HF1678

This bill seeks to modify and expand Minnesota's Essential Community Supports program, which provides services for seniors and individuals with dementia who do not require nursing home care but still need assistance to remain in the community.

Key provisions of the bill include:
- Expanding eligibility to individuals who are 60 years or older (previously 65) or who have dementia.
- Increasing financial eligibility criteria to include individuals with incomes up to 400% of the federal poverty guidelines, with no asset limit.
- Expanding the list of covered services to include adult day services, caregiver support, homemaker support, chores, personal emergency response systems, home-delivered meals, community living assistance, and respite care.
- Setting a funding limit of $400 per person per month for essential services and $600 annually for required service coordination.
- Requiring recipients to be reassessed annually to maintain eligibility.
- Authorizing the use of federal matching funds to meet program demand.
- Appropriating $2 million in FY 2026 and $2 million in FY 2027 from the general fund to support caregiver respite service grants.

Overall, the bill aims to broaden access to supportive services, increase funding, and ease financial eligibility requirements to help seniors and individuals with dementia remain in their homes rather than moving to a nursing facility.