DHS recommends licensure for EIDBI services, seeks provisional license and stronger oversight

The Minnesota Department of Human Services recommended licensing Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention, or EIDBI, during a presentation to the House Human Services Finance and Policy Committee. Christy Grom, Director of State Government Relations at DHS, told the committee that licensure would “provide a minimum standard, that really helps us to have a firm foundation to oversee basic health and safety and improve quality of service.”

Grom said the department’s multi‑phase licensure evaluation — which included community engagement, comparative analysis with other states and a review of service models — led DHS to recommend licensure as a way to address operational inconsistencies, supervision shortfalls and safety concerns in a rapidly expanding provider market. EIDBI is a state plan medical assistance service authorized under the Medicaid EPSDT (Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment) benefit, and it is delivered in homes, clinics and schools using a set of approved therapeutic modalities.

Why it matters: Committee members were told the number of enrolled individual EIDBI providers rose sharply since the pandemic while children receiving services increased by about 30 percent. DHS said rapid provider growth has not been matched by an equivalent growth in advanced supervising providers, creating supervision strain and potential safety risks. Grom noted some licensed supervising professionals were affiliated with as many as 20 provider agencies, and DHS flagged the proportion of out‑of‑state provider addresses and heavier telehealth use as areas needing guardrails.

Recommendations and immediate changes: DHS…