Monthly news digest from the Department of Human Services
Minnesota Department of Human Services logo [ [link removed] ]
NEWS FROM DHS
*June 2024*
*News from DHS archive [ [link removed] ]*
In this issue:
* State seeks input on draft child care licensing changes [ #link_9 ]
* MinnesotaCare enrollees: Watch for your bill in the mail [ #link_3 ]
* Opportunities to give feedback on crisis, positive support, respite and specialist services [ #link_2 ]
* In social media: MinnesotaCare premium payment options [ #link_5 ]
* New grants support family, friends and neighbors who provide child care [ #link_10 ]
* Fact sheets updated [ #link_1 ]
* In the news [ #link_6 ]
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State seeks input on draft child care licensing changes
Child care stock image 2
The Minnesota Department of Human Services is asking for public feedback on new draft child care licensing standards for family and center-based child care providers.
The current documents are drafts, and feedback is a crucial step in the process.
“We are committed to a genuine, deliberate approach to implementing any new child care licensing standards,” said Commissioner Jodi Harpstead. “This is an opportunity to modernize Minnesota regulations in a way that improves the clarity of our regulations for providers while assuring health and safety for children.”
In-person listening sessions for child care providers, licensors and the public will take place throughout the state in June and July. Times, dates and locations can be found on the project webpage [ [link removed] ]. The events will be in person; RSVPs are requested.
People can also weigh in on the draft standards through an online survey [ [link removed] ] through July 15. The survey will be used to gather input on the clarity, effort and value of the draft standards.
More information is in a department news release [ [link removed] ].
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MinnesotaCare enrollees: Watch for your bill in the mail
Invoice icon
Thousands of Minnesotans covered by MinnesotaCare need to start paying monthly premiums again this summer to keep their insurance. Monthly premiums were paused during the pandemic.
About 46,000 Minnesotans with lower incomes who rely on MinnesotaCare should watch their mail for a bill from the Minnesota Department of Human Services. Enrollees must pay their premium by the due date on their bill to avoid losing coverage. The first bill was due June 13.
“MinnesotaCare serves Minnesotans facing financial struggles, so we want them to know about the return of this monthly bill,” said Commissioner Jodi Harpstead. “Our family, friends and neighbors on MinnesotaCare play important roles as farmers, child-care workers, small-business owners and more. We want to help them keep their coverage and their access to health care services and prescriptions.”
Although MinnesotaCare premiums are returning, some Minnesotans will continue to pay no premium while others will have reduced premiums through the end of 2025, thanks to the federal Inflation Reduction Act. About 102,000 people are enrolled in MinnesotaCare.
More information about resuming MinnesotaCare premiums is in a department news release [ [link removed] ]. Information for enrollees is on the DHS website at mn.gov/dhs/minnesotacare/premium [ [link removed] ].
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Opportunities to give feedback on crisis, positive support, respite and specialist services
In partnership with the University of Minnesota and other state agencies, DHS is seeking feedback on ways to improve intervention and respite services.
The feedback will be used to develop legislative proposals to improve the design and quality of the following services:
* Crisis respite services [ [link removed] ]
* Positive support services [ [link removed] ] (formerly behavioral support)
* Respite services [ [link removed] ]
* Specialist services [ [link removed] ]
There are multiple ways to provide feedback.
* Sign up for a focus group, interview or listening session [ [link removed] ] upcoming in July.
* Complete an online survey [ [link removed] ] by Aug. 1.
More information about the DHS Intervention and respite service redesign [ [link removed] ] is on the DHS website.
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In social media: MinnesotaCare premium payment options
MinnesotaCare-premiums-payment-options-facebook-600x910
">> 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.
New grants support family, friends and neighbors who provide child care
New state grants totaling $4.6 million will support the important role played by family, friends and neighbors who provide child care for children in diverse communities across Minnesota.
The Family, Friend and Neighbor Grants will go to 20 organizations whose services cover the entire state, including 11 Tribal Nations that share geography with Minnesota.
With supports that vary by organization and prioritize the needs of individual communities, the grantees serve Somali, Latine, Hmong, African American, Oromo, American Indian, immigrant and refugee communities.
Minnesota had 82,700 family, friend and neighbor caregivers in 2019. However, many of these caregivers don’t consider themselves part of the child care workforce or know about the supports available to them.
“Family members, friends and neighbors make up a significant portion of our child care workforce,” said Commissioner Jodi Harpstead. “As we work toward being the best state for children, it’s critical to recognize and support the child care they provide.”
More information is in a department news release [ [link removed] ].
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Fact sheets updated
Preventing child maltreatment by promoting health and well-being for Minnesota families (PDF) [ [link removed] ]
Parent Support Outreach Program (PDF) [ [link removed] ]
Foster care: Temporary out-of-home care for children (PDF) [ [link removed] ]
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In the news
newspaper beside a coffee cup
*Minnesota has a new agency and commissioner. What are her goals for kids and families? *Tikki Brown started her career as an intern with DHS. More than two decades later, she's leaving — though she's not going far. When Minnesota launches a Department of Children, Youth and Families on July 1, Brown will be at the helm. The Star Tribune recently interviewed Brown [ [link removed] ] about the experience she brings to the new role and the opportunities she sees ahead with a new agency.*
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*Adopted people in Minnesota will get access to birth records starting July 1:* A new state law could give answers to life-long questions for adopted people in Minnesota. Starting July 1, adopted people 18 years and older will be eligible to request a copy of their original birth records, without the permission of their birth parents. WCCO News [ [link removed] ] recently interviewed an adoptee who has unsuccessfully searched for her birth parents for decades.
*Editorial: A heads-up for those with MNCare.* The end of the COVID emergency means a return to normal operations for public health programs. That means monthly premiums are resuming for some, though not all, MinnesotaCare participants. The Star Tribune editorial board recently wrote [ [link removed] ] that it's an important public health message, one that merits amplification in the newspaper and elsewhere to raise awareness and prevent coverage gaps if the bill goes unpaid.
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