News

OnTrack Medication Aide (TMA) Training launches January 1, 2026. Newly approved by the Minnesota Department of Health, this hybrid medication aide training program was developed in response to member requests for accessible, online training and expands career advancement opportunities for caregivers across the state.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services announced on Tuesday that they will implement a licensing pause for adult day settings starting Feb. 1, 2026.

LeadingAge Minnesota, alongside our Long-Term Care Imperative (LTCI) partner, continues to press state leaders for accountability after the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) failed to complete a critical step required to establish 2026 Medicaid nursing facility rates.

As we reported previously, DHS has informed LeadingAge MN that, due to some internal IT challenges, they will not publish Jan. 1, 2026 nursing home Medicaid rate notices during the month of December. Nursing homes need to provide a notice to their private pay residents before the rate increase is effective on Jan. 1, even if the amount of increase is not known.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has indefinitely suspended the Skilled Nursing Facility Off-Cycle Revalidation required by January 1, 2026. It is important to note that only the January 1 (“off-cycle”) compliance date has been suspended.

The LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation is excited to announce our Tenth Annual Silent Auction which will take place as part of the 2026 Institute. All proceeds from the Silent Auction go to the Gayle Kvenvold Commitment to Caregivers Fund to benefit dedicated caregivers throughout Minnesota.

Today, Minnesota officials released its fall economic forecast, which will inform state lawmakers’ priorities in 2026. 

DHS recently informed LeadingAge MN that, due to some internal IT challenges, they will not publish Jan. 1, 2026, nursing home Medicaid rate notices during the month of December. They do not have an estimated date at this point, but they are working to complete them by sometime in early 2026.

An interim final rule repealing the nursing home minimum staffing standards was released to the Federal Register on December 2. It is important to note that the interim final rule does not repeal the entire rule that was finalized in April 2024.

Skilled nursing facilities can now access updated SNF Provider Preview Reports reflecting quality measure data that will be publicly reported in January 2026. Providers have until December 17, 2025, to review their data and request CMS corrections if needed.

Lawmakers continue to wrestle with the rollout and confusion of the Walz Administration’s order to pause Medicaid payments for 14 services (now technically 13 due to one of the services being discontinued entirely), pending an audit by Optum.

Following recent member discussions and questions about the upcoming Minnesota Paid Leave (MPL) law, we wanted to provide clarity about its relationship with the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board (NHWSB) established minimum wages and how those NHWSB minimum wages may not necessarily be the minimum wages required to be paid for MPL compliance.

At the 2025 LeadingAge Annual Meeting in Boston, LeadingAge Minnesota was honored to share the stage with distinguished partners from Kenya and Minnesota to spotlight an emerging model of international collaboration in the aging services workforce.

The 43-day federal government shutdown—the longest in U.S. history—ended November 12 after Congress approved a short-term funding bill through January 30, 2026.

The ongoing federal government shutdown is now threatening key programs that help Minnesotans stay warm and support early childhood development.

Following recent LeadingAge Minnesota member webinars on the upcoming Minnesota Paid Family and Medical Leave (MPL) law, we received dozens of thoughtful and practical questions from providers.

On Oct. 28, the Walz Administration announced it would be using a new process for Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) to review claims for certain Medicaid benefits and services before they are paid.

The ongoing federal government shutdown, which began October 1, 2025, has disrupted nutrition assistance across the country, halting November SNAP benefits for millions of Americans—including an estimated 440,000 Minnesotans who rely on the program for essential food support.

A few months ago, LeadingAge Minnesota was contacted by a MinnPost reporter who was developing a series about the work of the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board—with an initial focus on the Board’s forthcoming minimum wage rules and their anticipated impact on the long-term care sector.

On October 14, 2025, LeadingAge Minnesota hosted two back-to-back webinars to help providers prepare for the January 1, 2026 implementation of Minnesota’s new Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) and Meal and Rest Break laws. Presented in partnership with attorneys from Felhaber Larson, the sessions offered both foundational knowledge and advanced strategic guidance to help organizations update policies and train staff before the new year.