Health and Human Services

The following write-ups are produced and maintained by Minnesota House Research Department, with some links provided to other sources.

General Health and Human Services

• Children and Families Overview
  Presentation to members. January 2025
• Children and Families Commonly Used Acronyms
• Department of Children, Youth, and Families Statute Recodification
  A 89-page publication that shows the new organization of statutes governing the programs, services, and functions of state government that are transferred to the new Department of Children, Youth, and Families, created by the 2023 Legislature. August 2024.
• Health and Human Services COVID-19 Response
  Describes the health and human services executive orders issued by Gov. Walz during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also includes a list of the waivers and modifications to HHS programs and services, and describes enacted in response to COVID-19. May 2020.
• Health and Human Services: Temporary Changes Related to Telemedicine
  Tables summarizing temporary waivers and modifications related to telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic, as made by the governor, legislature, and state agencies.
• Eligibility of Noncitizens for Health Care and Cash Assistance Programs
  An 18-page information brief that summarizes noncitizens' eligibility for programs like GA, MFIP, MSA, SSI, Food Stamps, EGA, GAMC, MA, MinnesotaCare, EMA, and GRH. November 2019.
• Health and Human Services Commonly Used Acronyms
• Health Overview
  Presentation to members. January 2025
• Human Services Overview
  Presentation to members. January 2025
• Human Services Programs: Federal, State, and Local Governments
• Minnesota's All-Payer Claims Database

Child Care

• Child Care Assistance: An Overview
• The Child Care Assistance Program
  A 15-page publication that explains the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), which is a federal-state program that subsidizes child care expenses for low-income families. December 2024.
• Child Care Grant Program for Postsecondary Students
• Child Care Licensing
  A 5-page brief that explains the types of child care licenses, licensing requirements, roles of government in the licensing process, monitoring and enforcement, exclusions from licensure, and licensing studies. July 2024.
• Federal Changes for CCAP
  A 6-page publication providing an orientation to a federal rule that modifies regulations governing child care subsidy programs, like the child care assistance program. December 2024.
• Parent Aware

Child Support

• Child Support: Basic Questions
• Minnesota's Child Support Laws: An Overview
  A 21-page overview of the state laws setting, modifying, paying, enforcing, and terminating child support. December 2024.

Health Care Programs

• Integrated Health Partnerships Program
  A 14-page brief that describes the Integrated Health Partnerships Program, which is a direct contracting program between the state and healthcare providers for services provided to MA and MinnesotaCare enrollees. January 2024.
• Public Program Dental Reimbursement and Other Changes: 2021 Session
  A 6-page brief that describes changes made by the 2021 Legislature regarding reimbursement for dental care under the Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare programs. October 2021.
• Publicly Provided Mental Health Services in Minnesota
  A 26-page brief that explains how the publicly provided mental health system works and provides information on the range of available services, eligibility requirements, how the services are delivered, and how the services are funded. November 2023.
• Telemedicine Laws in Minnesota
  A 15-page publication that describes the major provisions for providing telemedicine under Minnesota law, including temporary changes made recently related to COVID. July 2020.
• Utilization Review of Health Care Services
  A 12-page publication summarizing state laws governing utilization review and the regulation of utilization review organizations. June 2024.

Health Professions

• Long-Term Care Workforce Incentives
  A 13-page publication that provides information on workforce shortages in the area of long-term care and summarizes the various ways the legislature has addressed the issue. April 2024.
• Medical Education and Research Costs (MERC): Funding Mechanisms
• State Regulation of Health-Related Occupations
  A 5-page publication that provides information on the way the state regulates health-related occupations; these occupations are overseen by a health-related licensing board, the Minnesota Department of Health, or the Office of Emergency Medical Services. September 2024.

HHS Facilities

• Corporate Foster Care Moratorium
• Direct Care and Treatment
• Direct Care and Treatment Recodification
  A 10-page publication that shows the new organization of statutes governing the programs, services, and functions of the Department of Human Services that are being transferred to the new Direct Care and Treatment agency. June 2024.
• Long-Term Care Consultation Services Recodification
  A table showing how long-term care consultation services were recodified in 2022.
• Minnesota's Hospital Construction Moratorium
  A 20-page publication that explains the moratorium on construction of new hospitals in Minnesota and the exceptions to the moratorium. January 2023.
• Nursing Facility Payment Rate Calculation
• Nursing Facility Recodification
  A table showing how nursing facility payment rate statutes were recodified in 2016.
• Nursing Facility Reimbursement
  An overview. August 2023.
• Nursing Facility Reimbursement and Regulation
  A 13-page information brief that explains how nursing facilities in Minnesota are reimbursed and regulated. December 2023.
• Regulation of Health and Human Services Facilities
  A 26-page guidebook describing how residential support service facilities are regulated, operated, and reimbursed. December 2021.

