Says the Funding is in Addition to the Largest Investment in Nursing Home Care Passed Last Week in the Human Services Budget
SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic (DFL-Minneapolis) said the Senate has passed a $300 million relief package to address the crisis faced by Minnesota’s nursing homes.
Majority Leader Dziedzic said the measure – authored by Senator John Hoffman (DFL-Champlin) – will ensure that Minnesota seniors have access to high-quality nursing home care, and that the workers who deliver that care have the wages and benefits they need to live their lives.
“Last week, the DFL majority passed the Human Services budget that included the largest investment in human services in state history,” said Majority Leader Dziedzic. “Today, we are adding an additional $300 million for our state’s nursing to help deal with the crisis that is threatening care for our seniors. It will help them address their immediate needs, and help them recruit and retain the employee need to ensure that seniors continue to get quality.”
“This bill provides badly-needed funding directly for our distressed nursing homes. I am grateful to my colleagues for finding common cause to dedicate emergency resources to keep the doors open at long-term care facilities across the state,” said Sen. Hoffman, Chair of the Senate Human Services Committee. “This bill will alleviate debt and help facilities hire qualified caregivers to make sure our seniors receive the quality of care they deserve. We have heard about unmet needs from the industry, families, and patient advocates throughout this session, and this bill, combined with the Human Services budget we passed earlier, will go a long way toward stabilizing these essential care facilities.”
The $300 million measure includes:
· A new $75 million grant program to assist with recruiting and retaining direct support professionals.
· Payments of $173 million to nursing facilities – consisting of two payments to every nursing facility in the state. Each will receive a lump sum payment of $225,000, with a second payment distributed based on the number of active nursing facility beds as of May 12, 2023.
· $51 million for a temporary, daily rate add-on for 18 months from July 1, 2023, through December 31, 2024. Facilities will receive an additional $12.35 per day per resident for the period resulting in additional revenue for nursing facilities equal to approximately $134 million. The rate add-on leverages federal share and private pay contributions.
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