The Minnesota Senate today approved Governor Walz’s and the DFL Majority’s Human Services budget agreement. This legislation provides meaningful support to ensure Minnesotans have access to in-home care, but it only provides trivial resources to help stabilize the state’s struggling long-term care facilities. The original bill received strong bipartisan support off the Senate floor. Following significant changes in conference committee, far fewer Senators voted for the final version of this bill because it’s forgetting about our seniors in nursing homes.
Instead of providing permanent funding to address the severe workforce shortage issues facing nursing homes, this legislation contains a potentially unworkable $100 million loan program and one-time staff retention grants. Minnesota nursing homes have been closing due to significant financial pressures driven by decisions made at the state level. Without adequate staffing, nursing homes have been forced to turn away seniors in need.
“Our Minnesota nursing homes are on the brink of collapse,” Senator Torrey Westrom (R-Alexandria) said. “Republicans urged Democrat leaders to address the severe workforce shortage issues facing nursing homes. I am extremely disappointed that Democrats do not share this same priority. Instead, they are choosing to be willfully blind to this dire emergency and ignore the critical needs of Minnesota seniors.” During the floor debate, Senator Torrey Westrom (R-Alexandria) highlighted how this legislation fails to adequately support Minnesota nursing homes.
Equally troubling is the lack of support for non-emergency medical transportation, like trips to dialysis, or other life-saving care. The Senate went in with a strong position on the issue, but the conference committee report reduced the funding by over 50%. This means that necessary medical rides for dialysis, blood transfusions and other key needs will no longer be available for thousands of frail elderly and persons with disabilities.
While the final Human Services budget agreement does not address the most pressing needs of Minnesota seniors, it does provide strong support for Minnesotans who are outside of nursing homes and receive in-home care. This includes support for:
- 25% increase in home care nursing
- Personal Care Assistance driving reimbursement for residents
- Support for group homes
- Funding for assisted living