I apologize for the add'l email.

I sent this before adding information on the revalidations for Medicaid providers. Our PCA / CFSS providers will be going through revalidations over the next 4 months - all 5,800 agencies, per demands from CMS!  This is a massive undertaking and DHS is trying to ascertain how to accomplish this; there are rumors the Nat'l Guard may be brought in to assist.

During our meeting, the group asked DHS to help prepare providers better than during the standard process, which involves a great deal of back and forth over months. Providers may have started to receive notices last Friday. I emphasized once again that informing the associations prior to such last minutes notices would be advantageous.

Have a good week!

Kind Regards,

Kathy Messerli
Executive Director
Minnesota Home Care Association

2909 S. Wayzata Blvd. | Minneapolis, MN 55405
Direct: 651.635.0038 | Main: 651.635.0607
www.mnhomecare.org<http://www.mnhomecare.org/page/A17> | kmesserli@mnhomecare.org<mailto:kmesserli@mnhomecare.org>
[cid:image001.png@01DC8EA7.93AE2B60]<https://www.mnhomecare.org/members/manage_profile.asp>

From: Kathy Messerli
Sent: Monday, January 26, 2026 9:17 AM
To: MHCABOD@list.mnhomecare.org
Subject: ED Update

Greetings,

I hope you all have found ways to stay warm through this cold snap.

As the seasoned board members know, I used to send updates less frequently. With all things evolving rapidly, I'm trying to keep you posted more often.

A group of stakeholders met with DHS leaders Saturday morning to discuss ways to minimize the impact on providers, and ultimately, on clients. A senior policy advisor for the Governor's office joined them. He made it clear that there are no funds available to help the providers. These are highlights from that meeting.

  *   One of the suggestions I brought forward was doing weekly vs bi-weekly payments, a small step to getting cash to providers sooner. The Commissioner expressed an interest in that and will look into it.
  *   Many providers have been confused about the warrant cycles and payment dates, with the 2-week delay. They are finalizing a graphic that will be posted, something we were asking for.
  *   The next payment for tomorrow will include $125 ml in claims submitted Dec 24-Jan 8. We also learned that the change in the late December processing date was not due to the holiday, but due to the change they needed to make to the system in order to abide by the demands of CMS. Leadership emphasized that a message was supposed to be sent in advance. We stood strong in our statement that providers did not receive that message so the Deputy Commissioner will look into the internal matter.
  *   On a good note, only 70 claims were red flagged for the following cycle.

Senator Hoffman has been planning a hearing for this week to address how DHS handled the prepayment review process. He has been a strong support of HCBS. A wrinkle was exposed at our meeting that is causing a fair amount of political angst. In my personal opinion, there has been too much of the 'telephone game' going on inaccurate messages are causing more issues. DHS expressed their concerns about the hearing because CMS is watching every more and monitoring everything. They are concerned that testimony at the hearing could lead to further demands and elevate the risk of CMS withholding funds, as they have threatened to do. I will spare you the details but there is now a larger rift between Hoffman and DHS, something we would like to avoid with CMS' eagle eyes on Minnesota. We know that DHS has not been well managed in the past and are trying to navigate this messy situation, by focusing on potential solutions for the future.

It's important to note that the federal report<https://mn.gov/dhs/media/news/?id=1053-720779> that recently came out shows that MN fraud is far below the national average!! These numbers are from prior to the current prepayment review. This investigation is political and not about the rate of fraud in Minnesota. MHCA is going to collaborate with AARM once again in a letter to our congressional delegation. I will share a copy once it's finalized. We will also be asking MHCA members to send messages via the Advocacy Center and to encourage their friends and family to do the same. Politics are hurting Minnesotans that rely on your care, more than ever!

If there is a hearing this week, Jaime and I are prepared to testify on behalf of home care. We will do our best to craft messaging that supports rooting out fraud, while not impacting funding for the legitimate providers.

Kind Regards,

Kathy Messerli
Executive Director
Minnesota Home Care Association

2909 S. Wayzata Blvd. | Minneapolis, MN 55405
Direct: 651.635.0038 | Main: 651.635.0607
www.mnhomecare.org<http://www.mnhomecare.org/page/A17> | kmesserli@mnhomecare.org<mailto:kmesserli@mnhomecare.org>
[cid:image001.png@01DC8EA7.93AE2B60]<https://www.mnhomecare.org/members/manage_profile.asp>