MSSA's 2024 Legislative Agenda

2024 Legislative Priority

Establish a Grant to Ensure HHS Worker Safety

Fact sheet

MSSA seeks to ensure a safer and stronger health and human services workforce by ensuring workplace safety.

Health and human service (HHS) professionals deserve to be safe while on the job, but workplace safety is a widespread problem throughout Minnesota's HHS system.

• An estimated 70% of all workplace safety incidents are experienced by HHS professionals.
• HHS workers are nearly five times more likely to be assaulted than other workers.
• Incidents of workplace safety have dramatically increased over the last decade.
• Most workplace safety incidents happen in community-based settings and client homes.
• Rising rates of workplace safety incidents against health care and social service workers have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Organizations that invest in occupational safety perform better, reduce burnout and turnover, and help workers do their jobs more effectively.

Proposed Solution:
MSSA proposes establishing a grant to help ensure the safety of health and human service workers. This grant would provide safety measures to human service organizations to ensure the safety of their workers. These grants could be used for:

• Safety equipment such as GPS/Bluetooth locators, panic buttons, and more.
• Training (such as self-defense, crisis management, cultural competency, and for working with clients with serious mental illness substance use/and/or behavioral problems);
• Facility safety improvements such as barrier protection and security cameras;
• Support services for staff including counseling, and other resources for professionals who have experienced safety issues or trauma-related incidents; and
• Systems to track, monitor, and prevent safety incidents against HHS professionals.

2024 Supported Issues

Invest in Rural Transportation Options to Support Client Care

MSSA supports efforts to ensure affordable and sufficient non-emergency medical transportation options, especially for those who are ill, those with disabilities, and older adults. In 2024, MSSA will focus on increasing the reimbursement rates for higher levels (4-7) of non-emergency medical transportation.

Increase the Emergency General Assistance (EGA) Funding Allocation

MSSA supports investment in the state's Emergency General Assistance (EGA) program. EGA, a state program administered by counties to help adults without children resolve one-time emergencies, is itself facing an emergency situation: because of the way the current statute is written, and due to an influx of federal emergency funding during the Covid-19 pandemic, a number of counties have had their funding for EGA slashed for fiscal years 2023-2024.

Increase Waiver Rates for Case Management

MSSA supports efforts to raise disability waiver reimbursement rates for case managers. There has not been a reimbursement rate increase for case managers since 2015. Additionally, keeping wages competitive is necessary for hiring and retaining case managers. High turnover rates can cause critical disruption of care for clients and families and sometimes occurs in the middle of progress on major service changes. Education and work experience requirements for case managers also make it difficult to hire and retain staff, leaving many contracted agencies understaffed, thus lowering the quality of services provided.

Invest in Transitional Moving Services

MSSA supports adequate transitional moving services funding for those with disabilities. Transitional Moving Services currently provides those on disability waivers with the opportunity to receive $3,000 to use towards physical movers, furniture, and household goods. Individuals may apply for these funds once every three years. There is currently no set provider rate, which means reimbursement is variable and makes it difficult to reliably provide the service. Furthermore, $3,000 is not enough to cover a security deposit and basic living and moving expenses. This amount has never been increased since the program's inception in 2005.