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DHS invites client, stakeholder and citizen involvement in its initiatives and proposed program changes. The following are current opportunities for participation. Community Relations offers additional opportunities for community engagement.
Every five years the State of Minnesota submits a Consolidated Housing and Community Development Plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) outlining the state's goals and strategy for using federal funds to meet identified housing and community development needs. The plan is a collaborative effort of three state agencies, including the Department of Employment and Economic Development, Minnesota Housing Finance Agency and the Department of Human Services, and in includes funding from the five (5) HUD Community Planning and Development formula block grant programs. These programs include:
The State of Minnesota's Consolidated Plan for Housing and Community Development for 2022-2026 (PDF) is now posted for public comment for 30 days, from July 1, 2022, to July 31, 2022. To access the draft of the Consolidated Plan click on the link below. You may also request a printed copy of the plan if necessary. All comments are due to by July 31, 2022.
Written public comments should be submitted to Natasha Kukowski, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, First National Bank Building, 332 Minnesota Street, Suite E200, St. Paul, MN 55101-1351 or via email to Natasha.kukowski@state.mn.us. Please include “Consolidated Plan” in the subject line of the email.
DHS will host another round of Community Conversations this spring about building racial equity into Minnesota’s Medicaid program for U.S.-born Black Minnesotans.
The online meetings will focus on the report co-created with the community in previous conversations, Building Racial Equity into the Walls of Minnesota Medicaid: A focus on U.S.-born Black Minnesotans (PDF). DHS Medicaid Medical Director Dr. Nathan Chomilo and colleagues will share the final report’s recommendations, discuss actions all can take to support this work and gather feedback on the report and the process that created it from community members through facilitated discussion.
U.S.-born Black Minnesotans enrolled in Medicaid and those working to advance racial equity in health care are encouraged to participate in one of the Community Conversations from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, or Monday, May 9.
Closed captioning will be available. For any other accommodations, email BREWMedicaid.DHS@state.mn.us.
The Department of Human Services holds an annual forum to provide the public with an opportunity to comment on the progress of the PMAP+ waiver. The next public forum will be held via teleconference on April 29, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. All interest members of the public are invited to attend.
The PMAP+ waiver provides federal authority to:
A request to extend the waiver for an additional five years has been submitted to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS). The waiver is currently operating under a temporary extension through December 31, 2022 to allot time for CMS and the state to complete negotiations on its five-year demonstration extension request.
PMAP+ waiver approval, expenditure and waiver authorities, and special terms and conditions (PDF)
If you would like to attend the teleconference please send an email request to dhs.waiver.comments@state.mn.us to obtain the call-in information.
The Reform 2020 waiver provides federal financial participation for the Alternative Care program, which provides support to help seniors at risk of nursing home placement to stay in their homes.
The current waiver is approved through January 31, 2025. Reform 2020 waiver approval, expenditure and waiver authorities, and special terms and conditions (PDF)
The Department of Human Services holds an annual forum to provide the public with an opportunity to comment on the progress of the Reform 2020 waiver. The next public forum will be held on April 29, 2022 at 3:00 p.m. All interested members of the public are invited to attend.
Register to receive a confirmation email with the WebEx information to join the webinar
Federal law requires states to monitor and report trends in the numbers of people who receive cash assistance through the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program. Minnesota uses TANF money to fund the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP).
Federal law requires states’ TANF and related federal programs to meet a 50 percent work participation rate. The "work participation rate" (WPR) measures the proportion of recipients who take part in federally defined work activities for a sufficient number of hours each week. The 50 percent rate may be adjusted by historic reductions in caseload for reasons other than eligibility changes. This is called a caseload reduction credit.
To determine the caseload reduction credit, a state must calculate the percentage change in the number of families served in the most recent Federal Fiscal Year compared to a historical base year of 2005. This percentage change must then be adjusted to take into account any policy changes implemented after 2005.
Minnesota’s caseload reduction credit calculations based on 2021 data are as follows:
The average monthly number of families receiving TANF and related federal program assistance was 19,250 in 2021. This is a 40.3% decrease from the historical base year of 2005.
Most of this decrease (31.1%) can be explained by funding changes which made families designated to receive Family Stabilization Services and families with two parents ineligible to receive TANF funding. Instead, these families must be funded with state funds.
