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LeadingAge Minnesota received an increasing volume of inquiries over the past several months regarding the ongoing COVID-19 requirements in both nursing homes and assisted living communities. In response, LeadingAge Minnesota has updated its materials to encompass a broader respiratory illness framework that includes both COVID-19 and seasonal influenza.

There are less than two weeks until the next required paid holiday under the Board’s holiday pay rule occurs. However, because the court has not issued its order yet, we have no new update about the situation in our ongoing legal challenge against the Holiday Pay Rule. That said, we are expecting the court to issue its order shortly. At the end of the hearing held in mid-February, the court indicated it would issue its order before the Memorial Day holiday (5/26), but that could literally mean the day before the holiday. Therefore, the pragmatic result is this: providers should continue to prepare for compliance with the rule (definitions of who gets paid the holiday pay, and how much they are paid on those 11 state holidays, or those holidays the employer worked with the employees to change the date or time of) for now. Once we receive the court’s order, we will notify members directly regarding what the decision means for your operations.

The federal government is moving to end certain temporary immigration statuses, impacting compassionate caregivers in the aging services workforce.

On May 11, the House Energy and Commerce Committee released legislation aimed at fulfilling budget reconciliation requirements, following the House's adoption of a broader budget resolution in April. The Committee’s proposal includes sweeping policy changes to reduce federal spending by $916 billion over the next decade, with the majority of cuts targeting Medicaid.

Legislative leaders and Governor Walz announced this morning that they’ve reached a preliminary budget agreement, with details still being ironed out. As lawmakers shift their attention from policy to omnibus budget bills, LeadingAge Minnesota and our Imperative partner will continue to closely track impacts on aging services. As we learn more, we will share more detailed information on budget bills over the next several days.

The LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation (LAMF) is seeking proposals from qualified and experienced video production firms to develop a compelling video and photography series. The goal of this project is to help New Americans—immigrants and refugees—understand the opportunities and realities of long-term care careers and life in Minnesota.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Deadline for Bids: Noon, 12:00pm, Monday, June 2^nd, 2025

This project is administrated by the LeadingAge MN Foundation, a subsidiary of LeadingAge Minnesota, the state’s largest association of over 1,100 mission-driven organizations serving older adults in the places they call home. Our Foundation uses grant dollars and tax-deductible contributions to support initiatives that transform and enhance the experience of aging.  This project is made possible through support from the New Americans Long-Term Care Workforce grant from the Minnesota Department of Human Services.  

For questions, please contact Kirstan Ketter, Foundation Project Manager at LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation.  

In 2024, over 1,000 OnTrack nursing assistants attempted the state exam to be placed on the Minnesota Nurse Aide Registry. OnTrack learners’ pass rates continue to surpass the state average.

This week, lawmakers took significant steps on funding and policy for human services. On Monday, the House of Representatives heard HF2434, the Human Services Finance Omnibus Bill as well as HF2115, the Human Services Policy Omnibus Bill.

On Thursday, May 1, 2025, aging care and services leader Saint Therese announced it is acquiring The Belvedere of Heritage Retirement Communities of Westlake, Ohio.

Are you a Licensed Assisted Living Director (LALD) or Licensed Health Services Executive (LHSE) with a heart for guiding others? If so, we invite you to become a volunteer mentor and support the next generation of leaders in long-term services and supports.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is pausing its appeal of court rulings that blocked the agency’s April 2024 overtime rule, which sought to increase the salary thresholds necessary to exempt a salaried executive, administrative or professional (EAP) employee from federal overtime pay requirements under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

A recurrent question and citation for Assisted Living Facilities is offering meal plans that meet statutory requirements.

Thank you to everyone who attended the Independent Living Executives Networking Group on Wednesday, April 23. We are especially grateful to Rob Lahammer, vice president of engagement and advocacy at Presbyterian Homes & Services, for leading a thoughtful and engaging session on purposeful living in senior living communities.

With new changes in immigration enforcement policies, we have released a new free, member-only resource— Immigration Enforcement Guide: Preparing for ICE Activity — to help aging services organizations prepare to create safe, informed, and responsive environments in the event of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity.

Quality care starts with understanding. EduCare is excited to announce several courses are now available in Spanish.

Late on Wednesday afternoon the Department of Human Services (DHS) notified NETStudy 2.0 system users via a GovDelivery message that the NETStudy 2.0 system will be offline for a server upgrade starting on Friday, 4/25, at 7 p.m. and expected to return to normal operations on Monday, 4/28, at 8 a.m.  During this server upgrade, do not log into NETStudy 2.0 until you receive an all-clear message from DHS.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) uses the MN–ITS PRVLTR Mailbox as a primary method for communicating important updates.

Recent survey trends have revealed a notable uptick in deficiencies tied to the identification of resident changes in condition and the timely completion of follow-up comprehensive assessments.

Earlier this week, Vista Prairie Communities (VPC) is pleased announced the return of Kacey Kasel, RN, BSN, PHN, LALD as a Regional Director of Operations (RDO). In this expanded leadership role, Kacey will provide additional operational support to VPC’s communities, ensuring a continued focus on excellence in care, team development, and resident well-being.

Nursing homes must now submit off-cycle revalidations by August 1. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) enacted a final rule in November 2023 implementing portions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which added a section to the Social Security Act related to ownership, management, and related parties.

Assisted living facilities that provide customized living (CL) services to people on the Brain Injury (BI) and Community Access for Disability Inclusion (CADI) waivers must follow specific limitations based on the setting’s CL enrollment date.

Too often, the loudest voices in senior care focus on challenges and shortcomings. But across Minnesota, providers are demonstrating excellence, innovation, and high performance. Our new series, Quality in Action, aims to spotlight these success stories—highlighting senior care organizations that are achieving exceptional results through their commitment to quality and safety.

The Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) has been accepting grant request applications for its workplace Ergonomic Safety Grant Program since summer 2023. To date, 75 of 79 awarded grants have been provided to nursing home applicants with several more requests due to be awarded soon.

During a roundtable on Tuesday, April 15, Governor Tim Walz said: “If you think we’re in a crisis now, especially for seniors living in rural Minnesota, cut Medicaid and find out what happens. There’s no way the state of Minnesota can come close to back filing what’s lost.”

Is your organization receiving job seeker matches? CaringCareersStartHere.com is helping connect job seekers with long-term care employers and elevating careers in aging services across the state.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services has released changes to the Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification. Employers should review their current I-9 form’s expiration date and begin integrating the new I-9 form into their employee verification systems and processes.

The Office of Higher Education's (OHE) Dual-Training Pipeline Grant is open for applications until April 15.

Did you know that Minnesota has a Reframe Aging Initiative? The Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation and the Minnesota Leadership Council on Aging are sponsoring a series of sessions, titled, “Free Framer Fridays” to engage Minnesotans in championing a Minnesota free of agism.

On April 7, 2025, U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk (TX) ruled in favor of the American Health Care Association, LeadingAge, and four nursing homes, finding that CMS exceeded its authority by imposing a federal minimum staffing mandate on nursing homes.

This week, LeadingAge Minnesota members headed to our nation’s Capital to advocate on behalf of aging services providers and the seniors we serve.