Monthly news digest from the Department of Human Services



Minnesota Department of Human Services logo [ [link removed] ]



NEWS FROM DHS



*May 2025*




*News from DHS archive [ [link removed] ]*





In this issue:

* Minnesota increases oversight of autism and some housing services providers [ #link_3 ]
* $1.3 million in grants focus on age-friendly inclusive design [ #link_1 ]
* Medicaid: Putting faces with the data [ #link_4 ]
* In social media: Faces of Medicaid [ #link_5 ]
* Share feedback on latest draft child care standards by June 30 [ #link_2 ]
* In the news [ #link_6 ]

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Minnesota increases oversight of autism and some housing services providers

Minnesota is taking steps to supervise autism services providers and some housing services providers more closely.

Starting June 1, DHS will tighten screening requirements for providers who bill Medicaid for autism services and some housing services. This includes Housing Stabilization Services, which helps older adults and people with disabilities with housing, as well as Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention autism services. The state will re-categorize both types of services as “high risk.”

“It’s clear that these critical services need more oversight,” said temporary Human Services Commissioner Shireen Gandhi. “Moving these providers into the high-risk category is only the first step. We need more staff to put eyes on these programs and make sure everyone is safeguarding resources meant to help children, people with disabilities and older Minnesotans.”

The federal government sets three levels of screening for providers who bill Medicaid: limited, moderate and high risk. Autism services are currently designated moderate risk, while Housing Stabilization Services are considered limited risk. States may choose to move providers into higher risk categories, and that’s what Minnesota will do.

The change will strengthen oversight by:


* Mandating enhanced fingerprint background studies for owners
* Requiring screening visits before Medicaid enrollment and when enrollment is revalidated
* Allowing DHS to make unannounced site visits

Many autism services providers and Housing Stabilization Services providers work hard every day to meet pressing needs across Minnesota. DHS encourages providers to reach out if they need technical assistance.

More information is in a department news release [ [link removed] ].

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$1.3 million in grants focus on age-friendly inclusive design

Grants will go to 35 organizations across Minnesota to better connect communities, improve emergency preparedness and take steps to make the state more inclusive and equitable for people as they age.

Age-Friendly Minnesota is awarding $1.3 million to advance the efforts of age-friendly communities. Grants ranging from $9,000 to $75,000 each will go to cities, nonprofit organizations, for-profit businesses and others.

Age-Friendly Minnesota is a statewide initiative aimed at making communities across Minnesota more supportive, inclusive and livable for people of all ages — particularly older adults. 

“These grants are a concrete example of supporting Age Friendly Minnesota priorities,” said Age-Friendly Council Chair Sherrie Pugh. “These projects will help support aging in place, improve community design and foster health, well-being and other ways to improve aging.”

The Age-Friendly Minnesota Council, in collaboration with DHS, launched the grant program in 2022 to help communities initiate or advance age-friendly efforts. 

Details of the 35 grants are in a news release [ [link removed] ].

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Medicaid: Putting faces with the data

Medicaid, known as Medical Assistance in Minnesota, provides essential health care to people of all ages, all across the state.

As the largest single source of health insurance in Minnesota, the program also plays a significant role in the state's health care infrastructure.

No one can tell the story of how Medical Assistance has impacted your life better than you.

We invite submissions from enrollees, providers, community advocates, navigators, and county and Tribal staff.

Take a look at some Minnesotans' stories, and consider submitting your own at mn.gov/dhs/medicaid-matters/faces-of-medicaid [ [link removed] ].

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In social media: Faces of Medicaid
Faces of Medicaid social media post from May 2025
Link to Facebook post shown above [ [link removed] ].

">> Follow DHS on X (formerly Twitter) [ [link removed] ] and Facebook [ [link removed] ] f"or timely updates on DHS news and events.""

">> For announcements of hiring events, job postings, internships and more, follow us on LinkedIn [ [link removed] ] and the "DHS Careers Facebook page [ [link removed] ].""

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Accessible formats

For accessible formats of this publication, write to [email protected], or call 651-431-2000 or use your preferred relay service.




Share feedback on latest draft child care standards by June 30
child care AS_24674530

Child care providers, parents and other interested community members are encouraged to provide feedback on the second draft of revised child care licensing standards.

Our online survey [ [link removed] ] will be open through June 30, 2025.

*Providers:*
Child care providers are encouraged to attend a virtual workshop or regional in-person session. Registration details [ [link removed] ] are in an email announcement.

*More info:*
DHS released the second draft of revised licensing standards for child care centers (PDF) [ [link removed] ] and family child care (PDF) [ [link removed] ] programs in February.

Recordings of informational sessions held in February are available on the DHS YouTube channel [ [link removed] ].

More details, including high-level summaries of significant changes made in the second drafts, are on the DHS website [ [link removed] ].

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In the news
newspaper beside a coffee cup

*Medicaid covers 1.2M Minnesotans. What could the U.S. House bill mean for the state? *DHS published an analysis of federal Medicaid cuts, estimating the state would lose $500 million annually. The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates up to 253,000 Minnesotans could lose coverage. Learn more in a Star Tribune article [ [link removed] ].*
*

*State officials and local leaders hold SNAP roundtables amid talk of federal cuts:* Proposed federal spending cuts include 25% of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) costs, which would need to be paid by individual states. This change is estimated to cost Minnesota $220 million. A roundtable on the proposed cuts was held in May at the Duluth Second Harvest Northland. Learn more in a WDIO-TV story [ [link removed] ]. A KTTC-TV story [ [link removed] ] aired about a similar roundtable in Rochester, and a Dakota County Tribune article [ [link removed] ] reports on a roundtable in Eagan.

*‘We always try to maximize federal dollars’: How Minnesota became a national model for Medicaid expansion:* For decades, Minnesota has been a national leader in helping its residents access health insurance. As of 2023, 4% of Minnesotans did not have health insurance compared to 8% nationally, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Learn how Minnesota has innovated around health care coverage in a MinnPost article [ [link removed] ].

*Traditional healing gets boost from research study:* Minnesota and the federal Medicaid program need to recognize American Indian culture and practices with traditional healing and better define health and wellbeing to serve America’s original citizens. This is among findings and three important recommendations emerging from a study conducted by DHS. Learn more in an article in The Circle [ [link removed] ].

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