Long-term services and supports: news, initiatives, reports, work groups

The addressing gaps is one of four studies that inform the biennial legislative report on the status of long-term services and supports for older adults, people with disabilities and adults and children living with mental health conditions.

The Minnesota Legislature passed a law to create the EIDBI Benefit for children up to age 21 with autism spectrum disorder. Click on the links below to read more about ASD and the EIDBI Benefit.

ASD and related conditions | ASD resources | EIDBI benefit | EIDBI advisory group | Provider Manual | Policy Manual

Community First Services and Supports (CFSS) began to replace personal care assistance (PCA) and the Consumer Support Grant (CSG) on Oct. 1, 2024. CFSS is a Minnesota health care program that offers flexible options to meet the unique needs of people. CFSS allows people greater independence in their homes and communities. Read more about the transition on the Community First Services and Supports page.

More information

• To learn more about CFSS cost reporting requirements for providers, visit the CFSS cost reporting webpage. 
• For more information about the CFSS transition for people who receive services, visit the CFSS frequently asked questions webpage.
• For answers to frequently asked questions about how CFSS will affect workers who provide services, visit the CFSS and workers FAQ page. 
• For answers to questions about CFSS from counties, tribal nations and managed care organizations, see the CFSS and lead agencies FAQ.

The Disability Services Division’s culture of safety is a model built on safety science, commonly used in the aviation, health care and nuclear power industries to improve systems and develop a culture of safety. This allows a better understanding of organizational decisions and how leaders can guide staff to achieve desired outcomes. The model focuses on improving the reliability and safety of services through a robust and proactive response to critical incidents that emphasizes learning. Years of research have shown that assigning blame might decrease accountability because it inhibits the ability of an organization to understand and improve. Read more on the Culture of Safety systemic critical incident review webpage.

People with disabilities and older Minnesotans struggle to recruit and retain direct support professionals. Visit the Direct care workforce shortage in Minnesota webpage for information about state-sponsored workgroups, resources and other information related to the direct support professional workforce shortage crisis.

The Disability Waiver Rate System sets uniform rate-determination methods and standards for all disability-related services in Minnesota.

The 21st Century Cures Act, Public Law 114–255 (PDF), requires providers of personal care, including personal care assistance (PCA) and some waiver services, and home health care providers (beginning in 2023) to use electronic visit verification to document that people are receiving the services that are billed to the state. Minnesota began to use EVV on June 20, 2022. Read more on the Electronic visit verification webpage. For policies and guidance, see the Community-Based Services Manual.

Minnesota is committed to ensuring people with disabilities have opportunities and support to work in competitive, integrated employment first.

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

• Employment exploration services: Community-based services that introduce people with disabilities to employment options and allow them to explore their options through work experiences.
• Employment development services: Individualized services that help people find competitive, integrated employment or attain self-employment.
• Employment support services: Individualized services and supports that help people to maintain community employment in an individual or group arrangement.

Read more about these new waiver services on the Employment services webpage.

Minnesota Department of Human Services offers options to give people more control over the services and supports they receive. People who use these services and direct the support workers who provide these services have options that include paying higher rates and a training stipend to eligible support workers. Read more on the following webpages:

• Enhanced rates or budgets
• Qualifying for the enhanced rate
• Stipends for PCA Choice, CDCS and CSG workers

The HEARD Evaluation is a multi-phase project used mixed methodology to understand racial and ethnic disparities in accessing HCBS programs and services.

The University of Minnesota, and state agencies, including DHS, the departments of Health and Education and several others are working together to gather partner feedback and data on the following services:

• Positive supports
• Crisis respite
• Specialist
• Respite.

The partner feedback and data from the study will be used to develop legislative proposals to improve the design and quality of the four services. Read more at Intervention and respite service redesign.

The Minnesota Legislature has authorized rate and budget increases for some home and community-based services. The service rate and monthly budget increases take effect Jan. 1, 2023. To read more about these changes, see the Long-term services and supports rates changes webpage.

MnCHOICES is a computer application used by counties, tribal nations and managed care organizations to support their assessment and support planning work for Minnesotans who need long-term services and supports (LTSS), regardless of age, type of disability or service needs.

A federal HCBS rule requires assurances that people have information and experiences with which to make informed decisions. Find out more about Minnesota’s transition plan for home and community-based settings

The Minnesota Department of Human Services' Waiver Reimagine project seeks to identify and recommend system-level improvements to Minnesota’s disability waiver programs. The Waiver Reimagine project will identify ways to improve system structures to give people more choice and control over the services they receive. Read more on the Waiver Reimagine webpage.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services makes regular reports to the Legislature and the public regarding its services. Reports by the Disability Services Division are posted on the DSD Publications webpage.

Access local and statewide data related to long-term services and supports for people with disabilities and older adults. Interactive reports and county profiles display demographic and performance measurement data.

DHS initiated the Lead Agency Review of Home and Community Based Service (HCBS) programs in 2006 and has, to date, completed two full rounds of reviews for counties and tribes that administer HCBS waiver programs.

DHS formed the Acute Care Transitions Advisory Council in October 2023 to create supports for children and adults who face barriers when moving from hospitals and other settings into their home and community.

The Complex Transitions Team supports people who might benefit from DHS technical assistance to move from hospital and institutional settings back into the community. The team connects with subject matter experts across departments and divisions within the state to be a single point of contact for people who need to navigate the supports available through DHS.

In April 2017, the Olmstead Subcabinet told DHS and DEED to form a multiagency workgroup to develop recommendations for expanding, diversifying and improving Minnesota’s direct care and support workforce. Read more on the The direct care workforce shortage in Minnesota webpage.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) created an EIDBI advisory group in 2017. The group is made up of experts, parents, primary caregivers and people with autism spectrum disorder and related conditions. The group helps DHS with ongoing development and implementation of the EIDBI benefit. Read more on the EIDBI advisory group webpage.

The External Program Review Committee (EPRC):

• Monitors the implementation of Minn. R. 9544.0130
• Recommends policy changes to the commissioner
• Reviews requests for the emergency use of procedures and makes recommendations to the commissioner to approve or deny those requests
• Reviews reports of the emergency use of manual restraint and provides guidance to license-holders

Read more on the External Program Review Committee webpage.

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.

The Professional Input Panel for Employment (PIPEin) is 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, fill out the application to join Professional Input Panel for Employment (PIPEin). We continue to accept applications; there is no deadline.

The Rule 40 Advisory Committee made recommendations to DHS to modernize Rule 40.

The support planning professionals learning community holds monthly web-based meetings to discuss the most recent person-centered practices, updates and initiatives from DHS and to share best practices.

In 2021, the Minnesota Legislature established the Task Force on Eliminating Subminimum Wages. The task force will develop a plan and make recommendations to end subminimum wages for people with disabilities by Aug. 1, 2025. Read more about the group on the Task Force on Eliminating Subminimum Wages webpage.

Established in 2022, the Waiver Reimagine Advisory Committee will provide feedback and help to develop several proposed plans for Waiver Reimagine. Read more on the Waiver Reimagine Advisory Committee webpage