External Program Review Committee (EPRC) minutes

Date: March 5, 2026
DSD liaisons: Jessica Little, Stacie Enders and Ari Dionisopoulos
Type: Whole committee
Attendance: Kim Frost, Dan Baker, Brenda Kinney, Melanie Eidsmoe, Jodi Greenstein, Laura Daire, Lindsay Nash, and Antonina (Toni) Puente
Not present: Danielle Bishop, Susie Haben, and Sharon Momanyi

Agenda items

Public comments

There were no public comments made during this meeting.

Vote

The committee votes on the minutes from February 2026:

· Dan Baker: yes

· Laura Daire: yes

· Melanie Eidsmoe: yes

· Brenda Kinney: yes

· Kim Frost: yes

· Toni Puente: yes

· Jodi Greenstein: yes

· Lindsay Nash: yes

Updates to share

Regional positive support capacity building meetings

· Twin cities February meeting – They discussed ableism and heard from a guest speaker, Jackie Lane.

· West central February meeting – A regional resource specialist from DHS shared about their work and how they support people and teams. Updates were given on upcoming informational sessions, such as supported decision making, etc. They are doing a transition age services event soon.

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

· DHS staff discussed this morning updating the positive support modules and adding links to the two new DHS trainings on the Positive Support Rule. DHS recently published the second training video and will announce it via a DHS eList soon.

Intervention services redesign

A draft of the proposed service design is now available for review. DHS will be sending out survey links for people to comment on the draft later this month. There are two surveys (a short and long version) that will be available in two additional languages. The surveys will be open for two months since there is a lot to review and DHS wants to make sure people have adequate time to read through the materials.

A separate survey will be sent later this year that will ask providers and lead agencies about estimated costs of providing the new service.

If people like the proposal and DHS leadership approves, DHS staff will try to get the proposal materials ready in time for the 2027 legislative session, though it might have to wait until the 2028 session if there are any delays. It will then take one to two years to finish the project because it requires CMS approval, DHS system changes and provider licensing. So, if there are no delays with any of the dozens of steps needed to implement this project, the earliest this service might be available to people using supports is 2028.

Direct care workforce shortage

· Committee members were encouraged to sign up for this panel: DSD eList: New DHS professional insight panel.

· DHS published this week a brief historical look at some of the things Minnesotans have tried to address the worker shortages: Completed strategies.

Subcommittee updates

Requests for approval subcommittee

This subcommittee has been conducting business as usual.

· Another person is near full phase out of the mechanical restraint, which makes two within the past year. Fewer than 10 people in Minnesota have approval from the commissioner via the committee.

Emergency use of manual restraint subcommittee

This subcommittee has been conducting business as usual.

Discussion

Committee members are invited to help write the committee’s annual report. At the EPRC’s next meeting, the committee will discuss what they would like to have for new goals. The committee is not required to have a goal, but it can be helpful.

2025 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.