News

The slow developing HCBS workforce incentive grant program, officially named the Minnesota Care Force Incentive Grant Program by DHS, which was created and funded by the 2023 Legislature, has just reached the point of distributing funds to providers.

Bonuses from State Funds 

Under the program, HCBS workers, including those in assisted living, are eligible for bonuses from state funds. The law set the amount of bonuses at up to $1,000, but DHS has determined that based on interest in the program across HCBS providers, that bonuses must be limited to $770. 

The DHS contractor has been reaching out to providers to inform them of which employees are eligible for grants and how to access the funds. Those providers who have received grant funds then have 45 days to provide the bonuses to employees who are on the eligible list. In addition, providers should give their employees this form notifying them that they can deduct the grant amount from their state, but not federal, taxes. 

The 2025 Legislature approved a temporary rate add-on to cover the cost of raising employees to the minimum wage levels passed by the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board. This step was taken based on strong advocacy by the LTC Imperative. We have long-argued, even before the Board’s creation, that any standards it approves which increase costs for providers must have upfront funding to be workable. 

Application Details

DHS has now developed an application and written instructions to apply for the rate add-on. They also recently produced an instructional video that talks through how nursing homes should complete the application.  

The add-on will be calculated using two months of actual wage data for individuals below the minimum standards, then annualized and calculated as a per day rate adjustment that will appear on nursing homes’ 2026 and 2027 rates in the external fixed category where it is not subject to the operating rate caps that will apply starting in 2026. Applications must be submitted by October 1 to receive a rate increase, so member nursing homes are strongly encourage to complete and return the application forms to DHS quickly. 

In breaking news earlier this week, a Ramsey County district judge struck down a provision in a 2024 session law, which raises questions about future legislatures and how public policies, including aging services, may be enacted moving forward. 

The session law in question, coined the “Megabus Bill”, was enacted in the final minutes of the 2024 regular session. It was originally advanced as a tax bill before lawmakers added a number of omnibus supplemental budget and policy bills to the language. In total, over 1,400 pages were passed in a controversial voice vote before adjournment.  
 
No immediate impact to aging services 

There is nothing immediate to be done. Many of the provisions in the Megabus bill related to aging were separately passed by both chambers as a stand-alone human services omnibus law, in addition to being folded into the 1,400 page bill. As a result, those specific budget and policy items would remain intact, even if the Megabus bill was stricken in its entirety.   

A deeper look 

The judge’s ruling was narrowly crafted to apply only to the issue raised by plaintiffs, but he left the door open to other legal challenges. Most intriguing to note, his ruling acknowledges the increasingly common practice of the legislature to rely on omnibus bills to enact laws. His ruling, along with subsequent opinions from other legal experts, has re-ignited an ongoing debate about the application of omnibus bills that make sweeping changes to the state’s budget and regulatory environment.  

For our sector, this practice has both helped aging services in providing vehicles to advance our policy objectives but has also produced setbacks when an unfavorable policy is incorporated into a larger bill that has majority support. It remains to be seen how this decision will impact the 2026 Legislature, which is scheduled to convene on February 17th of next year. 

Join your colleagues in taking the Safe Lift: STOP for Safety Pledge – a shared commitment to protect residents and staff by reducing lift-related falls. By taking this pledge, your organization commits to implementing the Safe Lift: STOP for Safety 3-Step Process as a standard practice, ensuring every resident transfer is safe, respectful, and reliable.

Occupancy rates for nursing homes continue to show improvement, coming in at 84.8% statewide in the first quarter of this year and 84.2% in the second, both higher than any quarter since the first quarter of 2020, just before the pandemic hit.

This week, Minnesota’s 4th Congressional District Representative, Congresswoman Betty McCollum, stopped by Sholom’s east campus in St. Paul for a resident town hall. Staff and residents celebrated the 30th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid, a landmark law enacted by Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Discussing Real World Impacts

Congresswoman McCollum, who was the second woman ever elected to serve Minnesota in Washington D.C., also hosted a conversation with residents about the impact of H.R. 1, what it will mean for Minnesota legislators, and what to expect from Congress for the remainder of the year.   

LeadingAge Minnesota would like to thank the leadership and staff at Shirley Chapman Sholom Home East for hosting such an engaging meeting. Remember that our federal delegation are back in their districts this month, so it is a wonderful opportunity to invite them out for a tour of your community.

Contact Kayla Khang at kkhang@leadingagemn.org if you would like assistance in making the invitation.  

The 2025 LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation Golf Tournament – held on Aug. 5 at Prestwick Golf Club in Woodbury – helped raise funds for the next round of caregiver scholarships. In total, thanks to golfers, sponsors, volunteers, and ticket sales, the event raised over $122,000 before expenses. It was a gorgeous day for golf. 

The LeadingAge Minnesota QUEST Report is now available for Q1 2025.

The fourteenth edition of the Really Big Book of Nursing Home Regulations is finally here and ready to go! It is now available for order.

Several new state laws go into effect on Aug. 1, 2025 that will impact aging services. As a reminder, many of these changes will require additional guidance from our state agency partners, so continue to look to LeadingAge MN for resources, expert support and operational counsel.

The application materials for another round of the nursing facility moratorium exceptions process were recently posted on the MDH website. Nursing homes interested in applying for approval to fund a construction project will need to complete all the required application materials and return them to MDH by December 18, 2025.

The Minnesota Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board (NHWSB) has established training requirements for nursing home employers under the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board Act. All nursing home workers must complete at least one hour of training every two years on their workplace rights, provided by a Certified Worker Organization (CWO). This requirement takes effect January 1, 2025, with full compliance required by December 31, 2026.

As shared in last week’s Advantage, there are still several unknowns for how the federal budget bill, also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill”, will impact older adults and the services they need. Minnesota budget officials estimate that the law will result in nearly $500 million in annual losses to our Medicaid program. Most of those reductions will not take effect until Jan. 1, 2027, or later, and will be subject to future state action by the Minnesota Legislature.

The passage of the federal "One Big Beautiful Bill" (OBBB) introduces substantial reforms to Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, focusing on cost containment, program integrity, and greater state flexibility.

Join LeadingAge Minnesota staff for an important webinar on the new Certified Worker Organization (CWO) training requirements for nursing facilities. We'll review the key employer responsibilities under the Minnesota Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board Act, including timelines, compliance documentation, and employee training logistics.

On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the "One Big Beautiful Bill" (OBBB) into law, making major changes to tax and spending policies. Key provisions for aging services providers include deep cuts to Medicaid funding and potential changes to nursing home reimbursement rates and long-term care coverage.

LeadingAge Minnesota’s Stars Among Us Award nominations are now open for 2026. This popular recognition program shines the spotlight on the best and brightest people working, living, and volunteering in our communities. Who on your team deserves the spotlight?

On July 14, 2025, the Nursing Home Survey & Certification functionality will launch in iQIES—just one month prior to the PBJ submission deadline. This rollout is expected to result in a substantial influx of new users, potentially leading to longer hold times.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a formal alert warning Medicare providers of a new phishing scheme involving fraudulent fax requests. Scammers are impersonating CMS and sending deceptive faxes that request medical records and documentation under the guise of an audit. These communications are crafted to appear official and can easily mislead busy healthcare providers into disclosing sensitive patient or organizational information.

On June 17, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued memo QSO-25-19-ALL, introducing a significant shift in how and when survey findings are publicly released for all CMS-certified providers and suppliers, including nursing homes. Under the updated policy, survey results recorded on Form CMS-2567 will be made available to the public within 14 calendar days of receipt by the provider—and, in many cases, immediately upon receipt.