Wednesday, March 4, 2026

 Official Publication of Minnesota Home Care Association

  Inside the Informer

  Member News

Three More Days to Register for 2026 Day at the Capitol!

Your voice is needed as we educate state legislators about the importance of home care in their district and advocate for issues that impact their constituents! Join us for Day at the Capitol and Advocacy Week, an incredible opportunity to advocate on behalf of critical home care priorities and make a real impact on the home care community in Minnesota. This event will take place on the mornings of March 10 and 12.

For more information and to register, click here.

Leadership Summit April 14 - Don’t Miss Out!

National speaker, Marcylle Combs, will talk about how the future of healthcare will be shaped by those who possess not only technical expertise, but also the vision, adaptability, and ethical judgment to guide their teams through uncertainty.

No matter your role—executive, provider, or policy influencer—developing and honing leadership skills will empower you to confront challenges head-on and chart a course toward a brighter, more sustainable future for healthcare.

Secure your spot today!

New Price! Over $100 Discount for Situational Awareness and De-Escalation Training

Now you can send 3 people for the old price of 1 to the March 24th Situational Awareness and De-Escalation Training. This is an important follow-up to the February 25th Workplace Safety Exercise. 

We want to make this as accessible to as many members as we can; this training saves lives, prevents incidents, and keeps employees and clients safer. 

Register here.

Try Out Our New Regulatory Consulting Program!

Does navigating the ever-changing world of regulatory compliance feel overwhelming? MHCA’s new Regulatory Consulting Program was created to help members strengthen compliance, reduce risk, and feel confident heading into surveys. This customized, corrective support is designed to meet your organization where it is—offering practical guidance that’s tailored to your specific operations and regulatory challenges.

The program delivers targeted consulting services tailored to each organization’s needs, focusing on three key areas: chart audit reviews, QAPI audit reviews, and mock surveys (for Medicare-certified and comprehensively licensed agencies).

Click here to learn more about the services and to register!

Resource of the Month: Regulatory Advocacy

Regulatory advocacy has become an increasingly critical focus for the Minnesota Home Care Association, particularly in light of the impact of the prepayment review process. We are in constant communication with DHS and have testified in front of the Minnesota Senate Human Services Committee, making sure policymakers understand the real-world impact of regulatory decisions on home care providers and the clients they serve. Through one-on-one advocacy, we have supported members directly, helping them address specific concerns and facilitating connections with DHS to resolve issues. 

"Knowing I can reach out to MHCA and get the latest information is such a relief in a time where we've experienced so many concerns and challenges. In addition, anything I bring that there is no known answer to, MHCA starts working on finding the answers. MHCA is who I lean on in when challenging situations arise – and to date, they have been incredibly responsive and quick to help get me the information we need so we can focus on client care." -- Jaime Kummer, River Valley Home Care, MHCA Member

Equally important, we have created meaningful opportunities for members to engage in advocacy themselves. Through our Advocacy Center and our upcoming Day at the Capitol, we provide spaces for providers to mobilize, connect with lawmakers, and make their voices heard. These efforts strengthen our collective influence and ensure that home care remains a sustainable part of Minnesota’s healthcare system.

4th Annual Community Tabletop Exercise a Success

On February 25, over 150 MHCA members engaged in Safety and Workplace Violence, a tabletop exercise led by Emily Moilanen from the Metro Health and Medical Preparedness Coalition.

The exercise covered:

• A free member event that met the regulatory requirements for a community-based exercise.
• 100% of those surveyed said that this meeting was worth their investment of time and resources.
• 99% of those surveyed said that this content will assist them in providing high quality care.Valuable takeaways from attendees included: 
  o Identified gaps and education needed for staff.
  o Having dedicated time to review this information and update it!
  o Connecting with other home care agencies to see how they respond in certain situations.
  

You can watch the recording here.

Follow-up this education with Situational Awareness and De-Escalation Training on March 24!

  MHCA IN ACTION

MHCA Bill Moves Forward

MHCA is leading our Home Care Access Policy Bill that updates the structure for use of home care fine dollars to align more closely with changes passed into law last session for Assisted Living fine dollars and ensures timely filling of vacancies on the Minnesota Department of Health’s Home Care and Assisted Living Advisory Council. 

Executive Director, Kathy Messerli, testified on the bill in the Senate Human Services Committee and House Human Services Finance and Policy Committee meetings on Tuesday, March 3. It was laid over for inclusion in an Omnibus bill, with one short stop in a Senate Governance Committee.

