External Program Review Committee (EPRC) minutes

Date: Nov. 6, 2025
DSD liaisons: Jessica Little, Ari Dionisopoulos, Stacie Enders
Type: Whole committee
Attendees: Kim Frost, Antonina Puente, Lindsay Nash, Daniel Baker, Laura Daire, Jodi Greenstein, Sharon Momanyi, Melanie Eidsmoe, Karen Golombecki
Not present: Brenda Kinney, Susie Haben

Agenda items

Vote

The committee voted on the minutes from September and October 2025.

September 2025:

· Daniel Baker: Yes

· Laura Daire: Yes

· Melanie Eidsmoe: Yes

· Karen Golombecki: Abstain

· Sharon Momanyi: Yes

· Brenda Kinney: Absent

· Kim Frost: Yes

· Antonina Puente: Yes

· Jodi Greenstein: Yes

· Susie Haben: Absent

· Danielle Bishop: Absent

· Linsday Nash: Yes

October 2025:

· Daniel Baker: Yes

· Laura Daire: Yes

· Melanie Eidsmoe: Abstain

· Karen Golombecki: Abstain

· Sharon Momanyi: Yes

· Brenda Kinney: Absent

· Kim Frost: Yes

· Antonina Puente: Yes

· Jodi Greenstein: Yes

· Susie Haben: Absent

· Danielle Bishop: Absent

· Linsday Nash: Abstain

Updates to share

Regional positive support capacity building meetings

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

· Twin cities meeting was on Oct. 8. We discussed personal examples of positive support success stories.

· A regional resource specialist will be at the November meeting to discuss their role and assistance they can offer.

· Next “Hot Topic” meeting will also be in November.

· West Central meeting was held and the group members shared testimonies of how positive supports have been successful.

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.

· Communication tools should be finalized by the end of next week!

Intervention services redesign

· The project continues to move forward.

· Stacie Enders worked with Institutional Review Board regarding feedback survey. IRB had concerns about complex language in a policy review and suggested we create a simplified version for those who would like it. The shortened option of the survey has been cut down by about half. Survey production might take up to six months before it is ready to be sent to the public. Discussion concerning IRB’s expertise regarding comprehension of policy language.

Direct care workforce shortage

See agenda for details.

· The Metropolitan Center for Independent Living (MCIL) has received a $2.1 million grant from the Bush Foundation to develop a pilot program offering direct care support professionals (DSP) and personal care assistants (PCA) 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. Rule 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 may 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 increases to health care costs. This might 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 and 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. Registration form online. List of questions for the forums.

· Next month a draft of employment types and compensation will be available.

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.

Committee members attending upcoming meetings:

· Dec. 4: Toni

· Jan. 8: Kim

· Feb. 5: Dan

· March 5: Sharon

· April 2: Jodi

· May 7: Kim

· June 4: Karen.

Training due for some EPRC members

· Jessica will send out a reminder with the link.