External Program Review Committee (EPRC) minutes
Date: June 5, 2025
Vote
The committee discussed and vote on the minutes from May 2025:
Updates
Regional positive support capacity building meetings
Nothing to share at this time.
Simplify and organize online DHS materials and training resources related to positive supports or intervention services
Communication Tool development – expect to be posted by our next meeting.
Intervention Services Redesign
Group is working through a draft outline of the potential service.
Meeting Friday to make sure there are no further edits to the current draft. Once there are no further editsm, plan is to send out to state staff for review and then out to the public for review.
Direct care workforce shortage
May meeting was cancelled because of the holiday.
Currently reviewing the five-year workplan draft that will start in 2026. Draft will include one or more webpages with an outline of projects DHS staff will work on related to the direct care shortage, what state staff and partners have already done and a list of projects no one has picked up yet, but others are welcome to take on if they have the interest or time. It also has some background info and will include a list of anything partners want to share about their efforts. This will be sent to the workforce committee and other partner groups after state staff have a chance to add all their projects and edit. EPRC will likely get a chance to review it during our August meeting. Everything is moving forward. Working on compensation thresholds and information to build a resource where comparison is possible for services.
Subcommittee updates
Requests for approval subcommittee
Business as usual.
Emergency use of manual restraint subcommittee
Business as usual.
Discussion
Annual goals
The committee reviewed its 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.
MIRS expecting to be active for the public in summer. Authorized agents will have to be the first to log into the system, then they are able to set up accounts for the staff also submitting forms. Instructional videos are available now to prepare providers for the change in the system.
Contract season
Everyone will be receiving an email with their new proposed contract. Please review the contract and let me know if you have any questions. We can also set up a Teams meeting to review any questions. Once you have reviewed it and don’t have any additional questions or changes, reply to that email and I will let our contracts department know. From there they will send you version of the contract that you can sign via Docusign. Please sign this by June 27, 2025. These new contracts will be active for 18 months and align with the term limit renewals.
End of fiscal year invoice reminders
All invoices for the current state fiscal year (7/1/2024-6/30/2025) must be submitted for payment by 6/30/2025. Please have all invoices submitted for the fiscal year by that time. If you believe any errors have occurred in payment please let me know and there will be a grace period in July that we are able to address those.
Proposed positive supports competency program
In the current omnibus bill, there is proposed addition to create a competency program that would affect positive support services. The proposal creates an additional pathway to become a positive support professional and positive support analyst. The competency program is meant to be commissioner approved and the EPRC is the only group with formal authority to oversee policy changes and implementation.
July meeting
Kim to attend July meeting.
Annual training
Annual training for those due in June will be due June 30, 2025. According to time estimates, it should take about 2.5 hours.
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