Employment First

Minnesota's plan for competitive, integrated employment

Many people with disabilities want an opportunity to be part of the general workforce, but don’t see how it’s possible or aren’t given resources they need to work. Minnesota works to help people with disabilities find competitive, integrated employment. The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) supports an Employment First approach.

During the 2020 first special session, the Minnesota Legislature added Employment First language to state law, writing, “It is the policy of this state that all working-age Minnesotans with disabilities can work, want to work, and can achieve competitive integrated employment, and that each working-age Minnesotan with a disability be offered the opportunity to work and earn a competitive wage before being offered other supports and services.”

For more information about Minnesota’s Employment First efforts, see Minnesota’s Employment First Policy webpage.

Services
Grants
Resources
Get involved
Success stories
Dashboards
Contact

Employment services

Minnesota added three employment services to our home and community-based services (HCBS) waivers on July 1, 2018.

Read more about the policies for each service in the Community-Based Services Manual:
DHS has appointed a statewide technical assistance firm, awarded eight Transition to Competitive Wages grants and 14 Employment Provider Transition Funds grants.

Technical assistance firm

DHS has awarded a contract to the University of Minnesota–Institute on Community Integration to serve as the technical assistance firm for the provider reinvention grant program and carry out the Minnesota Transformation Initiative (MTI). Through MTI, and in collaboration with the University of Massachusetts–Boston, the Arc Minnesota, Strengths at Work LLC and Quillo, the Institute on Community Integration will assist nearly two dozen service providers as they expand their customized, integrated employment services. MTI will engage families of those who work in subminimum wage jobs, provide peer mentoring strategies for job seekers with disabilities and for organizations, carry out statewide trainings for service providers and develop provider toolkit resources.

Transition to Competitive Wages grants

Through Transition to Competitive Wages grants, DHS has awarded contracts to eight HCBS waiver employment service providers who hold a 14c certificate from the U.S. Department of Labor allowing them to pay subminimum wages. The grants will help the providers to develop and implement a business model to phase out their use of subminimum wages by April 1, 2024.

As of January 2020, more than 1,000 Minnesotans with disabilities were being paid subminimum wages through these providers. Grantees will receive individualized technical assistance from the University of Minnesota–Institute on Community Integration to transition their business models and support the people they serve in the next steps to meet their employment and community inclusion goals.

Awardees are:
- Floodwood Services & Training
- Pine Habilitation and Supported Employment (PHASE)
- Hope Haven
- Rise
- The Rising Phoenix
- TSE Inc.
- Advance Opportunities
- Employment Enterprises
Employment Provider Transition grants

Through Employment Provider Transition (EPT) grants, DHS has awarded contracts to 14 waiver employment service providers in Minnesota who will expand their infrastructure and capacity to support people in reaching employment goals. These projects are backed by $6 million in grant funding and will have a statewide impact in 47 counties.

EPT awardees are:
- Accord: To expand capacity to support people in competitive, integrated settings through additional staff resources and increasing the number of people supported in employment services.
- Arrowhead Community Employment: To carry out a supports expansion project expanding services to rural St. Louis and Carlton counties, developing direct support professional/job coach workforce, and expanding their capacity to provide Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS).
- Empower Inclusion: To increase support capacity, allow for specialization across support staff and provide culturally responsive supports.
- Kaposia: To build a stronger relationship with VRS, expand capacity for competitive, integrated employment by blending funding streams, focusing on adults with complex mental health needs and transition-age youth and share learnings with others.
- Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota: To expand Employment First services in greater Minnesota, focusing on the Moorhead, Brainerd and Bemidji areas.
- MRCI: To provide a pathway for competitive employment opportunities for people with disabilities and expand footprint and/or menu of employment opportunities to Rice, Steele, Waseca, Carver, Scott, Hennepin and potentially Dodge counties.
- Midwest Special Services Inc.: To develop a comprehensive career ladder to incentivize further education and training to increase job satisfaction among support professionals, resulting in more robust support and services for people.
- NorthStar Community Services: To expand capacity to support people in competitive, integrated employment through hiring additional staff, developing resources, conducting staff training and spreading awareness to the community.
- Productive Alternatives: To expand the capacity for individual employment opportunities in their service area by providing dedicated vehicles and drivers to five regions as well as a dispatch system to coordinate rides.
- Reach for Resources: To help change the perception that people with disabilities cannot work competitively in their community through outreach to area businesses, promoting workplace transition program for transition age young adults, strengthening Lyft collaboration, obtaining CARF accreditation and conducting staff training.
- REM Heartland: To expand capacity to support people in competitive, integrated employment by bringing in additional staff resources, revamping staff training and onboarding and increasing the number of people supported in employment services.
- Residential Services of NE MN: To build regional capacity, create an employer network, expand services to six additional counties in northeastern Minnesota and support more people in competitive employment.
- Trillium Works: To support more people in competitive, integrated employment through increasing infrastructure, removing barriers to transportation and increasing effectiveness with technology.
- UDAC: To carry out comprehensive organization change supporting community- based services and competitive employment. This includes staff training, increasing people supported in employment, expanding geographic impact through developing partnerships and establishing a center of excellence to serve northeast Minnesota.
Resources

