In response to the crisis facing Minnesota’s long-term and disability care industry, Senator John Hoffman (DFL-Champlin) and Senator Jim Abeler (R-Anoka) have introduced the landmark Caregiver Stabilization Act (SF 7) to increase wages and strengthen the industry.
“Hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans are struggling to live their lives with the dignity they deserve because they cannot get the daily care they need and some have even died,” said Senator Hoffman. “Without this care, these Minnesotans are often unable to work, unable to get the medical care they need, and for some, are put into life-threatening situations. It’s a crisis that we must address and address as soon as possible.”
The care crisis is a result of several factors, including the general labor shortage, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and most adversely, the non-competitive wages for long-term and disability caregiving. The Caregiver Stabilization Act seeks to substantially invest resources into raising reimbursement rates for caregiving.
“Minnesota’s long-term care industry continues to be overwhelmed by a significant lack of staff and faces a dire emergency situation,” Senator Abeler said. “It is critical to ensure that our senior citizens and Minnesotans with disabilities have access to high-quality caregivers. This is truly a people-focused issue, not a political issue. I am grateful to continue addressing this crisis in a strong bipartisan manner.”
The Caregiver Stabilization Act focuses on stabilizing Minnesota’s struggling long-term care industry affecting senior citizens and persons with disabilities. In response to the industry’s ongoing staffing crisis, this bill significantly invests resources to raise caregiver reimbursement rates in all sectors, including nursing homes and group homes. This would help prevent many facilities from closing and ensure individuals have access to essential caregiver services.
These new rates would affect state disability waivers, elderly waivers, home care services, nursing facilities, intermediate care facilities, and emergency and non-emergency medical transportation. The legislation would also put funding into a residential setting closure prevention program and expand the emergency staffing pool to include providers of and certain recipients of home and community-based services.
“We have a historic opportunity to make sure those who provide essential care are receiving the wages they deserve,” said Senator Hoffman. “Now, with an unprecedented budget surplus, we must boldly lead and live up to our responsibility of One Minnesota.”