After constant changes, we will advance in 2020 with strong advocacy

by Julie Johnson, president the Minnesota Organization for Habilitation and Rehabilitation (MOHR)

Happy New Year! I’m grateful for the opportunity that a new year brings to reflect on the past, and plan for the future.

2019 was a year of constant change in our field. Services, funding, rules, and regulations all changed in some way, with the intent to increase peoples’ employment opportunities, continue to improve the Disability Waiver Rate System, and modify Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) billing documentation.

Despite the pressure put on MOHR members by these changes and the continued workforce shortage, providers in Minnesota continued to offer high-quality, person-centered services that ensure people receiving supports continue to live the lives they choose and engage with their communities.

MOHR is preparing for another busy year of responding to the needs of our members through strong advocacy and support. Our committees have set their workplans and focus areas for 2020. The executive committee will be meeting in February to work on Strategic Planning using the valuable feedback from the MOHR member survey. Our Board-approved legislative workplan will focus on the following initiatives:

• Addressing the Disability Services Workforce Shortage.
• Strengthening Employment Services Provided through Minnesota’s Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).
• Advancing Continued Needed Reforms to the Disability Waiver Rate System.
• Shaping the Continued Redesign of Employment and other Day Services.
• Developing a New Rate Setting System for Transportation Services.

We will also be monitoring other legislative issues that arise impacting individuals with disabilities.

There is much additional work to be done in 2020, and what follows are some of the major “we will” items we plan to address.

We will continue to support the Best Life Alliance and amplify their efforts. We will monitor and provide input on important issues, like the work of the Blue-Ribbon Commission and the Waiver Reimagine project. We will continue to work with DEED and DHS on their recent Memo of Understanding. We will participate in campaigns to increase awareness and decrease occurrences of sexual violence in the disability community. We will monitor rate setting for transportation services and provide input for cost reporting. We will work to ensure everyone is counted in the Census.

This year finds us saying goodbye to DHS team members with whom we have worked for years and developing relationships with new DHS team members and others from DEED. Partnership and collaboration with these organizations is crucial to achieve the vision of robust, adequately funded services that provide increased employment opportunities for those who want to work, quality options for those who choose not to work, and community-connected, person-centered services for all.

Your work is extremely valuable and important. Thank you for all you do on behalf of people with disabilities across the state. Thank you to all committee members, board members, and region leaders for their work in 2019 and continued leadership in 2020. Here’s to a productive and successful 2020!