HRD is posting a variety of new positions as we move further into implementing our new structure, so we wanted to provide staff with some resources for staying up to date with them! We’ll still continue to let you know via email and Have You HRD? when new postings are coming up, but in case one of these works better for you:  

1. You can sign up for automated e-mails when an MDH job is posted. Click on the link below and enter your e-mail address and click on the Submit button. Once you submit, you will get an e-mail confirmation that you have signed up to receive automated notifications: Subscribe to receive email updates of current job openings at MDH.
2. The State of MN Careers website also has instructions for setting up a Job Search Agent on their Application and Selection Process Creating a job search agent allows you to specify criteria (for example, jobs in HRD or jobs in a particular classification) and then receive an email about only the jobs that meet those criteria. 

Hey HRD, Happy last month of Fiscal Year 2021! For this month of the data edition of Have You HRD?, I want to talk about the difference between a “data request” and a “Data Practices Request” (DPR). 

Data requests, in contrast to DPRs, are not a formal process. They are as simple as someone emailing/calling/Teams messaging/etc. asking for data. Data requests can be internal (originating from MDH) or external (originating from either another state agency or outside entity). An external data request can only ask for publicly available information (with some exceptions for other state agencies). If the data request is internal, then there are no limitations on what information can be shared.  

However, it is important to only share information that is absolutely needed, and sometimes question why certain information is needed. For example, if I received an internal data request asking for all information that we collect on the Nursing Assistant Registry (NAR), I would not immediately provide the information. On the NAR, we collect non-public information, such as Social Security Numbers, and there is no reason why SSNs would ever be needed in a data request. There is no binding law that requires a response to a data request. 

Data Practices Requests are similar to data requests, but they have a few key differences: 

1. Delivery method: In order to submit a DPR, someone has to submit an email to a specific mailbox (Health.DataPracticesRequest@state.mn.us) or mail the request to a specific mailbox; this mailbox can be found on MDH’s public Data Practices webpage, along with more information about DPRs.
2. Information: A DPR entitles the requestor to any public information. The only time that a requestor can be given private information is if the requestor is requesting information about themselves.
3. Charges: While a data request is free, MDH may charge the requestor for DPRs.
4. Formal Method: In the email, the requestor must state that they are making a request under the Minnesota Data Practices Act, give a description of the requested data, and state whether you want to view the data in person or have it sent to you via mail/email. There are timeline requirements that the agency must meet with DPRs. 

As you can see, DPRs are similar to data requests, but with some key differences. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to me. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I’ll see you next month with my next addition to Have You HRD?! 

Contact info: erik.holmberg@state.mn.us  

Phase 3: Starting September 1, the auto-delete policy will be reduced to 3 months (90 days). Anything older than June 3, 2021 will be deleted.  

What do I need to do? 

Start looking at your old emails now to make sure that you don’t have any records in your email that need to be saved. Many of us use our inbox as file organization or storage, and now is a good time to create new habits! 

• Set up a search folder (LinkedIn Learning video, 4min) for items older than a particular date (we recommend starting with April 1, 2020) and then review all of the items in that folder. When you’ve finished, you can edit the folder to move forward one month (to May 1, 2020), and repeat the process.  
• Block 15 minutes on your calendar every day, and use that time to review emails. (It’s tempting to do it in longer blocks, or not every day, but that might also mean you never actually do it. Use your knowledge of your own work habits to set a consistent schedule that will work for you.) 

• As you review your messages, determine if you need to keep them. You need to keep things that are records, but you might also keep items that are reference copies, things you’re currently working on, or personal papers. 

• The MDH Records and Information Management (RIM) office has a library of resources that can help you determine what is a record and what’s worth keeping. 
• If you’re not sure whether something is a record or needs to be kept, reach out to HRD’s Record Coordinator, Siobhain Rivera.   
• If your emails are the subject of a pending Data Practices Act Request, or subject to a Litigation Hold, don’t delete them! Staff from the Legal Office will reach out to you to help you preserve emails related to litigation.  

• If your emails are not the subject of a pending official Data Practices Act request, are not an official record, are not subject to a litigation hold, and they do not have business value, then you may delete them earlier than the 90-day auto delete setting. 

As of June 1, the Finance team will require certificate-based digital signatures on all employee expense reports. Digital signatures that do not meet this standard will not be accepted for expense reports; examples of signatures that will not be accepted include: 

• Image of a signature that has been copied onto a document 
• Typed signature using a cursive or calligraphy font 
• “/s/” followed by a typed name 
• Image-based electronic signature, such as that generated by the Adobe Fill & Sign tool 

• Rosa Mendoza, Shared Services (Administration) 
• Lisa Ochs, Shared Services (Administration)