Senate committee advances PCA certification work, lays related pilot bill over

The Minnesota Senate Human Services Committee on Wednesday advanced plans for a statewide effort to credential and expand the direct care workforce while deferring a related pilot for later consideration.

Committee members recommended Senate File 1418 for further consideration and re-referral to the State and Local Government Committee; Senate File 1062, which would create a three‑year certified direct support professional pilot in partnership with higher education institutions and counties, was laid over for possible inclusion in an omnibus bill.

The measures respond to long‑standing shortages in home and community‑based care: testimony during the hearing repeatedly cited a gap of roughly 53,000 direct care job openings. Jesse Bethke Gomez, executive director of the Metropolitan Center for Independent Living, told the committee MCIL helped write the 2018 direct care recommendations and has worked for years on training standards and credential design. "Did I tell you we still have 53,000 job openings in that bucket?" Gomez asked the panel.

Testimony described the pilot in Senate File 1062 as a three‑year project that would develop tiered credential options and career ladders for direct support professionals, coordinate postsecondary curriculum in pilot counties (Anoka and Dakota were cited), and provide scholarships to job seekers, family caregivers and students to complete credentialing. Todd Kimery, national director for Paralyzed Veterans of America, Minnesota chapter and MCIL board member, said national veteran service organizations are watching Minnesota as a potential model for broader adoption.

Dr. Kate Caldwell, director of research and policy at the Northwestern Law Center on Racial and Disability Justice, urged a standardized credential and data collection, and linked low wages to turnover: "Pay inequity is the single biggest driver of direct care workforce shortages," she said, and recommended measures to ensure certified PCAs are paid commensurate with CNAs and that program outcomes be tracked.

Several senators acknowledged the need but cautioned about costs. Senator Glenn Gruenhagen said new programs must account for budget tradeoffs: "We just cannot keep piling on, regardless of how good it sounds...something had to drop off the bottom to pay for it." Committee members discussed ongoing department efforts and other initiatives; the committee laid Senate File 1062 over for possible inclusion in an omnibus bill while voting to recommend passage and re‑referral of Senate File 1418.

The committee recorded no detailed roll‑call tally for the actions taken during the hearing; the clerk announced voice votes where noted and no recorded opposition for the bill the committee recommended to pass.

Implementation and next steps will require cooperation among the Department of Human Services, the Office of Higher Education, county partners and participating postsecondary institutions. Supporters argued the measures are designed to professionalize and stabilize a workforce that supports older adults and people with disabilities; opponents and some members asked for clearer fiscal plans and potential offsets.

Senators and witnesses said the discussion will continue in follow‑up committee work and in larger budget negotiations.