News

As a result of the 2019 assisted living licensure law effective Aug. 1, 2021, every licensed assisted living setting in Minnesota will require a Licensed Assisted Living Director (LALD). The Board of Executives for Long Term Services and Supports (BELTSS) will open their online application system in waves based on current qualifications, beginning with those who can qualify for legacy licensure. Legacy licensure, up to this point, has been referred to as “grandfathering” or “grandparenting.”

All rental property owners, managers or operators must provide a Certificate of Rent Paid (CRP) to each person who rented from them during the previous year by Jan. 31 if either of the following are true:

• Property tax was payable in 2020 on the property.
• The property is tax-exempt but made payments in lieu of property taxes.

Each year, the state calculates the average wages of RNs, LPNs, CNAs, and TMAs in care centers using the data provided from the annual cost reports, and then computes the statutory limits on the amount that Supplemental Nursing Services Agencies (SNSAs) can charge per hour for each type of staff. The new caps are effective Jan. 1, 2021.

The Minnesota Health Care Loan Forgiveness program cycle is now open and accepting applications through January 15, 2021. The Loan Forgiveness program is available for various health care professionals serving in high-need areas including nurses in long term care.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) research arm released the first of three evaluation reports of the Integrated Wellness in Supportive Housing (IWISH) demonstration program, which funds a full-time resident wellness director and part-time wellness nurse to work in HUD-assisted housing communities serving older adults. Launched in 2017, the three-year demonstration program aims to determine whether a well-funded, planned model of supportive services coordination in HUD-assisted senior housing provides compelling benefits.

Helping older Minnesotans maintain their health, independence and community involvement is the goal of more than $7 million in grants the Minnesota Department of Human Services is awarding to organizations and facilities around the state.

The Minnesota Home Care and Assisted Living Advisory Council announced their first project utilizing funds from the special revenue account established from fines related to home care survey findings. The Commissioner has approved an expenditure of $100,000 with a maximum per provider of $2500 to be granted for the purchase of technology and for training of staff to use devices to ease isolation for individuals served in assisted living and through home care agencies. More information and an application will be issued soon with an application period expected in January.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) Housing Support team has published a memo regarding the end of the temporary absence waiver that has been in place under the authority of the Governor's Emergency Executive Order 20-12, under which the DHS Commissioner waived certain absence day requirements for Housing Support recipients. The absence waiver allowed for absences longer than 18 days per absence and/or beyond 60 days total in this calendar year. The absence waiver is for people who are temporarily absent due to offsite quarantine, isolation, or hospitalization. The absence waiver is ending on Dec. 30, 2020. There is no authority to extend beyond this date.

DHS recently posted 2021 calendar year Medicaid rate notices for almost all care centers in the Nursing Facility Provider Portal. These rates are based on the cost reports for the year ended September 30, 2019 and will not reflect any COVID-19 related cost increases.

The Minnesota Board of Executives for Long Term Services and Supports (BELTSS) has published the draft rules for the licensure of assisted living directors and has reached the hearing process. Included in the draft rules (pages 515-539) are requirements for licensure, courses, the director in residence requirements, course provider program review and continuing education. The draft rules and Statement of Need and Reasonableness (SONAR) for the Licensed Assisted Living Directors (LALDs) can be accessed on the BELTSS website.

In a special “Home Care Matters” call this week, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) provided basic information on assisted living licensure and the transition for settings currently registered as Housing with Services Establishments with “arranged home care providers” to licensure as assisted living facilities.

As reported in last week’s Advantage, a special “Home Care Matters Call” will be held Monday, November 30, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm. On the call MDH will cover Assisted Living Licensure topics and discussion. 

A special “Home Care Matters Call” will be held Monday, November 30, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm. The call will cover Assisted Living Licensure topics and discussion. A full announcement with call-in information is expected today and we will share additional detail in next week’s Advantage. Also expected later this week is an FAQ that MDH will cover during the call.

The customized living and overall case mix caps in the Elderly Waiver (EW) program increase effective January 1 because they are tied to the increase in care center rates. The customized living caps increase by 3.64%, which is the amount of the 2020 care center increase, and the overall EW caps are going up by 3.60% due to some minor rate changes in a couple of EW services. Members should be aware that, particularly for any clients who are near one or both of those caps, the higher cap will allow the case manager to authorize additional services that they have not been able to authorize previously.

The Minnesota Secretary of State released a notice of vacancies for various state boards, councils and committees that are accepting applications. LeadingAge Minnesota members are encouraged to apply for and serve in these important public service roles. Vacancies include:

The Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI) is hosting a series of events during National Apprenticeship Week. Attend their virtual event “Introduction to Apprenticeship for National Apprenticeship Week” on Friday, November 13 at 10:00 AM to learn about registered apprenticeship as a workforce development model. The event will offer an overview of registered apprenticeship and the benefits of growing and sustaining an innovative workforce through employment-based training. Click here to register for the event using the event password: kaPpjyMH983

For two more years, Minnesota will continue to have the distinction of having the only divided Legislature in America, with the Republicans holding on to control of the Minnesota Senate by a one-vote margin and the House DFL retaining control of the House, albeit with a smaller majority than last year. 

Beginning in early 2021, the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) is gathering data about direct care workers in Home and Community Based Services organizations. Organizations are asked to identify a contact person to complete this survey and can submit their contact information here.

On October 25^th, staff of the Board of Executives of Long-Term Services and Supports (BELTSS) submitted the draft Licensed Assisted Living Director rules to the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH). The rules will be posted for a 30-day public comment period to begin December 1, 2020 (LeadingAge Minnesota will provide a link as soon as it is available). A Statement of Need and Reasonableness (SONAR) has also been prepared and can be viewed on the BELTSS website along with the updated rule draft.

Last week, MDH shared a discussion document with LeadingAge MN staff outlining key questions regarding the application of physical plant and design requirements under the assisted living licensure law to existing settings and those settings under development. At the time 144G passed the Legislature, there was a common understanding among stakeholders that existing providers would be grandfathered under current building codes and new physical plant requirements would not apply. We further understood that these “legacy providers” would include those settings currently under development, so long as they had applied for building permits on or before July 31, 2021.