Minnesota 2003 | advancingstates.org

Minnesota 2003

<H3>Minnesota</H3>   <H4>Task Force</H4> The state of Minnesota does not have an official Olmstead task force, due to the fact that the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) already 1) offered many options to support people with disabilities, the chronically ill, and the elderly in the community; 2) was working on several initiatives to expand community-based and self-directed services; and 3) had several established stakeholder committees involved in these areas. Minnesota chose to use existing feedback mechanisms and to focus and build on the work that was under way related to expansion of and access to community-based services. Although Minnesota does not have an Olmstead task force, it has a long-term care task force, comprised of state legislators and state agency commissioners, that published a January 2001 report of recommendations, \"Reshaping Long-Term Care in Minnesota.\" Unlike other state commissions, the task force did not prepare the report in response to the Olmstead decision. Therefore, the recommendations are limited to the aging population and do not include other populations in need of long-term care.   <H4>Implementation </H4> Legislation There was no legislation in 2002 related to the Olmstead decision. Successes The expansion of the currently existing services and waiver programs to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities, in addition to reaching out to address more of the state's unmet needs, have been the most significant successes to date. Challenges Meeting service needs and avoiding overlapping and duplicating functions is challenging. Lawsuits No Olmstead-related lawsuits have been filed in Minnesota. Next Steps DHS was awarded two Systems Change Grants by the federal government: the Community-integrated Personal Assistance Service and Supports Grant (Community PASS) and the Real Choice Systems Change Grant. Both grants are administered by the department's Community Quality Initiative (CQI) unit. The Community PASS grant, Pathways to Choice: Minnesota's Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program, is being used to fund local demonstration projects to create a new model of service delivery for personal care services. The projects, called Consumer Initiated Partnership and Support (CIPS) Networks, are designed in part to increase consumer control and address labor shortage issues. The Real Choice Systems Change Grant, Pathways to Choice: Minnesota's System Change Initiative, is being used to help create a consumer-driven quality assurance system that includes development of an information and assistance network for people with disabilities that is coordinated with the state's 2-1-1 initiative to support consumer- informed choice and self-determination. Also, an automated consumer feedback system will be developed to obtain ongoing data on consumer satisfaction with service delivery and the effect of services on individual quality of life. The Pathways to Choice: Minnesota's System Change Initiative Grant has supported the development of an ongoing consumer and stakeholder quality oversight committee, the Quality Design Commission. The information obtained from the commission and feedback system will be used as part of an overall plan to collect consumer and stakeholder input and feedback upon which to base quality improvement decisions for the service delivery system.