Social Services presents annual licensing and disability services update; managers flag foster‑care capacity and CFSS implementation issues

Clay County Social Services delivered its annual departmental update Tuesday, covering licensing and disability services, foster care capacity, the MNChoices assessment tool, and the state’s rollout of Community First Services and Supports (CFSS).

Jessica Mickelson, supervisor for the licensing and disability services division, reported the county has 58 family adult foster care (AFC) homes with a total capacity of 108 beds and 17 current openings; two new AFC homes were in the licensing process. She said corporate foster care capacity totals 121 homes with 325 beds, 311 of which are licensed for adults and 14 for children, noting a sustained decline in corporate child beds. Jessica said licensing in 2023–24 focused on county resident needs rather than accepting broad inquiries, and that 124 names remain on an inquiry waitlist for adult AFC homes unless a specific service recipient is identified.

On child foster care, county staff reported 42 licensed child foster homes (32 non‑relative, 10 relative) with applications in process. Staff said relatives identified immediately after removal can be safety‑checked and used for placements while licensing remains underway.

Jessica and colleagues also described recent changes at the state level: family child care and child foster care licensing will transition from DHS to the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF), and DHS rulemaking continues for family childcare. Staff said some proposed changes raised provider concerns and that the county continues outreach and recruitment (including ARPA‑funded incentives and referral bonuses) to grow provider capacity.

On disability services, staff described program caseloads and waivers. Social Services reported average caseloads for care coordination have risen in recent years; Special Needs Basic Care (SMBC) enrollments jumped after changes in how the health plan delegate (UCare) assigned members. The county added staff to respond. Staff also explained MNChoices assessment and reassessment requirements: initial assessments can take 6–8 hours, annual reassessments are required for many waivers and are expected to take 2–4 hours with the revised MNChoices tool.

Staff raised a significant concern about CFSS implementation. CFSS replaced PCA in October 2024 and introduced a required layer of consultation services. Staff said 946 prior PCA agencies were enrolled but only 320 agencies were eligible to provide CFSS; only 18 consultation providers exist statewide. Since the October launch the county approved 70 people for CFSS and only about 24 (roughly one‑third) had been able to secure a consultation provider. County staff said that gap delays access to services for new CFSS‑eligible residents and that there are no local consultation providers in Clay County.

Holly Wanner, supervisor for home and community‑based disability services, reviewed county waiver caseloads (examples: 567 on the Community Access for Disability Inclusion waiver in 2024; 216 on the developmental disability waiver) and described county Rule 185 developmental disability case management (130 consumers in 2024). She noted a statewide capacity building grant awarded to the county to expand employment supports for people with disabilities and reminded commissioners of a July 1 policy change requiring case managers to ensure less‑restrictive options and informed choice before authorizing certain residential placements.

Commissioners asked about background checks, licensing timelines, and how relatives can be used for immediate placements; staff said fingerprinting locations and other process improvements have eased some delays and that relative placements may be used immediately after home safety checks while licensing proceeds. The department will bring a more detailed licensing overview and foster‑parent appreciation proclamations to the board at the May 6 meeting.

The presentation included requests for continued county support for recruitment and use of remaining ARPA funds to incentivize provider growth. Commissioners thanked staff and discussed the wider state budget and program changes affecting county administration.