LTSS Advisory Council

Background

During the 2025 First Special Session, the Legislature passed and the governor signed Minnesota Laws, 2025 1^st Special Session, chapter 9, article 2, section 58, creating the LTSS Advisory Council.  

By Dec. 1, 2026, the LTSS Advisory Council must provide recommendations to the Legislature, with identified cost savings amounting to $177,542,000 for the 2028-2029 biennium. If the LTSS Advisory Council is unable to identify recommendations meeting the targeted cost-savings amount, the state will make contingent spending reductions on July 1, 2027, by cutting the competitive workforce factor and requiring counties to pay a portion of the cost for residential disability waiver services. 

Minnesota’s LTSS programs for older adults and people with disabilities, for the purposes of the LTSS Advisory Council, are limited to: 

• Alternative Care (AC) program 
• Brain Injury (BI) waiver 
• Community Alternative Care (CAC) waiver 
• Community Access for Disability Inclusion (CADI) waiver 
• Community First Services and Supports (CFSS) and Personal Care Assistance (PCA)  
• Developmental Disabilities (DD) waiver 
• Elderly Waiver (EW) 
• Essential Community Supports (ECS) 
• Nursing facility services. 

The council must meet every other month from October 2025 through December 2026. The LTSS Advisory Council must submit its recommendations to the Legislature by December 1, 2026. After the recommendations are submitted, DHS is required to meet with LTSS Advisory Council through June 30, 2028, when the Council expires.

Membership

Advisory council membership is specified in law and includes 30 representatives who will have varied experience and/or expertise in the areas of long-term services and supports. Members will include:

• The commissioner of human services or designee.
• The commissioner of direct care and treatment or designee.
• A person who receives services under the Elderly Waiver (appointed by Elder Voices Family Advocates).
• Two people with disabilities, one living independently and one living in a community residential setting (appointed by the ARC of Minnesota).
• Three former Waiver Reimagine Advisory Committee members who have family members with disabilities or older adults using Medical Assistance services (appointed by the commissioner of human services).
• Two county representatives, one from Greater Minnesota and one from the Twin Cities area (appointed by the Association of Minnesota Counties).
• Two county representatives, one from Greater Minnesota and one from the Twin Cities area (appointed by the Minnesota Inter-County Association).
• Two county social service workers, one from Greater Minnesota and one from the Twin Cities area (appointed by the Minnesota Association of County Social Services Administrators).
• Two representatives from tribal nations involved in the administration of social services (appointed by the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council).
• One provider of home care services (appointed by the Minnesota Home Care Association).
• One provider of nursing facility services to older adults and people with disabilities (appointed by the Long-Term Care Imperative).
• Three providers of home and community-based disability services. There are three appointing authorities who must ensure that a day services provider, a community residential services provider and an own-home service provider are represented (appointed by Residential Providers Association of Minnesota, Minnesota Organization for Habilitation and Rehabilitation and Association of Residential Resources in Minnesota).
• Two advocates for people with disabilities (one appointed by the ARC of Minnesota and the other the Minnesota Disability Law Center).
• One advocate for older adults who use long-term care services (appointed by the ombudsman for long-term care).
• One advocate for people with mental illness or developmental disabilities who use long-term services and supports (appointed by the ombudsman for mental health and developmental disabilities).
• One provider of long-term services and supports (appointed by Community Provider Alliance).
• One provider of Community First Services and Supports (appointed by Minnesota First Provider Alliance).
• One member appointed by the SEIU Health Care Minnesota & Iowa.
• One member appointed by AFSCME.
• One person who lives with serious and persistent mental illness (appointed by the National Alliance on Mental Health Minnesota).
• Any other members the commissioner of human services chooses to appoint.

Information about the council and who is currently appointed may be found on the LTSS Advisory Council page on the Office of the Secretary of State’s Boards and Commissions website.

Get involved

Applications open

Applications are open for some positions. Visit the Secretary of State's LTSS Advisory Council page to see open seats and apply.

LTSS Advisory Council to host town halls

The LTSS Advisory Council will offer three town halls to discuss proposed strategies to reduce costs for Medicaid LTSS (e.g., disability and aging services and programs, personal care assistance [PCA]/Community First Services and Supports [CFSS], nursing facilities) in Minnesota.

The council will share the same information at three town halls on July 20, 22 and 24, 2026.

Feedback opportunities

People can share feedback on the council’s proposed cost-saving strategies before the council presents the strategies to the Minnesota Legislature. The council will accept feedback during the town halls and during a written comment period after the town halls. We will share more information about the written comment period when it is available.

How to attend

Use the following information to attend the first town hall:

• Date: July 20, 2026
• Time: 1 to 2:30 p.m.
• Join: To join, refer to Zoom – Join the July 20, 2026, meeting.

Use the following information to attend the second town hall:

• Date: July 22, 2026
• Time: 6 to 7:30 p.m.
• Join: To join, refer to Zoom – Join the July 22, 2026, meeting.

Use the following information to attend the third town hall:

• Date: July 24, 2026
• Time: 10 to 11:30 a.m.
• Join: To join, refer to Zoom – Join the July 24, 2026, meeting.

Registration for the town halls is not required.

To request an accommodation, email micraig@pcgus.com at least two weeks before the town hall.

More information about the LTSS Advisory Council

The Minnesota Legislature created the LTSS Advisory Council to help create a sustainable future for Minnesota LTSS. The council is responsible for recommending strategies to reduce LTSS costs by approximately $178 million in the two-year period from 2028 to 2029. Representatives from service providers, advocacy organizations, people and families receiving services and other groups collaborate to develop ideas.

Check back here for more information about community engagement events in 2026.

LTSS Advisory Council meeting information is listed below, as well as materials for each meeting (as they become available).

Documents and resources

• LTSS Advisory Council Legislative Progress Report Memo, March 2026 (PDF)