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Gov. Mark Dayton
announced his supplemental budget proposals March 15, including proposals that
make significant investments in human services. The proposals fund safety net
services at DHS Direct Care and Treatment facilities in St. Peter and Anoka,
improving client care and safety. The proposals also increase funding for the
Child Care Assistance Program and provide economic stability for families
through an increase in the Minnesota Family Investment Program cash grant.
Health care proposals include providing assistance for people with disabilities
and their families who would be adversely affected by federal rules on assets,
an increase in rates for primary care and mental health care providers for
people on public programs and the pursuit of a waiver to expand MinnesotaCare
to 275 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. These and other human
services proposals are detailed on the Minnesota
Management & Budget website and on the DHS website.
Fact
sheets summarizing human services proposals for the 2016 legislative session
are now available on the DHS website. The fact sheets highlight proposals in
both the capital budget and supplemental budgets. Gov. Mark Dayton’s
supplemental budget recommendations for human services (PDF) are online.
Legislative reports and background information also can be found on the legislative
information page. Videos featuring DHS bonding proposals are on the video gallery page.
Mental health
crisis services provided in a person’s home will soon be available in all parts
of the state through more than $13.6 million in mobile mental health crisis
grants recently awarded to local service providers by the Minnesota Department
of Human Services. The funding, which includes an additional $3 million
provided by the 2015 Legislature, makes
services available to children and adults in all 87 counties. More
information is in a news release
about the funding.
Minnesota
Department of Human Services Commissioner Emily Piper and Health Commissioner
Dr. Ed Ehlinger visited Bemidji March 29 to highlight a proposal in Gov. Mark
Dayton’s capital budget that will increase access to dental care for low-income
families in northwestern Minnesota. As the only community clinic in the region,
Northern Dental Access Center serves more than 1,200 uninsured and underinsured
patients each month, many of whom travel over 100 miles to access the center’s
services. Gov. Dayton’s bonding bill includes a $6 million investment to help
construct a new, larger clinic that would allow Northern Dental Access Center
to serve a greater number of Minnesotans, improve health outcomes, and create
jobs in northwestern Minnesota. More information is in a news release
about the dental access proposal.
For most people who
gamble, it’s harmless entertainment. For others, gambling consumes their daily
thoughts, leads them into debt or damages relationships. Often those who are
close to them may notice, but don’t know what to say. During March, National
Problem Gambling Awareness Month, the Minnesota Department of Human Services
(DHS) is urging Minnesotans to become informed and reach out to others in their
communities. This year’s theme is “Problem Gambling: Have the Conversation.”
More information is in a news release
about Problem Gambling Awareness Month.
Minnesota will take
part in SNAP to Skills, a first-of-its-kind effort to help states design
improved employment and training programs for adults participating in the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). U.S. Department of Agriculture
Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the 10 states chosen to participate in the
program March 2, citing the states' strong commitment to expanding the SNAP
Education & Training program, their ability to build effective partnerships
with local training providers, and the availability of strong, job-driven
workforce development programs in the state. More information is in a news story
about the jobs project.
A new report from
the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the University of Minnesota finds
that Minnesota cut its uninsured rate nearly in half between 2013 and 2015, and
the rate of Minnesotans without health insurance has now reached an all-time
low. The percent of Minnesotans without health insurance fell to 4.3 percent in
2015 — the lowest rate in state history — according to the survey conducted by
MDH and the University of Minnesota’s State Health Access Data Assistance
Center. More information is in a news story
about health insurance coverage.
A Minnesota
Department of Health report has found adult Minnesotans living in households
earning less than $35,000 per year are nearly two and a half times more likely
to have diabetes than Minnesotans living in households with annual incomes more
than $35,000. The diabetes rate for working-age (18- to 64-year-olds)
Minnesotans living in households with incomes less than $35,000 is 12.5
percent, compared to a rate of 5 percent for working-age Minnesotans living in
households with incomes greater than $35,000. More information is in a news story
about the report findings.
Fact sheets about DHS programs were updated during March:
Questions and comments about navigation and technical issues should be emailed to the DHS webmaster. Send news story ideas for the public website to DHS Communications.
This information is available in accessible formats for individuals with disabilities by calling 651-431-2911 or by using your preferred relay service. For other information on disability rights and protections, contact the agency's ADA coordinator.
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