The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) has released updated 2024 data on the Employment First dashboards, which track employment outcomes for people who receive Medicaid waiver services, mental health services, or participate in Medical Assistance for Employed Person's with Disabilities, or MA-EPD.

Currently, the dashboards estimate employment status based on income. People earning $600 or more per month are considered to be in competitive, integrated employment, while those earning $599 or less are considered in non-competitive or non-integrated employment. DHS is developing a new dashboard that will provide more accurate and timely data without relying on a proxy measure.

This work supports Minnesota’s Employment First policy, which promotes the belief that all working-age Minnesotans with disabilities can and want to work in competitive, integrated settings.

Go MN! is a grant-funded program that helps people—especially youth and those in subminimum wage jobs—explore competitive, integrated employment. Using the Progressive Employment model from the Institute for Community Inclusion at UMass Boston, Go MN! connects job seekers and businesses through job shadows, work trials, and other hands-on experiences. Participants work with a team to find opportunities that fit their unique goals. 

Now in Year 3, Go MN! continues to build momentum. The program expanded in May 2025 with five pilot sites in Apple Valley, Rochester, Willmar, Winona, and Woodbury. All sites are now fully up and running, and teams have been steadily enrolling both youth and adult participants throughout the summer. As the new school year approaches, each team is focused on increasing awareness among partners and continuing the strong momentum as the project moves toward Year 4.

The process for finding dually enrolled providers—those who offer both waiver employment services and VRS/SSB services—has recently changed due to updates to MinnesotaHelp.info. You can now find updated guidance in the “Selecting a service provider” section of the Work Toolkit, available on the Disability Hub MN – Engage, Plan, and Find pages. 

Dually enrolled providers support a more seamless transition as people move through the phases of employment. Helping people understand their provider options and make informed choices is an important part of supporting their employment journey. 

As Minnesota moves away from center-based programs and subminimum wage jobs for people with disabilities, many service providers face big changes—and big questions. One provider, MRCI in Mankato, participated in a grant-supported learning cohort led by the Institute on Community Integration at the University of MN to shift to competitive employment and meaningful day services. 

With more than 500 employers now partnering with MRCI and nearly 1,300 people supported in community-based services, the results speak for themselves. 

Read the full story about MRCI’s transition to competitive, integrated employment.

This webinar will revisit the hands-on experiences of provider organizations and their leadership staff that began shifting their business models and service practices to support competitive integrated employment and community life engagement outcomes before more formal initiatives were established. Staff from several agencies will share their reflections on what the process looked like, including the challenges encountered, lessons they learned, and how those early efforts have shaped the way they operate today.  

When: Aug 14, 2025, 1:00 PM 

Registration: MTI Quarterly Training registration is open 

The MN Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE) annual conference is the state’s only conference focused solely on improving and expanding competitive, integrated employment outcomes for people with disabilities. It brings together roughly 100 providers, case managers, self-advocates, education professionals, and state agencies from across the state. 

The 2025 annual conference will focus on employment and transition-age youth, and best practices for employment providers. Learn more while connecting with MN APSE members, self-advocates, and professionals. Lunch and refreshments are provided. 

When: Thursday, October 2 from 8:30 am – 4:30 pm Central  

Where: Shoreview Community Center: 4600 Victoria Street North, Shoreview, MN 55126  

Registration: MN APSE conference registration is open