2000: "Pathways to Employment" Initiative Begins

Pathways to Employment: Creating Connections to Work

In 2000, the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) created the Pathways to Employment initiative when it was awarded a four-year Medicaid Infrastructure Grant (MIG) from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Pathways to Employment focused mainly on developing Medicaid infrastructure and enhancing employment related supports within the Department of Human Services (DHS). Minnesota succeeded in building enduring infrastructure through the enhancement of the Medical Assistance Employed Persons with Disabilities Program (Minnesota's Medicaid buy-in program for working individuals with disabilities), developing policy and research reports on its buy-in population and generating ongoing support for employment issues for people with disabilities throughout DHS.

While Pathways to Employment has done collaborations with Social Security Administration, other state agencies, private partners, disability advocacy organizations, consumers, and other stakeholders, there has not been a comprehensive statewide approach to removing employment barriers for people with disabilities. In order to create a coordinated statewide strategy to support the competitive employment of Minnesotans with disabilities, DHS is partnering with the Department of Employment of Economic Development (DEED) and the Minnesota State Council on Disability (MSCOD) in applying for the 2005 Comprehensive Employment Opportunities grant or CEO.

Minnesota will use the CEO grant to create a strategic planning structure to develop initiatives that will increase the competitive employment of people with disabilities. It will create a Strategic Planning Team made up of high level public sector officials, business community leaders, people with disabilities, and other key stakeholders. This Team will be instrumental in determining what initiatives will be conducted during the four-year grant period. In addition, the CEO will continue to support and enhance current MIG activities to ensure that Minnesota remains on the cutting edge of the employment of people with disabilities. As a result, an action oriented comprehensive employment system, built around existing partnerships, will emerge in Minnesota.

http://www.dhs.state.mn.us/main/groups/disabilities/documents/pub/dhs_id_048351~1.pdf