Since March 2020, Minnesotans who rely on Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare have remained enrolled in public health care program coverage regardless of changes in their lives that previously would have affected their coverage. Like all states, Minnesota paused its standard reviews of enrollee eligibility to maintain continuous coverage for people during the pandemic.  

Congress passed legislation mandating states to return to standard eligibility procedures in public health care programs by April 2023. Due to this change, nearly 1.5 million Minnesotans enrolled in Medicaid (called Medical Assistance in Minnesota) or MinnesotaCare will need their eligibility for the programs reviewed in the next 18 months.  

DHS is encouraging individuals to keep their contact information up to date to get updated information on the renewal process and avoid losing coverage. Learn more about the renewal process, update your contact information, and get information on how to stay connected in this process at https://mn.gov/dhs/renewmycoverage/. Renewals for Medical Assistance enrollees will take place based on the anniversary month of an individual’s application for coverage. Renewal processes for Medical Assistance restarted in April 2023, beginning with enrollees who have a July renewal. Medical Assistance enrollees will receive a pre-renewal in the mail three months before their enrollment anniversary and the renewal form will be mailed one to two months before the renewal is due. Renewals for MinnesotaCare coverage will restart beginning in October 2023 for coverage effective Jan. 1, 2024.  

Join the webinar tomorrow from 1:00 – 2:00 pm to hear an update on the renewal process from Dr. Nathan Chomilo, Minnesota’s Medicaid Medical Director. Dr. Chomilo joined the webinar in January 2023 to share information and collect feedback on how to support people facing homelessness in the renewal process. If you have any questions about your webinar registration, please email elizabeth.dressel@state.mn.us. If you cannot attend the webinar, all materials and recordings are shared here: https://mich.mn.gov/webinars. 

On April 27, the Minnesota Housing board approved $23 million of the Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program (FHPAP) funding to be allocated to current FHPAP administrators. The $23 million is based on how much funding FHPAP administrators determined they could utilize before September 30, 2023, which is the end of the current contract period. These funds would be in addition to the FHPAP funds they are already operating with and will allow administrators to serve more households than they are typically able to serve. This funding was made available through $50 million for FHPAP passed by the legislature and signed into law by Governor Walz at the end of March. The remaining fast track funds will be allocated through another RFP. FHPAP administrators will conduct outreach or marketing for the program on a local level. 

Minnesota residents experiencing a housing crisis may be eligible for help with their rent, utilities or other housing costs if their income is at or below 200% of federal poverty guidelines. Those interested in applying are encouraged to reach out to the administrator in their region.  

Join the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) for the Statewide Transition Coalition on Friday, May 12 from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. With opening and welcome with Deputy Commissioner, Curtis Shanklin, in this virtual event you will hear from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on how housing and recidivism connect and from HOME Line on legal rights of landlords and tenants. Additionally, learn about early learning scholarships and what it means to be a case manager inside the DOC. All are welcome to join this virtual meeting and can register for the event here.  

The Transition Coalition work is part of the commitment the DOC has made to engage with community partners and increase access to resources, programs and services people impacted by incarceration need in order to thrive in communities and reduce individual risk. Learn more and sign up for the Transitions Coalition newsletter on the DOC Transition’s Coalition webpage. 

On May 11, 2023, the Minnesota of Department of Health (MDH) will retire the RePortal test reporting system. Instead, all positive, professionally-administered COVID-19 tests should be reported to MDH via SimpleReport. This system allows users to upload individual tests results or a spreadsheet of results using a simple, web-based portal. Detailed information about setting up and using SimpleReport can be found in the SimpleReport User Guide.  

Please contact health.ElectronicDiseaseReporting@state.mn.us for questions related to MDH reporting requirements. There is no change to case reporting requirements, and all over-the-counter tests associated with homeless service sites should continue to be reported to RedCap.