News

In a meeting with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) this week, staff from the Environmental Health Division provided information on early findings regarding the food code during assisted living surveys. Most findings are in basic food handling safety measures.

The Minnesota Health Care Loan Forgiveness program cycle opens Nov. 1 and is accepting applications through Jan. 17, 2022. The Loan Forgiveness program is available for various health care professionals serving in high-need areas, including nurses in nursing homes, assisted living, and home care settings.

Since early August, several LeadingAge Minnesota members across the state have invited federal and state lawmakers from both political parties into their communities to raise awareness around the growing workforce crisis in long-term care.

The Minnesota Department of Health's Health Regulation Division (HRD) will provide information, news, updates and links to assisted living providers, residents, resident families, and the public through a new weekly newsletter, ALL Together. To subscribe, enter your email address and click submit. 

Are you interested in advancing the next generation of leaders in assisted living? LeadingAge Minnesota is looking for Licensed Assisted Living Directors (LALDs) to volunteer as mentors for students enrolled in our Assisted Living Director Licensure Program.

Are you interested in advancing the next generation of leaders in Assisted Living? LeadingAge Minnesota is looking for Licensed Assisted Living Directors (LALDs) to volunteer as mentors for students enrolled in our Assisted Living Director Licensure Program.

The Minnesota Department of Health has added an Assisted Living Licensure Closure Form to their Forms and Self-Audit Tools page under the “notifications” heading. The form provides guidance for the closure process.

Minnesota’s assisted living settings and nursing homes are facing an unprecedented workforce crisis, and LeadingAge Minnesota members across the state are contacting their lawmakers to ask for support now.

Assisted living facilities should base their emergency plan on documented facility-based and community-based risk assessments using an all-hazards approach, including addressing a scenario involving missing residents.

Earlier this year, the legislature approved a new program to assist Customized Living providers who serve a "disproportionate share" of Elderly Waiver (EW) clients. Any Customized Living provider who serves 80% EW clients as of Oct.1 of this year is eligible for a minimum rate for EW Customized Living clients of $119 per day for the period from July 1, 2022 through Dec. 31, 2022. The program will be ongoing, and the floor will typically apply on an annual basis based on EW percentage on Oct. 1 of each year.

This week’s report from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) on the status of current assisted living licensees provides a glimpse at the composition of assisted living around the state. Of the currently licensed 1973 assisted living facilities, 1337 of those are in the seven-county metro area, leaving 636 throughout the rest of the state.

Starting Oct. 15, non-renewed home care licenses that expired or were closed due to conversion to an assisted living facility license will also have their background study records closed.

The Senate Human Services Reform and Finance Committee recently met to address a wide array of topics that included Elderly Waiver implementation and vaccine requirements in various long-term care settings.

Dawn Davis, head of the Background Studies unit at the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS), will join the LeadingAge Minnesota Coaching Room on Tuesday, Oct. 5 at 3 p.m. to provide an update and answer questions about the transition back to fingerprint-based studies. 

Through Oct. 31, 2021, DHS is accepting applications from people to join the new Waiver Reimagine Advisory Committee (WRAC). The committee will provide input about the implementation of Waiver Reimagine and help develop the program during virtual meetings held every other month. 

Legislation that became effective July 1 directed the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) to stop enrolling new customized living settings serving four or fewer people in single-family homes for individuals served through the Brain Injury (BI) and Community Access for Disability Inclusion (CADI) waivers.

This week, lawmakers have yet to call a special session to allocate the $250 million set aside for Hero Pay bonuses, and new Senate majority and minority leaders have been elected. Here is what you need to know about what is happening at the Capitol this week:

At a meeting last week, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) shared initial findings from assisted living surveys that have been conducted.

LeadingAge Minnesota encourages all assisted living providers to complete the background study affiliation process before the Minnesota Department of Health closes home care records. If your home care agency is closing, you must act quickly if you have staff to affiliate from your home care agency record.

In late July, a select working group began hosting hearings on allocating the money set aside during the 2021 special session for Hero Pay bonuses for frontline workers. Several different groups are vying for a piece of the $250 million. This week, the working group hosted a hearing to discuss the criteria used to allocate the money.