External Program Review Committee (EPRC) minutes

April 3, 2025

DSD liaisons: Stacie Enders, Jessica Little and Ari Dionisopoulos

Attendees: Jodi Greenstein, Lindsay Nash, Kim Frost, Danielle Bishop, Melanie Eidsmoe, Antonina Puente, Laura Daire

Not present: Dan Baker, Susie Haben

Vote

The committee discussed and voted on the minutes from March 2025.

Jodi Greenstein: Yes

Kim Frost: Yes

Daniel Baker: Absent

Antonina Puente: Yes

Lindsay Nash: Yes

Susie Haben: Absent

Melanie Eidsmoe: Yes

Laura Daire: Yes

Danielle Bishop: Yes

The committee discussed and voted on the Core Responsibilities and Instruction Manual for the EUMR Subcommittee.

Jodi Greenstein: Yes

Kim Frost: Yes

Daniel Baker: Absent

Antonina Puente: Yes

Lindsay Nash: Yes

Susie Haben: Absent

Melanie Eidsmoe: Yes

Laura Daire: Yes

Danielle Bishop: Yes

The committee discussed and voted on the Core Responsibilities and Instruction Manual for the Requests Subcommittee.

Jodi Greenstein: Yes

Kim Frost: Yes

Daniel Baker: Absent

Antonina Puente: Yes

Lindsay Nash: Yes

Susie Haben: Absent

Melanie Eidsmoe: Yes

Laura Daire: Yes

Danielle Bishop: Yes

Updates to share

Regional positive support capacity building meetings

Discussion: Creating a more diverse member group and assessing needs of the area. Hot topic meetings included in Arrowhead meeting schedule as noted by Lindsay and Toni. The quality council plans a statewide meeting July 9.

Simplify and organize online DHS materials and training resources related to positive supports or intervention services.

No updates on the training inventory.

Discussion: Submitted materials to TTC regarding new Positive Support Manual. Hoping this will be easier to maintain and more robust with many people working together on it.

Intervention Services Redesign

Group is working through a draft outline of the potential service.

Discussion: Internal draft that combines specialists services and positive support specialist, crisis services is not yet included in the redesign. Draft is being reviewed by current group. Once approved, we will move to get public feedback. Once we understand what the service will look like, we’ll begin working on a rate system.

Direct care workforce shortage

2025 legislative session:There are now three bills proposing an advisory council to make recommendations on the direct care workforce shortage:

· SF 2322 Status in the Senate for the 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026) – an advisory council that is intended to represent all direct support services.

· SF 683 as introduced - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026)

· SF 1418 as introduced - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026)

Other proposed bills:

· SF 2168 as introduced - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026): This bill would exempt assisted living providers from following compensation threshold policy.

· SF 1925 as introduced - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026): This bill would expand respite services to Essential Community Supports, allowing those caregivers a break from caregiving. It also provides $2 million in respite services grants.

· SF 1177 as introduced - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026): This bill promotes the use of assistive technology and remote monitoring to meet caregiving needs.

· SF 446 as introduced - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026): This is an ARRM bill designed to allow out-of-home respite for children in unlicensed settings. This might help increase access to care staff.

· SF 2053 as introduced - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026): This bill requires a report for the Legislature whenever there are proposed collective bargaining agreements related to self-directed services.

· SF 2052 as introduced - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026): This bill changes CFSS service rates.

Discussion: Also a bill that might change the qualifications to become a positive support professional and analyst by competency based training material.

HCBS Workforce Development Grant

A report on the grant outcomes has been published for the employee-owned cooperatives, retention stipends and enhanced rate initiatives: Outcomes of the 2021 HCBS Workforce Development Grant (DHS-8676).

Overtime survey

AASD and DSD eList: Survey about reimbursement for overtime

MDH workforce report

Minnesota's Long-Term Caregiving Workforce: Solutions for Recruitment and Retention (PDF)

In the news

Staff at St. Peter recently protested dangerous working conditions: Workers say DHS failing to address workplace hazards at secure facilities.

Minnesota Care Force Incentive update:

Other

Tiered rates for PCA recently went live! Going forward, workers will get different payment rates based on their experience. This is one initiative to improve wages for workers. Workers can now receive up to $22.50 if they have 10,000 hours of experience. This is 10.81% higher than the wages for less experienced staff. These wage increases are not limited to bargaining unit members. Sarah Schultz and her team are working on a solution for the CFSS budget model as well to add more funding to cover the additional costs. This currently only applies to the agency model. For details visit: PCA and CFSS tiered rates and wage floors / Minnesota Department of Human Services.

Subcommittee updates

Requests for approval subcommittee

Business as usual.

Emergency use of manual restraint subcommittee

Business as usual.

Discussion

Annual goals

The committee reviewed its 2025 goal: Create and maintain training materials as needs are discovered and as project opportunities emerge. Some projects may include: PSTP examples, reinforcement (token) programs, implementing 9544 for 245D providers, trainings for specific behaviors or disorders (PICA, fecal smearing, self-harm ingestion) and relating that to MN regulations

This goal is meant to reflect the committee’s commitment to providers by giving them resources that align with the goal of reducing the use of prohibited procedures and increasing the use of positive supports. Spending time working with providers gives them a great perspective on topics that need further explanation.

Discussion: Hoping to roll out PSTP examples when MIRS rolls out (May/June 2025).