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External Program Review Committee (EPRC) agenda

Date: 2-4 p.m. on Jan. 5, 2023

DSD liaisons: Stacie Enders, Linda Wolford and Ari Dionisopoulos

Type: Whole committee

Location: Room 2222, Elmer L. Andersen Building, 540 Cedar St., St. Paul, MN 55101

Meeting link: https://minnesota.webex.com/minnesota/j.php?MTID=m18725c4007b15e4c653d9dc3ddd2064a

Access code: 2486 040 8341

Accommodations: If you need an accommodation for this meeting, you must notify a DSD liaison three days before the meeting. Email PositiveSupports@state.mn.us or call (651) 431-4300.

Common acronyms used by the committee

We ask committee members to avoid the use of acronyms. Here are common acronyms:

· BIRF: DHS form 5148: Behavioral Intervention Report Form

· CABC: Context, antecedent, behavior, consequence

· DEED: Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development

· DHS: Minnesota Department of Human Services

· DLI: Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry

· DSD: Disability Services Division

· DSP: Direct support professional

· EUMR: Emergency use of manual restraint

· FBA: Functional behavior assessment

· HCBS: Home and community-based services

· IRP: Interim Review Panel (Predecessor to the EPRC)

· MDH: Minnesota Department of Health

· PCA: Personal care assistant

· PSR: Positive Supports Rule: Minnesota Rule 9544

· PSTP: DHS form 6810: Positive Support Transition Plan

General reminders for committee members

Before speaking, please state your name. Committee members are expected to:

· Be on time

· Read the minutes, agenda and supporting documents before each meeting

· Participate in ideas and conversations, as well as pause to allow others to share input

· Commit to spending the whole meeting time present and not engage in other activities during the meeting.

Technology

· The first few minutes of every meeting will be dedicated to addressing any connectivity issues, to ensure everyone can hear other meeting participants.

Agenda items

Public comments

The committee encourages public participants to share their thoughts and ask questions about committee activities at the beginning of each meeting. The committee will continue on to the next agenda item when either 1) 30 minutes have passed or 2) when there are no additional comments or questions, whichever comes first.

Vote

The committee will discuss the minutes from December and vote.

Updates to share

Psychotropic medication manual

DHS communications staff continue to work on editing the manual, developing the many forms and routing documents for approval. The manual has many pages so it is taking a while, but DHS hopes to have everything posted before the summer.

Direct care workforce shortage

· The vendor contract for the PCA enhanced rate training stipends has been signed (funded through the HCBS Workforce Development Grants), and the work to set up the application form and communication materials is now in progress.

· The Direct care workforce resources webpage has been updated recently with more grant opportunities.

· DHS staff are awaiting feedback on the 2023 legislative proposals. Staff have also started reviewing project ideas for the 2024 legislative session.

· Several external groups are working with DHS and other state agencies to bring forward additional legislative proposals, such as funding to explore options for expanding student loan forgiveness for essential workers, funding to purchase paid advertising to recruit direct care professionals, etc.

Subcommittee updates

Requests for approval subcommittee

This subcommittee noted in their last meeting it seems that care teams are paying more attention to positive support strategies over the past several years. They also noted how all of their cases involve supporting the person with increasing their communication skills.

· Is there more DHS can do to support expanded care teams who are helping people gain additional communication skills?

· Should the committee meet with or share with the Minnesota Department of Education that committee representatives often support teams who are helping people learn additional communication skills? Is there more that can be done to help younger people increase their communication skills before they finish high school?

Emergency use of manual restraint subcommittee

This subcommittee recently learned a team had been using time out and shared with that team the rules and statutes regarding that procedure. That team might go to the other subcommittee to make a formal request.

Discussion

Updating online materials for service providers

If available, the committee will review the inventory list and start examining how to improve communication and resource sharing with stakeholders.

Review of annual recommendations

A draft of the committee’s 2023 Olmstead report will be available for committee review at a future meeting.

Closing

Members are invited to share additional updates and to recommend topics for upcoming committee meetings.

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Community-Based Services Manual (CBSM)