External Program Review Committee (EPRC) agenda

Date: 2-4 p.m. on April 3, 2025

DSD liaisons: Stacie Enders, Jessica Little and Ari Dionisopoulos

Type: Whole committee

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

Meeting link: Webex

Access code: 2482 703 7275

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

· CFSS: Community First Services and Supports

· 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 and vote on the minutes from February 2025.

· The committee will discuss and vote on the Core Responsibilities and Instruction Manual for the EUMR Subcommittee.

· The committee will discuss and vote on the Core Responsibilities and Instruction Manual for the Requests Subcommittee.

Updates to share

Regional positive support capacity building meetings

Committee members are invited to give any updates they may have on this topic. More information can be found at: Regional Capacity Building – Positive Supports (qualitycouncilmn.org).

Simplify and organize online DHS materials and training resources related to positive supports or intervention services

No updates on the training inventory.

Intervention services redesign

Group is working through a draft outline of the potential service.

Direct care workforce shortage

2025 legislative session: There are now three bills proposing an advisory council to make recommendations on the direct care workforce shortage:

· SF 2322 Status in the Senate for the 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026)

· SF 683 as introduced - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026)

· SF 1418 as introduced - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026)

Other proposed bills:

· SF 2168 as introduced - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026) This bill would exempt assisted living providers from having to follow compensation threshold policy.

· SF 1925 as introduced - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026) This bill would expand respite services to Essential Community Supports, allowing those caregivers a break from caregiving. It also provides $2 million in respite services grants.

· SF 1177 as introduced - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026) This bill promotes the use of assistive technology and remote monitoring to meet caregiving needs.

· SF 446 as introduced - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026) This is an ARRM bill designed to allow out-of-home respite for children in unlicensed settings. This might help increase access to care staff.

· SF 2053 as introduced - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026) This bill requires a report for the Legislature whenever there are proposed collective bargaining agreements related to self-directed services.

· SF 2052 as introduced - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026) This bill changes CFSS service rates.

HCBS Workforce Development Grant: A report on the grant outcomes has been published for the employee-owned cooperatives, retention stipends and enhanced rate initiatives: Outcomes of the 2021 HCBS Workforce Development Grant (DHS-8676).

Overtime survey: AASD and DSD eList: Survey about reimbursement for overtime

MDH workforce report: Minnesota's Long-Term Caregiving Workforce: Solutions for Recruitment and Retention.

In the news

Staff at St. Peter recently protested dangerous working conditions: Workers say DHS failing to address workplace hazards at secure facilities.

Minnesota Care Force Incentive update:

Other

Tiered rates for PCA recently went live. Going forward, workers will get different payment rates based on their experience. This is one initiative to improve wages for workers. Workers can now receive up to $22.50 if they have 10,000 hours of experience. This is 10.81% higher than the wages for less experienced staff. These wage increases are not limited to bargaining unit members. Sarah Schultz and her team are working on a solution for the CFSS budget model as well to add more funding to cover the additional costs. This currently only applies to the agency model. For details visit: PCA and CFSS tiered rates and wage floors / Minnesota Department of Human Services.

Subcommittee updates

Requests for approval subcommittee

Business as usual.

Emergency use of manual restraint subcommittee

Business as usual.

Discussion

Annual goals

The committee will review their 2025 goal:

Create and maintain training materials as needs are discovered and as project opportunities emerge. Some projects may include: PSTP examples, reinforcement (token) programs, implementing 9544 for 245D providers, trainings for specific behaviors or disorders (PICA, fecal smearing, self-harm ingestion) and relating that to state regulations.

This goal is meant to reflect the committee’s commitment to providers by giving them resources that align with the goal of reducing the use of prohibited procedures and increasing the use of positive supports. Spending time working with providers gives them a great perspective on topics that need further explanation.

Closing

Committee members are welcome to ask questions or bring up other topics for discussion.

We also ask committee members to send Jessica any accomplishments or other things they would like to highlight for the committee’s 2024 annual report.