Item Description:
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Amd 1 to Agmt A2412594 with the MN DHS to expand lead agency capacity to improve competitive, integrated employment outcomes for people with disabilities, ext end date to 06/30/27, incr recv by $1,033,726 for a new recv of $3,101,178
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Resolution:
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BE IT RESOLVED, that Amendment 1 to Agreement A2412594 with the Minnesota Department of Human Services for grant funding to expand lead agency capacity to improve competitive, integrated, employment outcomes for people with disabilities, extending the contract period through June 30, 2027 and increasing the receivable amount by $1,033,726, for a new total receivable amount of $3,101,178 be approved; that the Chair of the Board be authorized to sign the Amendment on behalf of the county; and that the Controller be authorized to disburse funds as directed; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that sponsorship and acceptance of grant funding for the program by Hennepin County Board of Commissioners does not imply a continued commitment by Hennepin County for this program when grant funds are no longer available.
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Background:
The Hennepin County Board approved Agreement A2412594 with the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) for grant funding to expand lead agency capacity to improve competitive, integrated employment outcomes for people with disabilities, during the period October 11, 2024, through June 30, 2026, through Resolution 24-0450. The supplemental appropriation presented and accepted by the board for the 2025 budget included 2 limited duration FTEs that were hired in November 2025 and December 2025.
DHS supports an Employment First approach to working with people with disabilities to find competitive, integrated employment. In 2020 the Minnesota Legislature added Employment First language to state law writing, “It is the policy of this state that all working-age Minnesotans with disabilities can work, want to work, and can achieve competitive integrated employment, and that each working-age Minnesotan with a disability be offered the opportunity to work and earn a competitive wage before being offered other supports and services.”
The Long Term Services and Supports (LTSS) area of Human Services in Hennepin County has been committed to addressing competitive, integrated employment for people with disabilities for over ten years. Our LTSS Employment First team actively participates in engagement with DHS, metro counties, employment capacity building cohorts (ECBC), Project SEARCH, Community Transition Interagency Committees (CTIC), schools and school districts, and provider engagement. Hennepin County LTSS has been actively engaged in E1MN work with DHS and Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS) with monthly engagement with VRS since summer 2022. In our E1MN partnership we have had VRS come to CM Supervisor Forums and Transition Age Cohort, as well as engaging in continuous process improvement and weekly consultations on individual cases. When the changes to Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) were put in place, Hennepin County LTSS engaged with providers, Anoka, Dakota, MCIL and Disability Law Center on a project called, ‘They Said Yes’ to support case managers, people and providers on knowing what to do next after someone had said “yes” to competitive integrated employment.
The LTSS Employment First Leadership Team was actively engaged prior to this grant with Minnesota Transformation Initiative (MTI) in 2023 and 2024 to attain data regarding subminimum wage in Hennepin County to be able to support planning with people and providers to reduce subminimum wage utilization.
DHS is committed to increasing competitive, integrated employment outcomes for people who use home and community-based service (HCBS) waivers and intermediate care facility for people with developmental disabilities (ICF/DD) services. This grant is specifically for lead agencies to develop a plan to support people with disabilities in contemplating, exploring, and maintaining competitive, integrated employment. Grantees receive funding and technical assistance from the MTI to develop and execute a strategic plan to build their capacity to help people with disabilities explore, plan, find and maintain meaningful employment. The initial grant is for two years, ending June 20, 2026, and may be extended to a total of five years.
Impact/Outcomes: This grant supports our ability in LTSS to enhance our current efforts to increase competitive, integrated employment outcomes for people who use home and community-based services (HCBS) waivers and intermediate care facility for people with developmental disabilities (ICF-DD).
In the initial grant period of October 11, 2024, through present we have developed our team, including hiring two limited duration employees to support this work. This grant requires that we coordinate with MTI for the development of an action plan and technical assistance on meeting the goals outlined in the approved action plan. Hennepin County has achieved three of the five milestones for payment. The final two milestones for the contract period ending 6/30/26 will be completed and submitted for approval in June 2026. One of the milestone goals that was required by the grant was to increase the number of service authorizations for Employment Exploration and Employment Development services by 15% over July 2024 baseline data provided by DHS. This milestone was met and exceeded.
The LTSS team has met with providers, partnered with MTI on training for assessors and case managers related to benefits planning for people with disabilities and understanding the intersections of benefits and employment. We held an in-person event in October 2025 for transition age youth to support their next steps after school with a focus on employment. On April 13, 2026, we have an Inclusive Employment Connections event. The team has developed training for schools, case managers, students and families that will be delivered in virtual sessions March through May 2026.
Disparity Reduction: This request reduces disparities in the employment and income domains. Based on current data (State Fiscal Year 2023) available from DHS on their Employment First dashboard, Hennepin County has a total population of HCBS waiver participants of working-age (16-64) of 14,740. Of those only 12% (1,799) earn $600+ per month and 77% (11,406) earn no income. Our goal is to increase the number of people receiving HCBS and ICF-DD services who earn a competitive wage as well as increase the number of people who are employed. If the contract amendment is approved the specific outcomes and strategy will be determined through the plan developed with MTI.
recommendation
Recommendation from County Administrator: Recommend Approval