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TWIN CITIES, MN PERMIT NO. 4766
Volume 30, Number 12
December 10, 2019
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New plan, new leaders at Human Services
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by Access Press staff
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$10,000 Outgoing Access Press Board Chair Steve Anderson is shown at a past Charlie Smith Award banquet.
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to support Access Press Donations matched through December 30, 2019.
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It's the final push to help Access Press as paper nears fundraising goal Editor’s note: Access Press board members are writing guest articles to highlight the newspaper’s matching grant campaign, which goes on until year’s end. This article is by Steve Anderson, outgoing board chair at Access Press. How on earth did we come to December already? It seems like I ask that question every time the winds of winter come around. Time just seems to fly by more quickly every year.
I have had the privilege to sit on the Access Press Board of Directors for the past nine years and the honor to serve as board chair. In the time that I have been on the board I have witnessed many changes, both on our board and with our newspaper. Like with anything change can be good, it can be difficult, it can be uncomfortable, it can also be exciting and
STORIES To page 13
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Help us support Minnesota’s disability news source. The Access Press board and Friends of Access Press will match dollar for dollar up to $10,000. We appreciate your support. Thank you!
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Call 651-644-2133 or email access@accesspress.org
MNCCD prepares for another successful session by Jane McClure When the 2020 session of the Minnesota Legislature starts February 11, the Minnesota Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (MNCCD) will be ready. A wide range of issues, from proposed changes in rules for personal care attendants (PCAs) to public facilities access, are on the group’s legislative agenda. More than two dozen MNCCD members approved the agenda December 4. Board Chairperson Marnie Falk of Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare said additional legislative items can be added as the session start nears and during the session itself. One item that could be added later is the Homes for All effort, to meet a wide range of housing needs statewide. MNCCD met much success in 2019, with 11 of 18 policy priorities meeting a favorable response from state lawmakers. That includes PCA rate reform, Mitchell’s law, changes to the spend-down and a reduction in Medical Assistance TEFRA fees. Attorney Bill Amberg praised the success, noting that in his 20 years’ work at the capitol, he’s never seen anything have the same kind of impact that MNCCD’s Tuesdays at the Capitol has. “There’s just nothing like it,” he said. “Nobody hits 11 out of 18.” What’s even more remarkable is how well MNCCD has done, in a time of
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Minnesota Department of Human Services Commissioner Jodi Harpstead is moving ahead with changes at the embattled state agency. Gov. Tim Walz is also acting to quell problems in the wake of turmoil and allegations of financial mismanagement. As Access Press went to press, Walz was poised to announce how he would possibly restructure DHS. Some state lawmakers have called for DHS to be split up. But that has raised red flags for the state’s counties, which work with DHS to provide an array of human services programs. For counties, dealing with multiple state agencies instead of one could be problematic. DHS has an $18.5 billion budget. It serves more than one million Minnesotans in many programs, including programs that serve Minnesotans with disabilities. As December began Harpstead announced key appointments, including new leadership for the Community Supports Administration. Community Supports has a $393 million annual budget and includes disability services, mental health, substance use disorder services and housing support. This division already has seen change with the reform in substance abuse disorder program payments and changes to the Medicaid waiver program. Gertrude Matemba-Mutasa, former executive director of the Phyllis Wheatley Community Center in north Minneapolis, will be assistant commissioner of Community Supports. Doug Annett, former vice president at Opportunity Partners, will take a new state post as deputy assistant commissioner of Community Supports. Annett has also served on the board of directors of ARRM. Harpstead is also setting up an outside advisory council that will include Bill George, former Medtronic CEO. House and Senate leaders and community representatives will also be part of the task force. George will co-chair with someone else, who has yet to be named. Harpstead and her team have had to move quickly to address concerns including more than 200 violations of state procurements laws and more than $90 million in overpayments for substance abuse treatment services. The latter could mean difficult cuts to county and tribal programs, as they have been ordered to pay back the funds. Many counties have said they cannot pay the funds back, as 2020 budgets have already been approved and/or they simply don’t have the money available. They contend it is the state’s error, not theirs. In his last legislative meeting before stepping down, Rep. Nick Zerwas, R-Elk River, said the overpayments are a huge burden for counties and the tribes. “The tribes don't have the money. The counties don’t have the money,” he said. “The state is going to be left holding the bag at the end of the day.” Speaking before state House members December 2, Harpstead didn’t say what changes could be coming to DHS. One idea might be to split off the Direct Care and Treatment division, which treats people with disabilities, mental illnesses, chemical dependency, the elderly, and HUMAN SERVICES To page 4
Self-advocate Rik spoke at an MNCCD capitol rally in 2017. transition. Membership had dropped, as some disability advocate groups have merged and others have struck out on their own at the capitol. That in turn affected resources available for staffing. After having an executive director post for a time, MNCCD operated with parttime staff and contact lobbyists last year. Attorneys Amberg and Mitch Berggren are the contract attorneys this session.
Staffer Bridget Carter moves to full-time status in early 2020. MNCCD continues to grow and reinvent itself. The consortium is working on bylaws changes, to restructure how its issues-focused working groups, committees and board can better work together. Some working groups, such as those focused on housing, staffing and transSESSION To page 5