SF 655

1st Engrossment - 90th Legislature (2017 - 2018) Posted on 02/23/2017 10:12am

A bill for an act
relating to human services; establishing the senior care workforce innovation grant
program; appropriating money; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota
Statutes, chapter 144.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

[144.1504] SENIOR CARE WORKFORCE INNOVATION GRANT
PROGRAM.

Subdivision 1.

Establishment.

The senior care workforce innovation grant program is
established to assist eligible applicants to fund pilot programs or expand existing programs
that increase the pool of caregivers working in the field of senior care services.

Subd. 2.

Competitive grants.

The commissioner shall make competitive grants available
to eligible applicants to expand the workforce for senior care services.

Subd. 3.

Eligibility.

(a) Eligible applicants must recruit and train individuals to work
with individuals who are primarily 65 years of age or older and receiving services through:

(1) a home and community-based setting, including housing with services establishments
as defined in section 144D.01, subdivision 4;

(2) adult day care as defined in section 245A.02, subdivision 2a;

(3) home care services as defined in section 144A.43, subdivision 3; or

(4) a nursing home as defined in section 144A.01, subdivision 5.

(b) Applicants must apply for a senior care workforce innovation grant as specified in
subdivision 4.

Subd. 4.

Application.

(a) Eligible applicants must apply for a grant on the forms and
according to the timelines established by the commissioner.

(b) Each applicant must propose a project or initiative to expand the number of workers
in the field of senior care services. At a minimum, a proposal must include:

(1) a description of the senior care workforce innovation project or initiative being
proposed, including the process by which the applicant will expand the senior care workforce;

(2) whether the applicant is proposing to target the proposed project or initiative to any
of the groups described in subdivision 5, paragraph (b);

(3) information describing the applicant's current senior care workforce project or
initiative, if applicable;

(4) the amount of funding the applicant is seeking through the grant program;

(5) any other sources of funding the applicant has for the project or initiative;

(6) a proposed budget detailing how the grant funds will be spent; and

(7) outcomes established by the applicant to measure the success of the project or
initiative.

Subd. 5.

Commissioner's duties; requests for proposals; grantee selections.

(a) By
September 1, 2017, and annually thereafter, the commissioner shall publish a request for
proposals in the State Register specifying applicant eligibility requirements, qualifying
senior care workforce innovation program criteria, applicant selection criteria, documentation
required for program participation, maximum award amount, and methods of evaluation.

(b) Priority must be given to proposals that target employment of individuals who have
multiple barriers to employment, individuals who have been unemployed long-term, and
veterans.

(c) The commissioner shall determine the maximum award for grants and make grant
selections based on the information provided in the grant application, including the targeted
employment population, the applicant's proposed budget, the proposed measurable outcomes,
and other criteria as determined by the commissioner.

Subd. 6.

Grant funding.

Notwithstanding any law or rule to the contrary, funds awarded
to grantees in a grant agreement under this section do not lapse until the grant agreement
expires.

Subd. 7.

Reporting requirements.

(a) Grant recipients shall report to the commissioner
on the forms and according to the timelines established by the commissioner.

(b) The commissioner shall report to the chairs and ranking minority members of the
house of representatives and senate committees with jurisdiction over health by January 15,
2019, and annually thereafter, on the grant program. The report must include:

(1) information on each grant recipient;

(2) a summary of all projects or initiatives undertaken with each grant;

(3) the measurable outcomes established by each grantee, an explanation of the evaluation
process used to determine whether the outcomes were met, and the results of the evaluation;
and

(4) an accounting of how the grant funds were spent.

(c) During the grant period, the commissioner may require and collect from grant
recipients additional information necessary to evaluate the grant program.

Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION; SENIOR CARE WORKFORCE INNOVATION GRANT
PROGRAM.

$....... in fiscal year 2018 and $....... in fiscal year 2019 are appropriated from the general
fund to the commissioner of health for the purposes of the senior care workforce innovation
grant program under Minnesota Statutes, section 144.1504.