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Counties secure $35M for SSIS replacement, MNChoices reforms and funding for state psychiatric capacity
Summary
MICA said the session funded replacement work on the Social Services Information System (SSIS) with $35 million, adopted MNChoices assessment reforms that ease reassessment requirements, and added capital and operating money for AMRTC (state psychiatric facility) to address bed capacity.
Nancy Silevski, MICA’s public‑health and human‑services lobbyist, told Crow Wing County commissioners on June 17 that three priority items advanced during the session: SSIS replacement, MNChoices reform, and direct‑care and treatment (DCT) capacity funding.
Silevski said SSIS received $35 million in the enacted package (the House had sought $40 million, the Senate proposed $10 million); with a prior $10 million set aside last year, counties now have about $45 million available for system replacement planning and federal match. She said the goal is to move away from outdated green‑screen technology.
On MNChoices assessments, Silevski said lawmakers expanded options for abbreviated reassessments and remote assessments: counties can now use a shorter reassessment process for up to four cycles in a row (replacing the prior two cycles), with a full reassessment required afterward; verbal attestation may substitute for a signature with documentation requested within 30 days. The bill also authorizes hospitals to contract to perform MNChoices assessments under county oversight and revised assessor qualifications.
Silevski said the session also advanced measures to increase psychiatric bed capacity at the Anoka‑Metro Regional Treatment Center (AMRTC). She said the human‑services bill and the bonding bill together provided appropriations for facility operating and capital needs: $10 million in 2026 and $10 million in 2028 for AMRTC operating capacity, $34 million in FY29 for operating expenses, and $55 million included in the bonding bill toward a 50‑bed addition (the bonding request had sought $75 million). The Legislature also extended the priority admissions review panel and authorized temporary top‑of‑list referrals for some patients.
Why it matters: SSIS replacement affects county social‑services casework systems and federal claiming; MNChoices changes will alter reassessment workloads and allow remote options; expanded DCT funding addresses an identified shortage of secure psychiatric beds and may reduce county responsibility for inpatient waits.
Next steps: Silevski said counties will be involved in implementation details and that MICA has appointees to workgroups charged with finding savings and designing processes. She warned that some county cash shifts proposed by the governor were mitigated but not eliminated; a work group will examine human‑services savings targets.
