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During a markup help by the House Subcommittee on Transportation and Housing and Urban Development (THUD) on July 12, lawmakers advanced a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding proposal for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) that would enact serious cuts to affordable housing programs.

This summer, we’ll regularly highlight some of the most significant issues summarized in the 2023 Legislative Report, a benefit of membership in LeadingAge Minnesota. This week’s topic: the impacts of legalized cannabis on aging services providers.

The Minnesota Board of Pharmacy reminds long-term care providers who utilize medication carts their provider pharmacist or pharmacy is not permitted under board rules to provide goods or services for “below the cost of the service or good.”

Requirements for residents with dementia residing in a facility licensed as Assisted Living with Dementia Care include that each person is to be evaluated for their particular interests and specialized needs. Based on the evaluation, service planning should include an individualized activity plan.

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has released a new waiver request form for nursing homes to complete after losing the ability to operate a nurse aide training program for two years.

Join us on July 19 and 20 for the virtual conference Billing Basics for Care Centers to learn the fundamentals and skills to accurately bill for services provided and capture appropriate reimbursement.

In a few short weeks, Lyngblomsten will open its second community - Lyngblomsten at Lino Lakes. The community opens after years of planning and 20 months of construction. The first residents of the main building will move in mid-July.

This message from President and CEO Kari Thurlow was initially sent to members on July 3

During the first month of summer, I had the honor of connecting with many members in person, first at District Meetings and then at our recent Board of Directors strategic planning retreat.

An updated version of the Dignity Act (H.R. 3359), a large package of immigration reforms introduced in the House by Representatives Maria Salazar (R-FL) and Veronica Escobar (D-TX) on May 23 includes language focused on fixing the current immigration system that aligns with LeadingAge’s current policy priorities.

The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry's (DLI) Labor Standards Division assists workers and employers in understanding their workplace rights and protections.

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has implemented several process changes for submitting Change of Capacity requests from assisted living settings.

The Resident Vital Signs Machine Technology Playbook is the third in a series of workforce technology solution playbooks designed to assist you in identifying technology solutions to help address the workforce crisis.

After a successful pilot program, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is expanding in-facility testing to add additional nurse aide test sites around the state.

The Department of Human Services (DHS) has developed plans to distribute lump sum payments for care centers approved in the recently completed legislative session.

Join us July 19 and 20 for the virtual conference Billing Basics for Care Centers to learn the fundamentals and skills to accurately bill for services provided and capture appropriate reimbursement.

Argentum and LeadingAge, national affiliates of LeadingAge Minnesota, are partnering with the National Association for Regulatory Administration (NARA) to create and launch the Quality in Assisted Living Collaborative (QALC).

LeadingAge Minnesota Solutions is proud to announce, after a lengthy process, Marsh McLennan Agency (MMA) is the preferred insurance provider of LeadingAge Minnesota members.

Adult day services providers can offer a remote service option to clients beginning on July 1. Providers should review the requirements and take steps to receive approval from the Department of Human Services (DHS) if they choose to offer remote services.

The Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) is now accepting grant request applications for its Workplace Safety Grant Program. The legislature provided DLI with $2 million in one-time funding to establish a temporary grant program to assist impacted employers.

After a year of historic investments in long-term care, LeadingAge Minnesota has compiled a resource detailing several grant programs and other opportunities funded in the 2023 Minnesota legislative session.

Join us next Tuesday for the second webinar in our Minimum Data Set (MDS) series, Section GG: Accurately Capturing Functional Abilities, presented by Colleen Toebe, Director of Consulting Services with Pathway Health. Nursing home administrators, directors of nursing, MDS coordinators, and interdisciplinary team members, including direct care staff, may be interested in the content presented.

Elections were held to fill several vacant District Officer positions at the recent District Meetings. Each of the seven geographical districts in the state is represented by an elected slate of officers – District Chair, Chair-Elect, Secretary, and District Board Director.

Each month, our national partners at LeadingAge share workforce tools to help aging service providers take action in their workforce efforts. This month highlights the important of instilling a culture of inclusivity and belonging.

In a decision published on Jun. 13, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) returned to the FedEx Home Delivery (FedEx II) standard for determining independent contractor status under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).

The Department of Human Services (DHS) recently announced the updated property rate thresholds that will apply for projects after Oct. 1. There are two thresholds and two different types of property rate increase projects.

The Department of Human Services (DHS) recently announced that they have opened the selection process for all care centers in the Medical Assistance program to select a new goal to work on for another round of the Quality Improvement Incentive Payment Program (QIIP). Each year, based on their progress toward the goal they select, care centers receive a rate increase of $0 to $3.50 per resident day for QIIP. 

Coming later this summer, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is launching the “Nurse Aide Registry (NAR) Modernization Project,” a project to transition the nurse aide registry to a new digital format. This new and improved NAR portal will allow nurse aides and nursing homes to complete all their updates, reports, and communications electronically within the portal rather than via U.S. mail or email.

LeadingAge Minnesota is pleased to share its 2023 Minnesota Session Legislative Report. This written report summarizes what you need to know about the 75 laws sent to the Governor this year impacting aging services, the seniors you care for, when those laws are effective, and the steps you should take next.

Three people have recently officially joined LeadingAge Minnesota’s team: James Benedict as the Senior Systems Administrator, Annie Xiong as the Office and Accounting Manager, and Nathalie Squire as the Executive Assistant.

On Jun. 8, the Supreme Court ruled in a 7-2 vote that nursing home residents and their families can sue publicly owned nursing home facilities under the Federal Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987 (FNHRA).