Regulatory Team (and interested Board members):
MDH is working on the Dementia Care Training Standards Legislative Report and offering stakeholders an opportunity to provide comments. This report takes stakeholder comments from a previous meeting into consideration. According to MDH,
their focus and goal is that everyone who is required to have the training obtains the training and the process itself fosters buy-in from the providers to obtain the training and allows for a start-up period for providers MDH currently regulates and those
MDH does not currently regulate to adjust to the new requirements.
Please review the attached report and provide any comments to me by Monday noon (Dec 15). I will compile and forward MHCA comments.
Following are highlights, as noted by MDH:
Highlights of the recommendations:
MDH will enforce the new requirements for both direct-care providers and supervisors via our existing home care survey process.
MDH will enforce the new requirements for maintenance, food service and housekeeping staff via MDH’s Housing with Services (HWS) registration application process.
MDH will provide technical assistance to all of these providers for the first year (2016) meaning we will not impose any fines for noncompliance during that time period.
The technical assistance means we will review the documented training obtained, and advise the providers as to whether their documentation is detailed enough or if the training is sufficient enough to meet the requirements and hours.
We will also collect information about whether the marketplace for training still has sufficient affordable training options once this law goes into effect in January 2016.
MDH will not recommend further expansion of the mandated training requirements to other provider types until we see how easily or difficult this group is able to obtain the training. Experience with the new mandated training requirements
will inform the need to expand to other health settings, provider types, including licensed or unlicensed personnel. MDH will enlist the support of ACT On Alzheimer’s and the Partnership to Improve Dementia Care in our technical assistance efforts.
Aside from the new training mandates, there is great value in non-regulatory efforts to emphasize and increase dementia awareness and encourage training across health settings. MDH will utilize several divisions’ expertise, partner
with DHS, consumer advocacy organizations, and provider organizations to explore ways for others to tap into dementia care training opportunities that are beneficial to their work. Ideally, we have a community that seeks the information out instead of relying
on mandates only.
MDH will have the authority to impose fines beginning January 1, 2017, in the amount of $200 per employee who would be required to obtain the training as per the statute. There will be an appeal right for the fine imposed. However,
the MDH will encourage compliance with the training requirement instead of spending and energy on an appeal only to ultimately have to take the training anyway.
Even though there is a fiscal impact because of the possibility of appeals and fines being imposed, MDH does not expect to increase the existing HWS fees to cover the costs because the current fee revenues would cover those costs. For
enforcement under home care licensing, these new activities’ costs will be absorbed into that survey and enforcement process.
We look forward to working collaboratively in advancing the knowledge, skills and training about dementia in the workforce interacting with and providing services to persons with dementia.
Thank you in advance for your input!
Warm Regards,
Kathy Messerli
Executive Director
Minnesota HomeCare Association
Office: 651-635-0038 | Cell: 612-590-4180
MHCA Mission: To be the Voice of Home Care through advocacy, education and networking