Programs
Minnesota
TBI Lead Agency
Dept. of Human Services
Mental Health Division
540 Cedar Street
St. Paul, MN 55155
Sharyl Helgeson
Mental Health Program Consultant
651-431-2234
651-431-7418 (Fax)
Sharyl.Helgeson@state.mn.us
Service Delivery
The Pediatric Subcommittee of the advisory committee pulls in ad hoc members to complement membership. Medicaid Waivers and the Medicaid State Plan services are broad and include diverse ages including children of all ages. The Department of Education has a TBI Consultant available to help develop programs, identify needs, provide training and consultation with school district personnel on behalf of students with brain injury as well as to network with key players around the State. Another update of the Educator's Manual is available from the Department of Education. Services are available for seniors through Medicaid Waivers. People with brain injury can stay on the TBI waiver after they reach 65 if they need the specialized services. Personal Care Attendant services, a Medicaid State Plan service, may also be accessed to support cognitive and behavioral needs as well as activities of daily living.
Find out more information on this State's services in its current profile by clicking here. [PDF 50KB]. You can also order a hardcopy of our latest "Guide to State Government Brain Injury Policies, Funding and Services" for profiles of all States and much more.
HRSA-Funded Projects
Minnesota received an Implementation Grant beginning in 1997 and two Post-Demonstration Grants to build upon efforts in 2002 and 2003. The primary focus, and most successful sustained effort of the multi-agency partnership, was the development, implementation, and enhancement of a Hospital Discharge Model. The Model became known as Resource Facilitation and was funded in 2003 legislation. Additional efforts included data studies, information tools for consumers and others which spurred the development of an annual Discharge Planners' Conference by the Brain Injury Association of Minnesota, and formalization and expansion of the TBI Interagency Leadership Council.
Find more information on this State's project in its current grant profile.
Promising Practices
Consumer Directed Community Supports as a Waiver service will be available in all Home and Community Medicaid Waivers as of October 2004. Minnesota Department of Human Services invested in a state-of-theart Consumer Directed Tool Kit, by purchasing the rights to reproduce nationally known disability materials including providing financial support for the completion of the second edition of Moving On: A Personal Futures Planning Workbook for Individuals with Brain Injury by Dr. Beth Mount et al.
Beginning in 1993 and continuing is a policy for State operated hospitals to screen new admissions to mental health units for TBI in order to facilitate appropriate clinical and discharge planning efforts. Reports are to be provided to the Commissioner and Advisory Committee.
The Medicaid State Plan Personal Care services include cognitive and behavioral supports. Also, the Medicaid Rehab Option; Adult Rehabilitative Mental Health Services statute, includes reference to persons with TBI, and provides for community based behavioral supports to eligible persons with TBI.
Another important example of identifying persons with brain injury in mental health services relates to the 2003 Survey of Homelessness and Report by the Wilder Research Center in St. Paul. By request, TBI was included as a category, and 28.8 percent of persons surveyed self-identified themselves as having had a TBI. This will lead to follow up in awareness/training, policy, etc. - Resource Facilitation, the HRSA TBI Grant funded hospital discharge pilot that was operationalized and per manently funded in 2003 Legislation.
