A Strong Record of Policy Leadership

The MN Leadership Council on Aging is a force in public policy discussions impacting older adults, their families and caregivers.

In the 2024 Legislative Session, our organization endorsed a series of legislative solutions:

$25 by '25

• We supported a proposal to increase wages for most employees at skilled care centers by $5/hour (for nursing assistants, this elevates the wage to $25/hour).

Elderly Waiver Benchmarks

• We supported a  proposal that addresses EW being the only waiver without a rate updating function, by allowing rates to be indexed to a future value.

Value-Based Reimbursement Cost Factors

• We supported a  proposal that adds a rate inflation factor to cover the 15-27 month time period between cost reports and rate increases for skilled care centers.

Trained Medication Aide Training Expansion

• We supported a  proposal that expands TMA training options beyond the current higher education programs to include other MDH-approved programs.

Nursing Assistant Language Accommodation

• We supported a  proposal that would allow MDH to offer a language accommodation beyond English in the current written Nursing Assistant Exam.

SNSA Private Right of Action

• We supported a  proposal that would allow providers to seek legal recourse from Supplemental Nursing Staffing Agencies in situations where fines are assessed.

Housing Support in Board and Lodge

• We supported a  proposal to bring Board and Lodge into the protections language limiting 30% of "unearned income" to be used toward Housing Support costs.

Elimination of the Assisted Living Verification Code

• We supported a  proposal to redeploy Senior LinkAge Line resources by no longer requiring people signing an assisted living lease obtain a verification code.

Eliminating Health Disparities Initiative: Alzheimer's Focus

• We supported a  proposal for the first investment in the Eliminating Health Disparities Initiative Grant in 20 years and addition of a focus on Alzheimer's Disease.

Permanent Respite Supports

• We supported a  proposal to make permanent the short-term respite care supports for primary caregivers seeking to recharge their batteries or complete chores.

Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Disease Health Curriculum

• We supported a  proposal to create a voluntary health curriculum module about Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Disease for grades 8-12.

Dementia Services Coordination

• We supported a  proposal to establish a permanent, full-time Programs Manager at MDH to work across state agencies and divisions on programs and policies.

Home Care Medical Assistance Rates

• We supported a  proposal that increases Medical Assistant rates for underfunded home care evaluations to be closer to the actual costs of the services provided.

Minnesota Homeless Study

• We supported a  proposal that replaces fragmented and insecure funding with a streamlined and going funding for the crucial Minnesota Homeless Study.

More Homes Initiative

• We supported a  proposal that expands affordable housing options and eases zoning barriers by allowing for construction of "missing middle housing" options.

Palliative Care Benefit

• We supported a  proposal that creates a palliative care benefit for Medical Assistance to reimburse interdisciplinary palliative team members in all care settings.

Multisector Blueprint for Aging

Led by the Age-Friendly Minnesota Council, this is an inclusive statewide effort to develop a 10-year plan for aging in Minnesota. Co-developed by communities across the state, it provides an opportunity to promote aging in all policies and programs, build relationships across different partners, raise awareness among key decision makers and lawmakers around how policies, investments, and systems impact people throughout life stages, and as a living document, can be adapted at the local level. 

Learn more about Age-Friendly Minnesota's work >

MN Legislative Task Force on Aging

Established by the 2023 Legislature to review and develop state resources, as well as identify and prioritize necessary supports for our aging population, and to ensure aging-related state policies are inclusive, the Legislative Task Force on Aging included Rep. Ginny Klevorn (Chair), Rep. Natalie Zeleznikar, Sen. Alice Mann, Sen. Karin Housley, Maureen Schneider, Jen Foley, Joe Gaugler and Councilwoman Agatha Armstrong. You can now read their final report or learn more >

Does "One Minnesota" Include Older Adults?

March 24, 2023

The Honorable Tim Walz, Minnesota Governor

The Honorable Melissa Hortman, Speaker of the House

The Honorable Kari Dziedzic, Senate Majority Leader

The Honorable Bobby Joe Champion, President of the Senate

Dear Governor Walz and Legislative Leaders,

I write today in response to your 2023 budget targets with an urgent request to reconsider the resources needed by chairs of the health and human services committees to ensure that Minnesota is a great state to grow up and to grow old.

Minnesota is experiencing an unprecedented demographic shift – growing older and more diverse each day – with more than one million people over age 65. The value of these older adults is woven into the fabric of our society, and each day we see how families and communities are struggling to meet our basic societal obligations.

As trusted organizations in the state’s aging sector, Minnesota Leadership Council on Aging members have worked with lawmakers to advance essential policy solutions that move us towards being an age-friendly state and address the fundamental human needs of older adults, such as meals, shelter, family supports, ideas to close equity gaps and strengthen our infrastructure, as well as to increase rates so providers can offer a service safety net and family-sustaining wages to lift a dedicated workforce – the majority of which are women and people of color – out of poverty. But the health and human services omnibus bills can’t address these societal obligations without your leadership.

I ask each of you to increase these targets and ensure “One Minnesota” extends to our state’s older adults and caregivers. Together, let us make sure our state values all people across the lifespan and doesn’t continue to leave older adults and their families behind.

Respectfully submitted,

Adam Suomala                                                                               

Executive Director             

Minnesota Leadership Council on Aging

Cc: MN Leadership Council on Aging Delegates, The Honorable Senator John Hoffman, The Honorable Senator Melissa Wiklund, The Honorable State Representative Mohamud Noor, and The Honorable State Representative Tina Liebling

Were Older Adults an Afterthought in the Governor's Budget?

January 25, 2023

Governor Walz makes no apologies for his priority to make Minnesota the best state for kids. Nor should he; we all value how our children grow up. But our state must also have a vision for how they’ll grow old. If this budget is a moral document, elected officials must now step up to prioritize the other end of the lifespan. To ask, “how are the seniors?”

Each day, Minnesota’s one million older adults – a population that now outnumbers our school age children – prove their value is woven into the fabric of our state. They serve as experienced members of our workforce, trusted volunteers, caregivers, coaches, family leaders, champions for community issues, educators, etc. Yet this new budget fails to accurately reflect the urgent needs faced by so many families on aging issues, such as access to services, housing, caregiver supports, food insecurity, etc.  

While there are some small investments in select areas impacting aging in our state, this budget now needs an infusion from leadership in the House and Senate to achieve his promise of One Minnesota. Let this be the needed conversation starter for lawmakers to elevate aging and the needed investments to ensure Minnesota can be a great place to grow up AND to grow old.