AASD and DSD eList announcement

Date: May 16, 2022
To: Lead agencies and other interested parties
From: DHS Aging and Adult Services and Disability Services divisions
Purpose: To:
1. Remind lead agencies to continue to maintain home and community-based services (HCBS) eligibility under COVID-19-related requirements
2. Announce updates to the temporary waiver exits for the Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) page in the Community-Based Services Manual (CBSM)
Effective: Immediately
Contact: For questions related to disability services, use the DSD Contact Form. For questions related to aging and adult services, email DHS.AASD.HCBS@state.mn.us.

Reminders and updates about maintaining HCBS eligibility during the COVID-19 public health emergency

On March 18, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued guidance that prohibits states from terminating a person’s participation in all Medical-Assistance-funded home and community-based services (HCBS) waiver programs during the COVID-19 national public health emergency.

The requirement to maintain eligibility will continue until the end of the COVID-19 national public health emergency. DHS will notify lead agencies when this requirement ends.

This requirement applies to the following programs:

As a reminder, a person’s HCBS eligibility may end only if the person:

Temporary waiver exits

DHS updated CBSM – Temporary waiver exits for MMIS to provide updated instructions for lead agencies about termination of waiver/AC participation (i.e., exits) during and after the national public health emergency.

Lead agencies must continue to follow the temporary COVID-19 policy on the page until further notice from DHS.

When DHS notifies lead agencies that the COVID-19 policy changes have ended, lead agencies can then follow the new post-COVID-19 policy. This new policy will allow a person’s waiver/AC to remain open for 30 days after admission to certain settings that, prior to COVID-19 requirements, required closure upon admission.

The 2021 Legislature adopted a provision to allow people who temporarily enter certain settings for 121 or fewer days to return to the community with the same waiver/AC program without a reassessment. DHS will send another eList with more information when implementation updates are complete.

Additional resources

For additional information, see:

Technical assistance

DHS can assist lead agencies with questions or problems related to maintaining HCBS eligibility. Lead agencies should send an email to DHS.AASD.HCBS@state.mn.us to request assistance for all LTSS programs/services. If the request includes assistance with systems edits, the lead agency should save the screening document in suspended status and include the person’s Person Master Index (PMI) number and document control number in the email.

Previous eList announcements

AASD LEAD AGENCY ARCHIVE | DSD LEAD AGENCY ARCHIVE | DSD STAKEHOLDER ARCHIVE