Income Assistance Programs

• Basics of Emergency General Assistance
• Cash Assistance in Minnesota
  An 11-page publication that describes the government-administered programs that provide cash assistance in Minnesota: the Minnesota Family Investment Program and General Assistance. December 2022.
• Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT)
• General Assistance
  A 9-page publication that describes the state program that provides cash assistance to needy persons. Part of the Public Assistance Programs series. October 2024.
• General Assistance: An Overview
• Minnesota Supplemental Aid
  A 9-page publication that describes the state program that provides supplemental cash assistance to people who are aged, blind, or disabled. Part of the Public Assistance Programs series. October 2024.
• Housing Assistance Programs
  A 14-page publication that describes programs that provide housing assistance and are administered by the Department of Human Services and the Department of Health. November 2021.
• Housing Support Program
  A 9-page publication that describes the Housing Support Program (formerly Group Residential Housing), a state program that provides payments for room and board and related housing support for eligible people. Part of the Public Assistance Programs series. November 2024.
• Nutrition Assistance Programs
  A 17-page publication that describes nutrition assistance programs, including federal Food Support and state-funded food assistance programs. Part of the Public Assistance Programs series. November 2024.
• Programs and Services for People Experiencing Homelessness
  A 10-page brief explaining the state programs and services that are designed to support people experiencing homelessness. February 2024.
• Supplemental Security Income
  An 8-page publication that describes the federal program that provides cash assistance to people who are aged, blind, or disabled. Part of the Public Assistance Programs series. October 2024.
• State-Funded Minnesota Housing Finance Agency Programs
  An 10-page summary of the MHFA programs that promote affordable housing throughout the state. May 2022.

Public Assistance Programs

A series of publications that describe state and federal programs that provide assistance in the form of health care, income, food, housing, and child care

• Overview of Public Assistance Programs
  A 13-page publication that provides a broad overview of the programs that provide health coverage, financial assistance, and other benefits to Minnesotans. Part of the Public Assistance Programs series. November 2024.
• General Assistance
  A 9-page publication that describes the state program that provides cash assistance to needy persons. Part of the Public Assistance Programs series. October 2024.
• Minnesota Family Investment Program
  A 29-page publication that describes MFIP, an income assistance program for eligible low-income families. January 2025.
• Minnesota Supplemental Aid
  A 9-page publication that describes the state program that provides supplemental cash assistance to people who are aged, blind, or disabled. Part of the Public Assistance Programs series. October 2024.
• Supplemental Security Income
  An 8-page publication that describes the federal program that provides cash assistance to people who are aged, blind, or disabled. Part of the Public Assistance Programs series. October 2024.
• Medical Assistance
  A 25-page publication that describes Medical Assistance, including its eligibility requirements, benefits, and funding and expenditures. July 2024.
• MinnesotaCare
  A 14-page publication explaining eligibility requirements, covered services, and other aspects of the program. October 2024.
• The Child Care Assistance Program
  A 15-page publication that explains the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), which is a federal-state program that subsidizes child care expenses for low-income families. December 2024.
• Housing Support Program
  A 9-page publication that describes the Housing Support Program (formerly Group Residential Housing), a state program that provides payments for room and board and related housing support for eligible people. Part of the Public Assistance Programs series. November 2024.
• Nutrition Assistance Programs
  A 17-page publication that describes nutrition assistance programs, including federal Food Support and state-funded food assistance programs. Part of the Public Assistance Programs series. November 2024.

Public Health

• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
• Food Safety System: An Overview
• Immunization Laws
  A 10-page publication that explains Minnesota laws on immunizations for those enrolled in a child care facility, school-based early childhood program, school, or postsecondary educational institution. December 2024.
• Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act
• Minnesota Department of Health Home Visiting Services
  An 8-page publication that provides information on home visiting programs supported by the MDH and funded with money administered by MDH. October 2022.
• The Minnesota Newborn Screening Programs
• Minnesota's Medical Cannabis Program
  A 34-page brief that explains the Medical Cannabis Therapeutic Research Act, which established a patient registry program that allows qualifying patients to use and possess cannabis for medical purposes. October 2023.
• Opioid Regulation in Minnesota
  A 13-page publication providing an overview of the state laws governing the prescribing, dispensing, and disposal of opioids and opioid antagonists. December 2018.
• Regulation of Electronic Cigarettes

