External Program Review Committee (EPRC) agenda

Date: 2-4 p.m. Nov. 6, 2025
DSD liaisons: 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 September and October 2025.

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 support services

Minnesota Rule 9544 for 245D-licensed providers has been sent to TTC for production.

Intervention services redesign

The project continues to move forward.

Direct care workforce shortage

· The Metropolitan Center for Independent Living has received a $2.1 million grant from the Bush Foundation to develop a pilot program offering direct care support professionals and personal care assistants a path for an 80-hour college-accredited credential of a certified direct support professional. For context:

Other organizations also provide training on similar topics, such as NADSP, Star Services, etc.

Employers are required to provide many similar trainings under Minn. Stat. 245D and Minn. R. 9544.

· There was an information session about remote support

Remote Support: What It Is and How It Works.

· It was National Co-op Month in October

CoMinnesota and partners hosted events and shared a highlight video from the first-ever Minnesota Cooperative Summit as part of the celebration of National Co-op Month and the International Year of Cooperatives. Here is a brief overview from a local organization of what a co-op is and some of the benefits: Minnesota Center for Employee Ownership: Worker-Owned Cooperatives.

This month DHS published 2025 Summary of the HCBS Employee-Owned Cooperatives Grant Pilot Program and Recommendations for Similar Initiatives (PDF)

· Overtime tax credit: Direct care professionals might be eligible for the upcoming Federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Overtime Tax Credit

· Changes to health insurance: There have been several announcements warning of expected raises to health care costs. This may disproportionally affect direct care professionals because only about half of those professionals are offered full health care coverage by their employers. 

· Paid Leave is starting for everyone Jan. 1

Minnesota paid leave is a new state government program that will offer payments and job protections so people can take time off work to care for themselves or their loved ones during some of life’s most important moments.

Learn more about paid leave on DEED’s website.

· Nursing home workers are invited to public forums in October and November.

The Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board (NHWSB) has implemented standards for holiday pay. Its initial minimum-wage standards are on track to be implemented at the beginning of 2026. Given this progress, the board is seeking feedback from nursing home workers, employers and the public, as directed by the NHWSB Act.

During the next year, the board will review current standards and consider new standards as directed by the NHWSB Act. Hearing from the public about the working conditions in nursing homes is an important part of shaping these next steps. Join the NHWSB in the following Minnesota cities, from 5 to 7 p.m. For a list of meeting dates and locations or to register online. List of questions for the forums.

Subcommittee updates

Requests for approval subcommittee

This subcommittee has been conducting business as usual.

Emergency use of manual restraint subcommittee

This subcommittee has been conducting business as usual.

Discussion

Annual goal

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

· The new tool for supporting communication skill building has received approval from all parties and is with the DHS edocs team for form development.

Closing

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