News

The customized living, 24-hour customized living, and overall case mix caps in the Elderly Waiver (EW) program increase effective Jan. 1, 2023, because they are tied to the rise in care center rates. The 24-hour customized living caps will increase by 9.69%, which is the amount of the 2022 care center increase, and the overall EW caps are going up by 9.63% due to minor rate changes in a couple of EW services.

On Wednesday, Nov. 16, Minnesota Commissioner of Health Jan Malcolm announced that she will retire at the end of Governor Tim Walz's first term on Jan. 3, concluding a career of public service to Minnesota in the administrations of three different governors.

With a handful of races still being verified, Minnesota will no longer be under a divided state government when the Legislature convenes in January. Governor Walz will return for a second term, where he will continue to work with House Democrats, who are projected to retain the majority. The Minnesota Senate surprised pundits, flipping from Republican control to a narrow one-vote Democratic majority.

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has confirmed that temporary nurse aides have four additional months to be placed on the Minnesota Nursing Assistant Registry after the waiver expires on April 5, 2023, or the end of the public health emergency, whichever date comes first.

New software is being developed to create virtual reality (VR) nurse aide skill simulations that align with the Headmaster skills test. Nurse aide training programs and instructors can volunteer to test the VR software to help provide feedback during the final product development stages.

On Monday, the National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB) General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo announced her intention to protect employees, to the greatest extent possible, from intrusive or abusive electronic monitoring (described as "omnipresent surveillance") and automated management practices through vigorously enforcing current law and by urging the NLRB to apply settled labor-law principles in a new framework.

When Congress convenes next January, the United States will return to a divided government with narrow margins of control in both the US House and US Senate. In the House, Republicans will retake the majority over Democrats. In the Senate, the Democrats will maintain a one or two-vote margin over the Republicans, pending a run-off election in Georgia.

To get ahead of an anticipated increase in COVID cases this winter, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and federal agency partners are exploring options to connect affordable senior housing providers with free test kits for distribution to residents.

Argentum, our national partner for assisted living providers, will host its annual Public Policy Institute March 6-8 at the Hotel Monaco in Washington, DC. Registration for the event is now open.

The Minnesota Leadership Council on Aging will host a two-part event focused on elevating aging policy solutions in the 2023 Legislative Session. LeadingAge Minnesota is proud to sponsor this event.

After advocacy from LeadingAge and others, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has proposed a change in the calculation of Operating Cost Adjustment Factors (OCAFs) to account for high inflation and sharp increases in property insurance costs.

A Social Connections Grant application was reviewed at this week's Home Care and Assisted Living Advisory Council, a regular meeting conducted by the Minnesota Department of Health. Final touches are being made to the application, which will be issued in the coming weeks.

It's time to update your organization's staff roster in LeadingAge Minnesota's records.

Registration for the 2023 Institute & Expo will open the first week of December. To help you prepare for a smooth registration experience, we have sent notices to each member organization with a staff roster to review and update.

Join us in January for a virtual District Meeting! No need to travel icy roads or brave the cold—connect with your peers and gather essential information from the comfort of your home or office.

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