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities

• Community First Services and Supports (CFSS)
• Disability Determinations for Public Assistance and Health Care
• Disability Waiver Rate System
• Elderly Waiver Recodification
  A table showing how the elderly waiver statutes were recodified in 2019.
• Long-term Care Services for Seniors
  A 27-page publication that describes various federal and state programs that provide health care and other services for seniors.. December 2024.
• Medicaid Home- and Community-Based Waiver Programs
  An 11-page information brief that provides background information on the Medicaid home- and community-based waiver programs and provides details on the five Minnesota-specific waivers. September 2022.
• Overview of Medicaid Home- and Community-Based Waivered Services
  An overview of the programs. October 2021.
• Medicaid Long-Term Care Costs
• The Minnesota Vulnerable Adults Act
  A 29-page publication that provides an overview the vulnerable adults act, whose purpose is to ensure that vulnerable adults are safe in their living environments and in the receipt of health care and supportive services. November 2022.
• Overview of Programs for People with Disabilities
  A 33-page information brief that provides information on the federal and state programs that provide health services for people with disabilities, including expenditures and cost comparisons. November 2022.

Youth & Minors' Rights

• Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy
• Minors' Consent for Health Care
• Reporting Maltreatment of Minors
  A 17-page overview of reporting maltreatment of minors as established in the Maltreatment of Minors Act. The act establishes a system for reporting possible child abuse and neglect, and its related laws and rules. July 2022.
• Youth and the Law
  A 140-page guidebook explaining state law and court cases that establish rights, responsibilities, and protections for youth, including information on economic protection, education, health and social services, and criminal justice. February 2024.

Archived Materials

The following materials have been archived and may contain some information that is not up-to-date. "Archived" materials are no longer actively maintained by House Research Department and are generally at least five years old. Current materials are provided in the previous topics.

