External Program Review Committee (EPRC) minutes

Jan. 8, 2026

Attendees: Kim Frost, Jodi Greenstein, Daniel Baker, Lindsay Nash, Melanie Eidsmoe, Laura Daire, Antonina Puente, Brenda Kinney, Sharon Momanyi,

Not present: Susie Haben

Vote

The committee discuss and vote on the minutes from December 2025.

· Daniel Baker: Yes

· Laura Daire: Abstain

· Melanie Eidsmoe: Yes

· Sharon Momanyi: Yes

· Brenda Kinney:

· Kim Frost: Yes

· Antonina Puente: Yes

· Jodi Greenstein: Yes

· Susie Haben: Absent

· Danielle Bishop: Absent

· Linsday Nash: Yes

Updates to share

Please see agenda for additional information.

Regional positive support capacity building meetings

Discussion: Great training and reminder of best practices when working with individuals with communication needs.

Simplify and organize online DHS materials and training resources related to positive support services

Communication documents are finished. We are just waiting for the hyperlink. Stacie has the PDF available.

Intervention services redesign

The project continues to move forward. – Full length and shorter version drafts are being finished. Also needs to be translated and will be available in three languages. We hope it will be ready by the summer. Will follow up with a survey about cost.

Direct care workforce shortage

Finished service rates and direct care wages information webpages. The pages are filled with information to help answer questions often received from care workers about their wages and how they interact with service rates. Resource also includes a spreadsheet that details services rates and separates by service type and worker type.

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 may 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.

Gaps in training material discussion

Discussion: It was noted that training materials are not the limiting factor and that there is a lot of information readily available. Seems any gaps might be related to the trainings needing to be curated and simplified. It would be nice to have a way to direct people toward what they need and have an organized way of presenting the information. It was noted that staff training hours are combined with PTO and sick time in framework statutes, and it could be helpful to look into changing statute. Stacie noted she has started a project tracking training requirements in statute for care professionals.

MIRS

Training for providers includes documents, listening sessions, videos, individual TA, etc.