  State news

SFTP Data Migration Retention 

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) has announced a temporary change to its file retention schedule for MN–ITS files stored on its Secure File Transfer Portal (SFTP). This one-time adjustment is necessary to support an upcoming data migration and will directly affect providers who submit batch claims through SFTP.

Who is affected?

If you are a provider who submits batch claims via SFTP, this change will impact you. You will need to take action to preserve any files you may need before the migration begins.

However, if you bill using the MN–ITS portal for individual direct data entry claims, this update will not affect you.

What is changing?

To accommodate the data migration effort, DHS will temporarily modify its standard 30-day retention schedule for MN–ITS files stored on SFTP. The change will begin at 6 a.m. on March 7, and standard retention will resume at 8 p.m. on March 8.

This is a one-time adjustment. After the migration is complete, DHS will return to its regular 30-day retention policy.

What needs to be done?

You should download and save any necessary files before the migration begins. Once files are deleted from SFTP, they will only be available for download through the MN–ITS portal. This temporary data migration and adjusted retention schedule apply only to files stored on SFTP and do not impact files in the MN–ITS mailbox.

Users who access the system through FTP or SSH clients (such as FileZilla or WinSCP) will continue to have access to each file type for approximately 3–7 days following the migration. 

Waiver and Alternative Care Resources and MN–ITS Training Sessions Expanded Capacity

The Minnesota Department of Human Services has expanded registration capacity for its March and April Waiver and AC Resources and MN–ITS Training sessions due to high demand. The session dates are as follows:

• March 3 – 4, 2026, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (two-day session)
• March 18 – 19, 2026, 9 a.m to 1 p.m. (two- day session)
• April 7 – 8, 2026, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (two-day session)
• April 21 – 22, 2026, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (two-day session)
  

Register only for the session you plan to attend. Providers can register online for a training session.

If you are already registered for a session and need to cancel, email dhs.provider-workshops@state.mn.us and include your registration details in your request.

Updated Workers’ Compensation Poster Available

Minnesota law requires employers to display specific workplace notices and posters. An updated workers’ compensation poster is now available and includes information about mental health injuries that may qualify for workers’ compensation benefits.

The poster explains what employees should do if they are injured at work, outlines available workers’ compensation benefits, and details insurer responsibilities and how to report suspected fraud.

All required posters must be placed in a location where employees can easily see them. Employers can print or order these posters for free from the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry’s Workplace Notices and Posters webpage. Posters are available individually or in a complete poster pack, and many are offered in multiple languages.

  federal news

Federal Government Halts Payment to Minnesota 

Vice President JD Vance announced last week that the Trump administration is temporarily halting $259.5 million in federal Medicaid funding to Minnesota.  While a deferral generally requires a state to repay funds to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that were previously drawn down for claims paid in a prior quarter, the mechanics of this have not yet been announced. The scope and dollar amount of this deferral are significantly larger than any previously experienced. This action is distinct from the $515 million withhold threat issued in January. State officials are continuing to assess both the short-term and potential long-term impacts of the deferral. However, they indicate that this action appears to be part of a broader and sustained federal effort affecting Medicaid funding in Minnesota. 

MHCA will continue to monitor what impact, if any, this will have on providers and client services.

Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN) Expiration

The current Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN) Form CMS-R-131 expired on January 31, 2026. CMS has told providers to continue to use this version.

CMS will announce on their website when the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approves the updated form. You will have 60 calendar days to start using the updated version from the date of the CMS announcement.

For updates, monitor the CMS Beneficiary Notices Initiative (BNI).

  Educational Opportunities

MHCA Partnerships

Fueled Growth Partners is a company that provides a net zero cost supplemental health care plan with amazing benefits, while providing revenue to MHCA. Below are two upcoming Live Life Healthy Webinar dates. This is a great opportunity for MHCA members to learn how to enhance employee benefits, increase take-home pay, and reduce employer costs — all at ZERO net cost.

March 10, 2026 — Live Life Healthy Webinar Fueled Growth Partnership 

If you’d prefer to schedule a personal presentation and get a no cost/commitment proposal based on your employee data click here.

On-Demand Opportunities

Click on the logos below for a list of courses offered!

Save the Date

August 3-4, 2026 – Blueprint for OASIS Accuracy, Plymouth
August 5, 2026 – COS-C Exam, Plymouth

Minnesota Home Care Association
P: 651.635.0607  |  F: 651.635.0043  |  www.mnhomecare.org  |  membership@mnhomecare.org

STAY CONNECTED

Mission: MHCA represents and supports Minnesota home care providers committed to high quality home care services.
Vision: MHCA will shape the home care landscape to improve and sustain quality home care services.