Bill Details

Chief Author: Lourey (D) / Murphy, E. (D)
View Bill Text: SF 781 / HF 887

Current Status

5/17/17 See SF 800
2/6/17—Introduced and referred to House Health and Human Services Finance Committee.
2/9/17 – Introduced and referred to Senate Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee.

Short Description

Health and Human Services Budget established

Key Points Related to Child Welfare

  • Allows Medical Assistance to be paid for children in foster care who are not title IV-E funding eligible but are eligible for foster or kinship care assistance.
  • Establishes criteria for admission to a psychiatric residential treatment facility for persons under age 21, including a mental health diagnosis and an identified functional impairment that cannot be remedied through community-based mental health treatment, is a danger to self or others, or has been referred by a licensed, qualified mental health practitioner. Also establishes a per diem rate for residential care and lists what is expected to be provided: an individualized plan of care, physician services, active treatment seven days per week, individual therapy, family engagement, case consultation, educational service coordination, 24-hour nursing, direct supervision, lab and pharmacy needs, room and board, and costs associated with licensure and accreditation.
  • Requires reporting to a county agency of child abuse, a death or serious injury occurring in a non licensed legal child care setting and submission of information about substantiated child abuse, deaths or serious injury to DHS.
  • Requires relative providers of children in foster care, along with staff who transport children, to complete safety training for transporting children under age nine.
  • Assigns responsibility for investigating allegations of child maltreatment to DHS when foster care homes are monitored by county agency, foster care homes are monitored by private agency and  licensed by DHS, upon agreement by county agencies and DHS for a specific case or if the DHS Commissioner identifies cause, and when a death of a child occurs in a foster care program or family child care program.
  • Increases required continuing education for child protection workers from 15 hours per year to 20 and stipulates that at least 10 of these hours should include advanced training on topics as identified and developed by the DHS Commissioner.
  • Requires DHS to complete a comprehensive analysis of mental health treatment options available in Minnesota and provide recommendations for improvements to children’s community based and residential mental health treatment opportunities.
  • Allocates a one time amount of $400,000 each to Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and Red Lake Nation to expand the American Indian Child Welfare Initiative.