Other policy changes which increased the number of families eligible to receive TANF and related benefits in 2021 include changes in how Supplemental Security Income affects a family’s cash assistance, higher asset limit and higher exemption levels for vehicles counted in determining a family’s eligibility for cash assistance, changes in rules around child support assignment and child support disregard, changes in earned income disregard, implementation of MFIP Housing Assistance Grant, income exclusion for newlyweds and increase in Cash Transitional Standard. Together these changes are estimated to result in 22.7% more families receiving TANF and related federal program assistance relative to the base year of 2005.
On January 2015, the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indian implemented their own TANF program and this resulted in 2.9% less families eligible to receiving Minnesota TANF and related federal program assistance to the base year of 2005. The Northstar Care for Children program implemented in January 2015 consolidates Foster Care (FC), Adoption Assistance (AA), and Relative Custody Assistance (RCA) into one program. Children who would have been in RCA and are now in the kinship assistance component of Northstar are no longer eligible for TANF and related federal benefits. This change is estimated to result in 3.9% less families eligible to receive TANF and related federal program assistance relative to the base year of 2005.
Taking these policy changes into account, the estimated caseload reduction credit is 40.3% - (31.1% -22.7% +2.9%+3.9%) = 25.1%. This credit will be used to reduce the “target” work participation rate for Minnesota next year (Federal Fiscal Year 2021).
Federal rule also allows a state to further reduce the target work participation rate by claiming more than the minimum required state funds for the TANF program. These funds are referred to as "excess Maintenance of Effort (MOE)". The working family tax credit and other qualified expenditures have the capacity to provide excess MOE for this purpose. The number of cases which can be served with Excess MOE, as determined by average annual spending on TANF assistance cases, can be claimed as further caseload reduction. Minnesota will claim excess MOE in order to increase the caseload reduction credit.
Citizens are invited to submit any comments on the above methodology to the DHS Office of Management and Budget by e-mail to: dhs.reportsandforecasts@state.mn.us. Or by regular mail to this address:
Minnesota Department of Human Services
Reports and Forecasts Division
PO Box 64996
St. Paul, MN 55164-0996
Federal law requires states to monitor and report trends in the numbers of people who receive cash assistance through the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program. Minnesota uses TANF money to fund the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP).
Federal law requires states’ TANF and related federal programs to meet a 50 percent work participation rate. The "work participation rate" (WPR) measures the proportion of recipients who take part in federally defined work activities for a sufficient number of hours each week. The 50 percent rate may be adjusted by historic reductions in caseload for reasons other than eligibility changes. This is called a caseload reduction credit.
To determine the caseload reduction credit, a state must calculate the percentage change in the number of families served in the most recent Federal Fiscal Year compared to a historical base year of 2005. This percentage change must then be adjusted to take into account any policy changes implemented after 2005.
Minnesota’s caseload reduction credit calculations based on 2020 data are as follows:
Taking these policy changes into account, the estimated caseload reduction credit is 53.3% — (33.9% -13.3% +2.6%+3.9%) = 26.2%. This credit will be used to reduce the “target” work participation rate for Minnesota next year (Federal Fiscal Year 2021).
Federal rule also allows a state to further reduce the target work participation rate by claiming more than the minimum required state funds for the TANF program. These funds are referred to as "excess Maintenance of Effort (MOE)". The working family tax credit and other qualified expenditures have the capacity to provide excess MOE for this purpose. The number of cases which can be served with Excess MOE, as determined by average annual spending on TANF assistance cases, can be claimed as further caseload reduction. Minnesota will claim excess MOE in order to increase the caseload reduction credit.
Citizens are invited to submit any comments on the above methodology to the DHS Office of Management and Budget by email to: dhs.reportsandforecasts@state.mn.us. Or by regular mail to this address:
Minnesota Department of Human Services
Reports and Forecasts Division
PO Box 64996
St. Paul, MN 55164-0996
Under federal law, a state can make changes to its Medicaid program through certain waiver authorities to test new ways of delivering and paying for health services. A state can also amend its Medicaid state plan. The plan is an agreement between the state and federal government about how the state will administer the Medicaid program.
Read more about Minnesota’s Medicaid waiver requests and Medicaid state plan amendments.
Many advisory committees provide expertise and input on a regular basis to help DHS create and implement program changes. Most committees are comprised of members from outside DHS. A complete list of DHS advisory committees is online.
DHS welcomes volunteer help on an ongoing basis at the Forensic Mental Health Program in St. Peter.
