News

The Minnesota Department of Health is providing a free webinar on the Home and Community-Based Services Scholarship grant application process to LeadingAge Minnesota members. The webinar takes place Sept. 26 from 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. Register today!

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) plans to submit a revised State Transition Plan for the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Settings rule to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) after a 30-day public comment period. The comment period is now open and comments are due by 4 p.m. on Oct. 10. 

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) is conducting a survey on access to transportation services for Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waiver recipients. The survey is part of a larger study of transportation services for HCBS waiver recipients that will inform a report to the 2019 Legislature.  

Elder Circle in Grand Rapids and Volunteers of America recently received grants from the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) to support people with Alzheimer’s and those who care for them. 

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) last week convened approximately 40 stakeholders including providers, consumers, regulators, payors and other interested persons to discuss how to move forward in reaching consensus with respect to policy reforms to address abuse and neglect of vulnerable adults.  

Effective July 1, 2018, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Home Care and Assisted Living Program discontinued mailing paper copies of survey results to state licensed only home care providers and began emailing the results to the agent on record. This change does not apply to Medicare certified home health agencies.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services will be updating its Statewide Transition Plan for the Home and Community-Based Settings (HCBS) Rule and putting it out for public comment on Sept. 10. 

Cultural Consultants is a service supported by the Minnesota Board on Aging that provides cultural expertise and professional services to providers across Minnesota. The consultants have been specially trained in recognizing and understanding signs of memory loss as well as offering resources to support family, friends and neighbors who are caregiving. 

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) is contracting with Navigant Consulting for a review of the rates and availability of transportation services for Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waiver clients. That study has two works groups advising DHS and Navigant, one looking at rates and one looking at access.  

The Minnesota Department of Health has posted the recording and transcript of its July 16 statewide regulatory conference call for care centers.  

Effective July 1, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Home Care and Assisted Living Program discontinued mailing paper copies of license survey results to providers and began emailing the results to the agent on record with MDH. 

Registration is now open for the 43^rd Annual Minnesota Health Care Engineers Association (MHCEA) Fall Education Seminar and Vendor Show. 

In keeping with the Minnesota State Transition Plan to comply with the Home and Community-Based Services Settings (HCBS) Rule, the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) has added a person’s evaluation of services and compliance with HCBS Standards to the MN Choices Tool. The questions are to be completed at the next reassessment visit on or after Aug. 1, 2018. 

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) issued a form that can be used by case managers to modify rights for individuals requiring a modification of the rights enumerated in the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) standards for provider “owned or controlled settings.” 

As the Baby Boom Generation continues to age and rely more on the network of supports for older adults, the University of Minnesota recently reaffirmed its commitment to its high-quality Long-Term Care Administration courses. 

The Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) last week released an audit on the Medical Assistance eligibility process for seniors and those under age 65 with a disability. The audit found that DHS and the counties who implement the eligibility process “generally complied” with legal requirements for determining eligibility. Specific findings and recommendations include: 

As we have covered previously, the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) is conducting numerous studies this summer that are related to reports it is required to submit to the 2019 Legislature. In addition to a study Elderly Waiver rates and of Adult Day Services, DHS is also reviewing rates and availability of transportation services for Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waiver clients.  

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is seeking proposals for the Minnesota Health Information Exchange (HIE) Grant Program. The program provides financial assistance to Minnesota health care providers to encourage implementation of admission, discharge and transfer alerts and care summary document exchange transactions. 

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) is well underway with conducting site visits to Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) providers who are “presumed not to be HCBS settings.” As some of these site visits have now been completed, we are able to provide information on what happens once DHS completes its visit. 

While the legislative session did not result in the clarifications to the Home Care Law that we had worked on with the Minnesota Department of Health, the HomeCare Association and the Long-Term Care Imperative, a minor change was made to the law regarding life-sustaining treatment.