The end of the 2026 legislative session is now over a month behind us. As has been noted on multiple occasions since the close of session, this last biennium was a difficult one for the legislature and for disability services. Many factors contributed to the recent challenging environment at the legislature: last summer’s political violence followed by a tragic school shooting in the fall; federally required changes to our state’s Medical Assistance program eligibility processes and other tensions in state/federal relations; the need to address fraud in state’s programs; the slimmest legislative majority mathematically possible with 101 DFL and 100 GOP; a looming budget deficit and more.
With session now concluded, the measures passed into law last session can be divided into a few general categories (for those interested, MOHR’s end of session written report contains extended details on these provisions). There were, unsurprisingly, a large number of program integrity/anti fraud measures enacted. These included the creation of a statewide Office of Inspector General, funds for upgrades to government IT systems, requirements for DHS to increase their technical assistance support to providers around licensing issues, pre-enrollment risk assessments, new surety bond requirements for providers, pre payment review, expanded Electronic Visit Verification, new billing limits and more. There were also provisions related to continuity of care passed into law, with new requirements for steps that must be taken when either an individual’s or service provider’s reimbursements are suddenly and significantly disrupted. There were also a number of systems reform changes passed this session, including the necessary changes to Medical Assistance eligibility for those not qualifying due to disability, increased accountability measures for DHS’s implementation of Waiver Reimagine, and direction to DHS to complete comprehensive studies and recommendations for reform related to MN Choices, Contracted Waiver Case Management, and the role of DHS versus the counties in administering the Medical Assistance program. There were also changes passed into law resulting in significant reimbursement reductions for certain disability programs, notably the Integrated Community Support program and the Customized Living program.
Also of note are the concerning proposals brought forward this session that did not end up being passed into law. These included limiting DWRS inflationary adjustments to 2%, reducing the Absence and Utilization factor for day services, and requiring new financial capacity thresholds for providers. MOHR’s grassroots efforts helped educate lawmakers about the impact of those proposals on access to services.
Given all this, what are the implications for MOHR’s grassroots legislative advocacy going forward? With the significant focus on program integrity measures during this past session, we know that will likely continue to be an issue of strong interest for the legislature next session. And while the current economic predictions of our state’s financial picture could change, at this point it appears legislators will be grappling next session with another significant budget deficit and pressure to find “cost savings” throughout the state budget. This fall’s election will bring significant turn over among lawmakers at the capitol, and some of the candidates up for election have significant ties to disability issues. These items all underscore the importance of MOHR members continuing the long-game work of growing your relationships with your local legislators and keeping them regularly informed of the opportunities and challenges you are encountering in your work. Thank you for all your efforts – especially in these uncertain times - they are truly the most impactful factor in advancing positive legislative outcomes for disability services.
