 biennium showed a $17.6 billion surplus, the largest in Minnesota's history. Most of the forecasted budget is "carryforward," meaning that about $12 billion of the surplus money will only be able to be spent on one-time investments.

As Jan. 1 approaches, it appears likely that rate notices will not arrive for most care centers by the start of the new rate year. We expect that the rate increase for most care centers will be significant this year because the cost report being used (year-end Sept. 30, 2021) reflects a drop in occupancy and the considerable increase in costs that happened during the pandemic. Therefore, it is time for providers to consider giving notice to private pay residents about increases on Jan. 1.

The White House released a statement on Nov. 22 announcing a six-week campaign targeted to increase COVID-19 vaccinations nationwide. Within the message, the Biden-Harris administration has a section specifically focused on nursing homes and our existing requirement to educate residents and staff on COVID-19 vaccinations and offer vaccination.

The customized living, 24-hour customized living, and overall case mix caps in the Elderly Waiver (EW) program increase effective Jan. 1, 2023, because they are tied to the rise in care center rates. The 24-hour customized living caps will increase by 9.69%, which is the amount of the 2022 care center increase, and the overall EW caps are going up by 9.63% due to minor rate changes in a couple of EW services.

On Wednesday, Nov. 16, Minnesota Commissioner of Health Jan Malcolm announced that she will retire at the end of Governor Tim Walz's first term on Jan. 3, concluding a career of public service to Minnesota in the administrations of three different governors.

With a handful of races still being verified, Minnesota will no longer be under a divided state government when the Legislature convenes in January. Governor Walz will return for a second term, where he will continue to work with House Democrats, who are projected to retain the majority. The Minnesota Senate surprised pundits, flipping from Republican control to a narrow one-vote Democratic majority.

We are proud to welcome you to the new LeadingAgeMN.org, where you can find timely information and helpful resources to help you serve older adults.