• 1991 State Takeover of Human Services Program Costs (Request a copy)
• 2000 Child Care Assistance Legislation
• 2008 Health Care Reform Act: Implementation Timelines
  An 18-page information brief that lists the implementation timelines for the 2008 health care reform bill, relating to health care access, public health, health care homes, provider quality, and payment reform. July 2008.
• The 60-Month Time Limit on TANF Assistance
• Act summary HHS articles of Chapter 201, the omnibus supplemental budget
• Additional Data on Child Support Receipt Among Welfare Recipients in Minnesota
• Aid to Families With Dependent Children (AFDC): Effects of the Federal Deficit Reduction Act of 1984 (DEFRA) (Request a copy)
• AIDS Testing in the Health Care Setting: A Survey of State Laws (Request a copy)
• Are Former Welfare Recipients Filing State Income Tax Returns
• Assisted Living/Housing with Services in Minnesota
• Basic Sliding Fee Child Care Program (Request a copy)
• Brain Death (Request a copy)
• Casey: The Supreme Court Abortion Decision (Request a copy)
• Changes in Eligibility for Food Stamps
• Characteristics of AFDC/MFIP Recipients
• Child Care Assistance
  A 13-page publication that describes the child care assistance programs (MFIP and BSF), including their administration, funding, eligibility requirements, and use. November 2020.
• Child Care Assistance Comparison
• Community Rating of Medicare Supplement Premiums (Request a copy)
• Co-payments in the Medical Assistance Program: A Survey of State Practices (Request a copy)
• Cost Containment Methods (Request a copy)
• County Home Rules (Request a copy)
• County Social Services Revenues and Expenditures in 1992 (Request a copy)
• County Social Services Revenues and Expenditures in 2003
  A 115-page report that profiles county social services revenues and expenditures for 2003, describes the various funding sources used by counties for social services, and describes county social services reporting requirements. December 2005.
• Do Free Tax Preparation Sites Increase Welfare Recipients' Utilization of State Earned Income Credits
• Do MFIP Participants Receive Child Support?
• Do MFIP Participants Receiving Child Support Differ from Those Not Receiving Child Support?
• Does Child Support Help Families Transition Off of Welfare?
• Expanded Provider Network Requirements (Request a copy)
• Factors Contributing to Longer Stays on Welfare: A Literature Review
• Former Welfare Parents and the Poverty Guidelines
• Freedom to Breathe Act of 2007
• Funding to Support Child Care Assistance: Federal and State Appropriations and Tax Expenditures
  A 6-page brief that summarizes child care assistance programs and their funding. November 2018.
• General Assistance Medical Care
  Information brief explaining eligibility requirements, covered services, and other aspects. September 2010.
• General Assistance Medical Care statistics on enrollment
• General Assistance Medical Care: An Overview
• General Charactistics of the Welfare Population
• Genetic Privacy Law and the Bearder Case
  An 8-page information brief that describes the genetic privacy law and its interaction with the state newborn screening program. September 2013.
• Government Work Disincentives and Low-Income Parents
• The Health Care Reform Waiver (Request a copy)
• Health Data Collected without Individual Consent
  A 17-page information brief summarizing state laws and rules regarding the collection of health data without consent. July 2004.
• Health Insurance Terms
  A 4-page information brief summarizing terms commonly used in legislative discussions of health insurance. November 2017.
• Health Professions Discipline Laws
  A 21-page overview of the state laws regarding the discipline of health professionals. July 2016.
• History of TANF Refinancing in Minnesota
  A 6-page information brief that provides a description of TANF and the history of TANF refinancing in Minnesota. September 2013.
• Identifying AFDC Regions: A Cluster Analysis Approach Working Paper, Series One
• Identifying Who Might Be Subject to the 60-Month Time Limit
• The Incomes of Parents Leaving AFDC and MFIP
• Involuntary Medication of Mentally Ill Persons (Request a copy)
• The Jarvis Decision (Request a copy)
• Managed Care: Basic Concepts and Plan Performance (Request a copy)
• Managed Health Care Reimbursement Methods (Request a copy)
• Medicaid Home- and Community-Based Waiver Programs
• Medical Assistance Trends: 1985-1990 (Request a copy)
• Medical Assistance: Drug Coverage and Reimbursement
  An 8-page information brief that provides an overview of drug coverage and reimbursement under Minnesota's Medicaid program, Medical Assistance. July 2012.
• MFIP Cases Reaching the 60-Month Time Limit
• MFIP Sanctions
• MFIP Time Limits and Extensions by County
• Minnesota Abortion Law (Request a copy)
• The Minnesota Commitment Act (Request a copy)
• The Minnesota Emergency Health Powers Act
  An 8-page information brief summarizing this law, including information on when the governor can declare a national security or peacetime emergency. July 2004.
• Minnesota Family Assistance: A Guide to Public Programs Providing Assistance to Minnesota Families
  A 157-page guidebook describing federal and state programs that provide assistance to Minnesota families in the form of income, health care, child care, and food purchasing. January 2022.
• Minnesota Family Investment Program Grants
• Minnesota Family Investment Program Grants: Calculation and Exit Points
• Minnesota Family Investment Program Time Limit Exemptions and Extensions
• Minnesota Welfare Programs: Recipients and Expenditures: 1980-1990 (Request a copy)
• Minnesota's Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Plan
  A 7-page information brief that describes Minnesota's ABLE plan, which allows individuals with disabilities and their families to save money in tax-preferred accounts to pay for the individual's expenses. September 2015.
• Minnesota's Tobacco Settlement
• Noncitizens on MFIP
• Nursing Facility Reimbursement
  A 7-page information brief that explains how nursing facilities in Minnesota are reimbursed. October 2011.
• Nursing Facility Reimbursement (Request a copy)
• Outcomes Management in Health Care (Request a copy)
• Personal Care Assistance
  A 6-page information brief that describes the Medical Assistance Personal Care Assistance program, including eligibility for services, assessments, services, providers, reimbursement, and funding. May 2012.
• Personal Care Assistance Program
  Brief overview of the program. July 2009.
• Presentation: Overview of Programs for Persons with Disabilities
  Slide presentation presented at the House Health Policy and Finance Committee, January 26, 2006.
• Public Assistance Fraud Prevention
• Public Assistance Simplification
• Public Funding of Abortion in Minnesota's Health Care Programs (Request a copy)
• Recent Changes in Regulation of Mental Health Professionals
• Regional Differences in Income for Former Welfare Recipients
• Regional Treatment Center Task Force (Request a copy)
• Residency Requirements for Major State Welfare Programs (Request a copy)
• Review of Economic Studies on Smoking Bans in Bars and Restaurants
  A 5-page information brief summarizing researchers' findings on economic effects of smoking bans on bars and restaurants. March 2006.
• State Government Organization of Children and Family Services (Request a copy)
• Supporting documents for the 2018 Omnibus Supplemental Budget conference committee
• TANF Background
  An 8-page information brief providing information on the federal welfare program Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, including allowable state uses of TANF grants. January 2007.
• Temporary Partial Disability Compensation: A Legal Analysis (Request a copy)
• Universal Health Coverage: An Economist's Perspective
  A 7-page policy brief that reviews the costs and benefits of adopting a statewide universal health care system. September 2007.
• Utilization of Earned Income Tax Credits: Differences Between Urban & Rural Welfare Recipients
• Utilization of Minnesota's Working Family Credit as Parents Transition from Welfare to Work
  4-page information brief summarizing research on the state's earned income tax credit and welfare recipients. August 2007.
• Variation in Nursing Facility Rates
• Welfare Reform 1997: Related State Enactments (Request a copy)
• Welfare Reform in AFDC (Request a copy)
• Welfare-to-Work Pilot Projects in Minnesota (Request a copy)