News

Registration is now open for LeadingAge Minnesota’s October District Meetings! Join members from across your region for a day of timely education, conversation, networking and connection.

Now that DHS has published rate notices, they’ve also released a grant program intended to cover a gap in the minimum wage increase due to the delay in 2026 rates being approved.

Minnesota’s next governor will take office at a pivotal moment for our state. As our population ages, decisions about workforce, access to care, affordability, innovation and the sustainability of aging services will shape the lives of older Minnesotans and their families for years to come.

As part of their statutory mandate to collect feedback from nursing home employees and employers, the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board is hosting a series of forums and conducting a survey. The survey is designed to get feedback from both employees and employers.

In a rapidly evolving turn of events, a Ramsey County judge ruled on 8/10/2026 that the “Right to Repair” ballot initiative should be included on the November ballot in Saint Paul’s general election.

In response to discussions with LeadingAge Minnesota, The Department of Public Safety (DPS) has created an additional topic on their Alcohol & Gambling Enforcement (AGE) website intended to give clarity to apartment buildings.

Skilled nursing facilities operate in an environment where reimbursement, quality outcomes, staffing efficiency, and resident function are increasingly interconnected. Yet one valuable clinical program is often underdeveloped or viewed primarily as an MDS requirement: restorative nursing.

LeadingAge Minnesota members are increasingly reporting situations in which employees with pending Employment Authorization Document (EAD) renewal applications are approaching—or experiencing—gaps in employment authorization before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) completes the renewal process. If this is impacting your organization, please complete our short survey at the end of this article.

Section GG has become one of the most influential sections of the Minimum Data Set (MDS), yet it remains one of the most misunderstood. While many clinicians recognize its importance for Medicare reimbursement, Section GG extends far beyond payment. Accurate coding directly impacts Quality Measures, Value-Based Purchasing, Five-Star performance, state Medicaid case-mix systems, discharge planning, and the resident's overall clinical story.

Looking for funding to support your organization’s programs, workforce, facilities, or other priorities? New grant and scholarship opportunities have recently been added to the LeadingAge Minnesota Grant Grid.

Last week marked the completion of the facilitated virtual tabletop exercise which is part of LeadingAge Minnesota’s Emergency Preparedness Training Series.

LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation’s Connected Communities for Healthy Aging is now featured in the Rural Health Information Hub’s national collection of rural health Models and Innovations.

LeadingAge Minnesota will soon launch our annual member roster update process to help ensure our records are accurate and members across your organization stay connected to the resources, communications, education and opportunities available through membership.

Learning and professional development can take many forms, and LeadingAge Minnesota’s education partners offer additional opportunities for professionals to grow and explore new areas of expertise. One of those partners, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, offers graduate programs that help professionals build specialized knowledge and skills for the next step in their careers.

St. Francis Health Services of Morris, Inc. (CEO, Carol Raw) and Benedictine (CEO, Jerry Carley) have signed a non-binding Letter of Intent to explore an affiliation between the two Catholic, nonprofit organizations in which Benedictine would become the sole corporate member of SFHS. If the membership substitution occurs, Duluth Benedictine Ministries would, subject to its own agreement, become the Catholic sponsor of SFHS.