Training
- College of Employment Services: DHS offers free or low-cost training through the College of Employment Services for staff at agencies that provide employment services to people with disabilities. DHS and the University of Minnesota created the learning modules to help license-holders to provide competency-based training for their staff around employment exploration, employment development and employment support services. For more information or to sign up for the training, submit a request for a learner account using this online form. For a list of suggested training modules and development plans created by the University of Minnesota, visit the Suggested training plans for CES coursework webpage.
- Employment specialist competencies: This webpage provides guidance on the skills and knowledge direct support professionals need to deliver employment services.
Policy and guidance
- CBSM – Briefcase resource document: Transportation and day and employment services: This CBSM page explains how transportation may be authorized and billed in conjunction with day and employment services.
- CBSM – Employment: This CBSM page is a general landing page that links to all CBSM guidance related to HCBS waiver employment services
- Licensing: Employment service providers must have a HCBS 245D license and become an MHCP enrolled provider before providing services. Providers should contact DHS Licensing and be credentialed for employment services before enrolling as an MHCP HCBS waiver provider
Tools
- Rates Management System (RMS) Worksheet - Employment Services DHS-6790M-ENG (PDF): The service provider completes this form and sends it to the person's case manager to request the authorization of employment services.
- Work Toolkit: This toolkit will introduce you to steps you can take and tools you can use to help people with disabilities consider employment and make a plan for work.
Other resources
- CareerForce: CareerForce is Minnesota’s resource to help people prepare for, train and find employment. Vocational Rehabilitation Services offices are located within a CareerForce location and part of the Department of Employment and Economic Development.
- Disability Benefits 101 (DB101): People use DB101 to explore ways to balance benefits and work. The site helps people learn how income might affect benefits so they can make informed choices, reduce fears and ensure work is part of the plan. This website gives tools, information and training on health coverage, benefits and employment. It also offers an online chat feature to a Disability Hub MN expert.
- Disability Hub MN: The Hub is a free statewide resource network that can help you solve problems, navigate the system and plan for your future. The Disability Hub MN website has links to employment resources.
- E1MN: E1MN is Minnesota's state agency partnership to advance Employment First outcomes for youth and adults with disabilities.
- Licensing help desk: 651-431-6624
- Make Work Part of your Plan videos: The University of Minnesota Institute on Community Integration and DHS produced a video and webinar series on employment supports and services for people with disabilities. Watch the video to learn how to apply this information.
- Minnesota Health Care Program provider enrollment
- Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Get involved

The Disability Services Division at DHS and the Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development have three ways to stay involved in our employment efforts:

Interagency Employment First Advisory Committee: A volunteer committee to advise DHS and DEED in fulfilling the shared agreements contained in our memorandum of understanding signed last fall. Through regularly scheduled meetings, the committee will help identify opportunities to improve experiences and outcomes for people on waivers who seek competitive, integrated employment.
- To learn more about the Interagency Employment First Advisory Committee, see committee members, and review meeting minutes, visit the Stakeholder engagement webpage on the Disability Hub MN.
Professional Input Panel for Employment (PIPEin): A group of volunteers who provide feedback to DHS and DEED about our efforts to implement memorandum of understanding agreements. PIPEin may be called upon for input through a variety of methods, such as in-person events, surveys, conference calls or interviews. If you are interested in hearing about these opportunities, please fill out the application.
- Application to join Professional Input Panel for Employment (PIPEin). Ongoing, no deadline.
If you have questions about these opportunities, submit them on the DSD contact form.
Success stories

Minnesota is committed to ensuring people with disabilities have opportunities and support to work in competitive, integrated employment in their communities. Read some of the success stories and learn more about Minnesota's Employment First strategy for implementing Olmstead principles.
Dashboards

The Employment First dashboards show local and statewide progress toward fulfilling Minnesota’s Employment First policy. The dashboards show the employment outcomes for Minnesotans, age 16-64, who receive Medicaid home and community-based waiver services, mental health services or participate in the Medical Assistance for Employed Persons with Disabilities program.
Contact

If you would like to speak to someone about the new services, please refer to the resources below:
- Lead agency staff should contact the employment services mentor for your agency or area. To find your primary mentor, see the list of employment primary mentors (XLS). (Mentors and liaisons who would like to update or add their information to the list should use this online form).
- Service providers who have questions about the new services should contact one of the service provider liaisons on the list of provider liaisons (XLS). (Mentors and liaisons who would like to update or add their information to the list should use this online form).
- People who receive services should contact their county or tribal case managers for information about work options and how to use the new employment services. You may also talk with the experts at Disability Hub MN. Visit www.disabilityhubmn.org or call 866-333-2466. You also might find New Waiver Services to Support your Choice at Work DHS-7654A-ENG (PDF) useful.
If you have questions that your mentor or provider liaison cannot answer, submit them on the DSD contact form.

Email notifications

Sign up here to receive email updates about the state's Employment First policy. The Employment First email list will provide up-to-date information on DSD employment-related activities, opportunities for stakeholder input, relevant news , promising practices, training and tools, data highlights and more.