The current round of applications for nursing facility moratorium exceptions has closed, and MDH recently informed LeadingAge that fifteen care centers submitted proposals for this round. A review committee will hear the proposals on May 3 and 4, and the MDH commissioner will announce the approved projects by June 22.

We are pleased that so many providers are interested in making much needed building improvements by accessing the new funding that the Legislature approved in the last session. The fifteen submitted projects are:

Care Center Name	City
Knute Nelson Care Center	Alexandria
Belgrade Nursing Home	Belgrade
The Terrace at Cannon Falls	Cannon Falls
Chisholm Health Care Center	Chisholm
Cuyuna Regional Medical Center	Crosby
The Terrace at Crystal	Crystal
Ebenezer Aurora on France	Edina
Ebenezer Care Center	Minneapolis
West Wind Village	Morris
Benedictine Health Care Center Innsbruck	New Brighton
Paynesville Health Care Center	Paynesville
Lifecare Roseau Manor	Roseau
Cerenity Care Center Humboldt	Saint Paul
Bethesda Willmar	Willmar
Saint Anne Extended Healthcare	Winona

Of the 15 projects, 12 (in bold) are LeadingAge Minnesota members and we are proud to see their level of commitment to improving the experience for nursing home residents. Eleven of the applicants have applied previously, including eight that applied last year but were not approved because very limited funding was available. The next step in the process is for DHS to review these proposals and determine their cost to the state. With slightly over $4 million in state Medicaid funds available this round it appears there is a good chance that all these projects could be approved.

Under the nursing facility property rate system, a moratorium exception approval allows the provider to have their entire property rate calculated based on a rental value formula adopted by the 2019 Legislature. That formula is simpler and tends to produce a better rate than the old system, so between that and the ongoing funding commitment from the 2021 Legislature the moratorium exceptions process has become an important and effective tool for upgrading and replacing care centers across the state.