Assisted Living Facility Capacity Changes Can Now Be Requested Throughout the Year

Posted on September 15, 2022 by Bobbie Guidry

The Health Regulation Division (HRD) of the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) will now take requests to change the capacity of assisted living settings any time throughout the year. MDH has reversed its previous practice, which limited change of capacity requests to the time of license renewal.

How to Request a Change in Capacity

Requests should be emailed to the assisted living inbox for more information on making a request. MDH will respond to requests as soon as practicable. However, licensees should note that not all requests can be approved.

More Details About Requests

Licensees may not admit additional residents until the request is approved and the updated license is issued.

Licensees should anticipate capacity needs during the initial and renewal application processes to avoid admission delays during the license year. Additionally, capacity changes outside the existing category (5 or fewer to 6-16, or 16 or fewer to 17 or more) will require engineering plan review and approval before the capacity increase can be approved. 

If the increase is approved, the licensee will need to pay the per resident application fee for the additional residents, and the cost cannot be prorated. 

Questions? Contact Bobbie Guidry, Vice President of Assisted Living and Housing. LeadingAge Minnesota has received several inquiries on this topic since the recent license renewal period concluded. Each of these inquiries related to more couples seeking residence than anticipated.