News

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.”

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.

This week, lawmakers worked long hours to construct budget bills that direct spending and cuts over the next two years.

Data submission for Quarter 1, 2025 is now open through April 30 in the LeadingAge Minnesota Data Portal. Take advantage of this opportunity to track your operational performance over time and benchmark your data against others at the state, regional and other comparison groups, such as groups with similar capacity and services.

Late last week, the House and Senate released budget targets with significant differences. The House proposes $1.1B in cuts this biennium, compared to $754M from the Senate. Those gaps widen in FY2028–29: $2.6B vs. $1.7B, respectively.

OnTrack’s impact is broadening its reach beyond Minnesota. As healthcare employers embrace international recruitment to address workforce shortages, OnTrack International is preparing international candidates before they arrive in Minnesota.

This week, legislation that would establish implementation timelines for Program for All Inclusive Care for the Elderly received hearings in the House and Senate Committees on Human Services. Testimony on the bill featured speakers from LeadingAge Minnesota members including Presbyterian Homes and Volunteers of America. 

Three new resources have recently been added to the Governance Resource Center to use with your nonprofit governing board. These resources are free of charge to LeadingAge Minnesota Members with your member login required.

On Wednesday, more than 100 LeadingAge Minnesota members gathered at the Fairview Community Health and Wellness Hub for our annual Day at the Capitol. This event provided a crucial opportunity for members to engage with legislators and advocate for key issues affecting long-term care providers and the individuals they serve.

This was a big week at the Legislature, with committees speeding toward an April 3^rd deadline to hear all policy-related bills hoping to be passed this year. LeadingAge Minnesota and its Imperative partner provided testimony and feedback on ten bills this week, including three legislative priorities on our 2025 agenda.

On Tuesday, the U.S. House passed its desired continuing resolution (CR) to avert a partial government shutdown and fund federal agencies through September on a vote of 217-213.

This morning, HF500, a bill that restores important guardrails on the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board, was passed out of the House Labor & Workforce Committee and sent to the floor to await debate before the full body.

Mark your calendars for Wednesday, March 19, 2025, and join us for LeadingAge Minnesota’s Day at the Capitol—your opportunity to advocate for aging services and make a lasting impact on the lawmakers and policies that shape senior care in Minnesota.

On Thursday, Feb. 27, LeadingAge Minnesota and our Imperative partner testified in support of HF1419 and HF500. Each bill was introduced in the House Human Services Finance and Policy Committee – HF1419 would fund the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board’s (NHWSB) mandates and provide an annual update to the Elderly Waiver rates. HF500 would prevent any standards from going into effect unless they are fully funded by the legislature this year.

Each year, our Stars Among Us Awards recognize incredible individuals – whether staff, volunteers, or leaders – and entire organizations who demonstrate unique commitment to transforming and enhancing the experience of aging across Minnesota.

This week, Senate Human Services Committee members took public testimony on the Governor's budget, which outlines significant cuts to services for people with disabilities, older adults, and Minnesota counties. This was a critical forum for Minnesotans and their providers to give specific examples of the harm this budget would cause.

Earlier this week, LeadingAge MN Vice President of Advocacy, Erin Huppert, testified before the House Human Services Policy & Finance Committee to share serious concerns and opposition to Governor Walz' proposed budget.