Minnesota pausing disability services licensing to increase oversight

2-year ban on new disability services licensing

Minnesota is pausing on giving licenses for disability services to increase oversight. FOX 9's Soyoung Kim has more.

(FOX 9) -  The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) said it is pausing disability services licensing.

The department said a temporary moratorium for Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) is necessary to monitor program integrity.

Reviewing program integrity

By the numbers:

According to a letter issued by the department’s temporary commissioner, the number of provider licenses approved has been significantly outpacing demand for services, which has prompted a need for further review.

The department’s data shows that over the past five years, the average number of participants, those who need services, has increased by roughly 25%.

Over the same period, active provider licenses grew by roughly 55%. And new license applications grew by 283%.

What's being paused:

The department said during the temporary moratorium, it will stop accepting new license applications, stop issuing new licenses, and may even retroactively cancel existing license applications. Also, existing providers will not be able to add new services.

During this licensing pause, exceptions will be considered for certain requests from counties, tribal nations, or case managers.

Timeline:

This moratorium goes into effect starting next month on Jan. 1st. It is anticipated to run for 24 months, ending on Dec. 31, 2027.

The department said most services under this umbrella are funded under Minnesota’s Medicaid waiver programs.