1999 Minnesota Statutes

     256.975 Minnesota board on aging. 

    Subdivision 1.    Creation.  There is created a 
 Minnesota board on aging consisting of 25 members to be 
 appointed by the governor.  At least one member shall be 
 appointed from each congressional district and the remaining 
 members shall be appointed at large.  No member shall be 
 appointed for more than two consecutive terms of four years 
 each.  In making appointments, the governor shall give 
 consideration to individuals having a special interest in aging, 
 and so far as practicable, shall include persons affiliated with 
 agriculture, labor, industry, education, social work, health, 
 housing, religion, recreation, and voluntary citizen groups, 
 including senior citizens. 

    The governor shall designate the chair.  Other officers, 
 including vice-chair and secretary, shall be elected by the 
 board members. 

    Subd. 1a.    Removal; vacancies.  The membership terms, 
 compensation, removal of members, and filling of vacancies on 
 the board shall be as provided in section 15.0575. 

    Subd. 2.    Duties.  The board shall carry out the 
 following duties: 

    (a) to advise the governor and heads of state departments 
 and agencies regarding policy, programs, and services affecting 
 the aging; 

    (b) to provide a mechanism for coordinating plans and 
 activities of state departments and citizens' groups as they 
 pertain to aging; 

    (c) to create public awareness of the special needs and 
 potentialities of older persons; 

    (d) to gather and disseminate information about research 
 and action programs, and to encourage state departments and 
 other agencies to conduct needed research in the field of aging; 

    (e) to stimulate, guide, and provide technical assistance 
 in the organization of local councils on aging; 

    (f) to provide continuous review of ongoing services, 
 programs and proposed legislation affecting the elderly in 
 Minnesota; 

    (g) to administer and to make policy relating to all 
 aspects of the older Americans act of 1965, as amended, 
 including implementation thereof; and 

    (h) to award grants, enter into contracts, and adopt rules 
 the Minnesota board on aging deems necessary to carry out the 
 purposes of this section. 

    Subd. 3.    Policy.  The board shall recommend to the 
 state legislature no later than January 1, 1977, a proposed 
 state policy for citizens dependent on long term care and 
 services.  The proposed state policy shall address, but need not 
 be limited to, the following: 

    (a) Developing alternatives to institutionalization in long 
 term care facilities and other programs which will assist each 
 citizen dependent on long term care and services to maintain the 
 highest level of self-sufficiency and independence which the 
 citizen's mental and physical condition allows; 

    (b) Developing methods for ensuring citizens dependent on 
 long term care and services an effective voice in determining 
 which programs and services are made available to them; 

    (c) Protecting citizens dependent on long term care and 
 services from unnecessary governmental interference in private 
 and personal affairs; and 

    (d) Informing citizens dependent on long term care and 
 services of the programs and services for which they are 
 eligible. 

    Subd. 4.    Home-delivered meals.  The board on aging 
 shall take appropriate action to secure reimbursement from 
 public and private medical care programs, health plans, and 
 health insurers for home-delivered meals that are a necessary 
 part of medical treatment for the elderly. 

    Subd. 5.    Programs for senior citizens and handicapped 
 persons.  Any sums collected under section 325F.71 must be 
 deposited into the state treasury and credited to the account of 
 the state board on aging.  The money credited to the account of 
 the state board on aging is annually appropriated to the state 
 board on aging and shall be expended for the following purposes: 

    (1) to prepare and distribute educational materials to 
 inform senior citizens, handicapped persons, and the public 
 regarding consumer protection laws and consumer rights that are 
 of particular interest to senior citizens and handicapped 
 persons; or 

    (2) to underwrite educational seminars and other forms of 
 educational projects for the benefit of senior citizens and 
 handicapped persons. 

    Subd. 6.    Indian elders position.  The Minnesota board 
 on aging shall create an Indian elders coordinator position, and 
 shall hire staff as appropriations permit for the purposes of 
 coordinating efforts with the National Indian Council on Aging 
 and developing a comprehensive statewide service system for 
 Indian elders.  An Indian elder is defined for purposes of this 
 subdivision as an Indian enrolled in a band or tribe who is 55 
 years or older.  The statewide service system must include the 
 following components: 

    (1) an assessment of the program eligibility, examining the 
 need to change the age-based eligibility criteria to need-based 
 eligibility criteria; 

    (2) a planning system that would grant or make 
 recommendations for granting federal and state funding for 
 services; 

    (3) a plan for service focal points, senior centers, or 
 community centers for socialization and service accessibility 
 for Indian elders; 

    (4) a plan to develop and implement education and public 
 awareness campaigns including awareness programs, sensitivity 
 cultural training, and public education on Indian elder needs; 

    (5) a plan for information and referral services including 
 trained advocates and an Indian elder newsletter; 

    (6) a plan for a coordinated health care system including 
 health promotion/prevention, in-home service, long-term care 
 service, and health care services; 

    (7) a plan for ongoing research involving Indian elders 
 including needs assessment and needs analysis; 

    (8) information and referral services for legal advice or 
 legal counsel; and 

    (9) a plan to coordinate services with existing 
 organizations including the council of Indian affairs, the 
 Minnesota Indian council of elders, the Minnesota board on 
 aging, and tribal governments. 

    HIST: 1961 c 466 s 1,2; 1974 c 536 s 1; 1975 c 271 s 6; 1976 c 
 134 s 59,60; 1976 c 275 s 1; 1986 c 404 s 10; 1986 c 444; 1989 c 
 282 art 2 s 121; 1989 c 294 s 1; 1995 c 207 art 3 s 17