External Program Review Committee (EPRC) agenda

Date: 2-4 p.m. May 7, 2026
DSD liaisons: Jessica Little, Stacie Enders 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 April 2026.

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

No current updates.

Intervention services redesign

The survey has been posted. The following link will take to the eList announcement: AASD and DSD eList: Survey about proposed changes to positive support and specialist services.

Direct care workforce shortage

The following are some bills proposed in 2026 related to the direct care workforce shortage:

· SF5042: (Starts line 62.13) Would end the use of remote supports for many services, likely increasing demand for in-person care professionals. For an example of how remote supports are currently being used by waiver recipients, view the four-minute YouTube video: Remote monitoring starts with a conversation.

· HF4637: Would extend the timeline of the Direct Care Services Corps Pilot Project.

· SF1062: Would provide a stipend for care professionals who take a particular training program.

· HF4110: Would exclude a large portion of direct care professionals and ambulance workers from rest and meal break rights, including compensation for missed breaks, to which all other Minnesota workers are entitled.

· HF3935: Would require assisted living staff to be trained on “procedures to use in handling various emergency situations, including but not limited to a resident falling, having a heart event, having difficulty breathing, bleeding, or choking.”

· SF3898: Would change Minn. Stat. 245D by:

Adding: “A license holder may delay annual training up to 90 calendar days following the date by which the direct care staff would otherwise be required to receive the annual training.”

Reducing paperwork for some providers by limiting progress and daily log notes to intensive support services.

· HF3780: Would clarify Community First Services and Supports requirements for shared services and proposes wage increases for support workers providing shared services.

The Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Advisory Council is charged with finding “cost savings reforms,” that might affect the workforce. The law outlining their duties, in the “Contingent spending reduction” section includes a requirement to reduce the competitive workforce factor if the council does not achieve its cost savings goals.

The Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) shared:

· On April 8, 2026, DHS received additional questions from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) about the state plan amendment (SPA) that includes changes to align and approve the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board (NHWSB) minimum-wage standards-associated costs with the federal government.

This means the timeline for approving the state plan amendment is paused until DHS responds. DHS plans to have responses to CMS by the end of next week. After DHS responds, CMS will have an additional 90 days to respond to the SPA.

What this means is the effective date for the minimum-wage standards set by NHWSB continues to be 30 days after CMS approves the SPA. NHWSB will send information when more is known.

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.

New goal discussion:

Suggested goal language: Support initiatives that streamline compliance with positive support regulations to reduce administrative burden, and advance efforts that foster psychological safety in the workplace for providers.

Closing

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