News from DHS for December 2024

Minnesota Department of Human Services sent this bulletin at 12/31/2024 01:11 PM CST
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NEWS FROM DHS

December 2024

News from DHS archive

In this issue:

Minnesota stabilizes Medicaid for children up to age 6

Stock photo of a doctor showing a little boy their stethoscope

Eligible Minnesota children will soon have steady access to Medicaid health insurance until they turn 6.

The new policy as of Jan. 1 will support a healthier, more equitable start for the youngest state residents. All children under age 6 who qualify for Medical Assistance will have up to 72 months of uninterrupted coverage. Medical Assistance is Minnesota’s Medicaid program.

Signed into law by Governor Tim Walz in 2023, continuous eligibility for kids prevents gaps in necessary care and promotes health equity.

“We know that consistent access to health care and regular check-ups improve children’s health outcomes, support school readiness and advance health equity,” said Commissioner Jodi Harpstead. “This new policy takes a big step toward those goals.”

Another change gives qualifying 19- and 20-year-olds ongoing Medical Assistance eligibility for 12 months at a time.

More information is in a department news release.

Congrats to our Outstanding Refugee Award recipients

Group photo of 2024 Outstanding Refugee Award recipients with Commissioner Jodi Harpstead and State Refugee Coordinator Rachele King

Appreciation and dedication to serving community were on display at this year’s Outstanding Refugee Awards ceremony, where DHS honored 10 recipients from 2024.

The Outstanding Refugee Awards include four categories: Civic Engagement, Entrepreneurship, New Arrival and Young Leader.

Commissioner Jodi Harpstead and State Refugee Coordinator Rachele King recently handed out the 2024 awards during a celebration with the recipients and their families at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul.

“By sharing your experience and your story, you are helping to define what people think about when they hear the term ‘refugee,’” King told the dozens of ceremony attendees.

“You are the people this program represents, and you are so much more than that label. Each of you has taken your past refugee experience to achieve what you have in the present and are leading to help shape Minnesota’s future.”

More information about the recipients is on the DHS website.

In social media: Thank you HHS workers!

2024 Health and Human Services Worker Day social media post

>> Follow DHS on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook for timely updates on DHS news and events.

>> For announcements of hiring events, job postings, internships and more, follow us on LinkedIn and the DHS Careers Facebook page.

Accessible formats

For accessible formats of this publication, write to dhs.communications@state.mn.us, or call 651-431-2000 or use your preferred relay service.

Beginning a new chapter for behavioral health in Minnesota

Photo of Teresa Steinmetz

Earlier this year, DHS launched a separate Behavioral Health Administration within the department to address Minnesota's growing behavioral health needs post-pandemic.

This launch reflects a commitment to ensuring all Minnesotans have access to compassionate care for prevention, treatment and recovery.

Led by Assistant Commissioner Teresa Steinmetz, the administration will streamline grant processes, collaborate on Medicaid updates, and focus on equitable, inclusive services. Some key priorities include:

  • Strengthening the behavioral health workforce
  • Expanding programs to underserved areas
  • Increasing culturally specific providers
  • Enhancing early intervention options.

For more information, read Steinmetz’s article in the latest issue of The Phoenix Spirit explaining how the restructuring puts an enhanced focus on these critical needs.

In the news

newspaper beside a coffee cup

New Minnesota law will allow children to have Medicaid access up to age 6: Starting in 2025, all children under the age of six who qualify for Medicaid will have up to 72 months of uninterrupted coverage. KAAL covered the story.

Land return, voting rights and fashion: 2024 Native News coverage through photos: MPR News and the Native News team covered Indigenous stories ranging from government policies to the arts in 2024. Highlights include a new agreement between Minnesota and the Leech Lake band that marks a hopeful new start, and a gathering for adult adoptees to learn about claiming personal histories and items left by birth parents from DHS files. See more in an MPR News article.

Why are Minnesota special ed and long-term care costs rising so fast? The number of Minnesotans seeking special education and long-term care services is growing fast, and the assistance they receive is increasingly expensive. In human services, there's been a steady rise in people using disability waivers for care that helps them continue to live in their communities. Learn more in a Star Tribune article.

More Minnesotans live outside than a decade ago, study finds. A survey conducted in 2023 found a 10% increase in the state's unsheltered population from 2013. Learn more in a WCCO story.

SNAP challenge highlights why hunger remains a crisis. Food security advocates are participating in a SNAP challenge, agreeing to live within Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for a month to demonstrate the difficulty of eating within federal food access programs. Learn more in a Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder article.