Waiver Reimagine Advisory Council (WRAC) meeting summary and key insights

April 24, 2025

Overview and meeting context

The meeting opened with logistics and a recap of previous sessions, facilitated by Katie Pratt from the Office of Dispute Resolution. DHS leadership, including Leigh Ann Ahmad and Assistant Commissioner Natasha Merz, welcomed participants and addressed technical issues. The agenda included updates on legislative developments, a Waiver Reimagine roadmap and a proposal to improve WRAC’s internal processes and engagement.

Member feedback: Strengths and challenges

· Katie shared key themes from member feedback since the February meeting.

· Strengths: High engagement, deep lived experience, shared commitment to disability service improvements.

· Challenges:

Large group size and virtual format limited deep discussion.

Infrequent meetings and unclear roles reduced effectiveness.

Concern that input wasn’t visibly influencing DHS decisions.

· Suggestions for Improvement:

More in-depth policy discussions.

Training for collaborative governance.

Possibly extending meeting times or increasing frequency.

In-person or subgroup meetings to allow deeper engagement.

Legislative and structural updates

· The discussion centered on the legislative process and structural planning related to Waiver Reimagine. The House version of the bill includes a mandate for DHS to submit a full waiver plan by December 2026, including how individual budgets are based on assessed needs and geography, and whether additional funding is required to support people in the least restrictive environments.

· There was also discussion of a proposed task force (initially included in the House version), that would involve a broad set of interested parties, including providers, family members, advocacy organizations and others, mostly appointed by the governor.

· Members raised concerns about the absence of tribal representation in the original task force language, and DHS indicated they would recommend including tribal voices in any future legislative drafts.

· The group received updates from DHS staff, including Assistant Commissioner Natasha Merz, who announced her upcoming departure in June and emphasized the continued prioritization of Waiver Reimagine.

DHS internal workstreams and structure

Curtis Buhman from DHS outlined a new internal structure to guide Waiver Reimagine, organized around six workstreams:

· Budgets and MnCHOICES

· Community engagement

· Policy

· Person portal

· IT systems

· System readiness and change management.

Each stream is designed to clarify responsibilities, increase transparency and better align DHS efforts with WRAC input. The individualized budget model remains a central feature of the Waiver Reimagine project.

Key topic discussions

MnCHOICES and transparency

· There was support for integrating MnCHOICES into broader discussions to increase clarity around assessments and budget allocation.

Community engagement

· Communication efforts will expand beyond current users to include potential recipients and underserved communities.

· Members raised concerns about whether case managers are effectively distributing accurate information.

Policy

· Members stressed the need to update outdated or burdensome policies and ensure that community voices — including tribal nations — are included in shaping reforms.

· There is a desire to revisit the WRAC charter and align it with real-world user experiences and current legislative contexts.

Person portal

· DHS is developing a new online portal to give users access to personal budgets and service plans.

· While seen as empowering, members raised equity concerns — particularly around internet access and the need for alternative formats.

· Members strongly emphasized early involvement of interested parties in the portal’s design.

IT systems

· Back-end systems work is critical to enabling smooth implementation.

· Participants acknowledged the often “invisible” role IT plays in success or failure.

System readiness and change management

· Focused on training, performance metrics and minimizing disruption.

· Members called for “readiness champions” to ensure accountability, echoing lessons from past rollout challenges like MnCHOICES 2.0.

Governance and structure proposals

To address concerns about agenda-setting and member inclusion, a proposal was introduced to create three WRAC co-chairs who would:

· Represent diverse perspectives (e.g., service users, families, providers).

· Collaborate with DHS to plan meeting agendas.

· Serve as a transparent communication bridge between DHS and WRAC.

This idea was generally well-received, with members emphasizing that:

· At least one co-chair must be a service user.

· The group must not make decisions outside the full committee’s purview.

· Their role should be facilitative — not authoritative — to preserve WRAC’s collaborative model.

There was also a suggestion to create subcommittees for deeper topic engagement, although some members raised concerns about overreliance on unpaid labor.

Momentum and next steps

Members voiced strong interest in increasing the frequency of WRAC meetings, suggesting biweekly sessions to avoid delays in action and maintain momentum — particularly in light of the urgent need for community access to waiver services.

Key takeaways

· Engagement is high, but structural and process challenges are limiting WRAC’s impact.

· Legislative uncertainty continues, but DHS is committed to WRAC’s role and Waiver Reimagine.

· A push for transparency, equity and collaboration — especially through tools like the person portal and individualized budgets — is central to the group’s vision.

· Operational improvements, including workstream alignment and co-chair governance, offer a path forward.