Small Assisted Living Licensure Work Group

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) created the Small Assisted Living Licensure Workgroup to develop a new licensing category for small ALFs. This new license must account for health and safety requirements and the practical realities of operating small ALFs that predominantly serve individuals receiving customized living services under the federally approved definitions for brain injury, community access for disability inclusion, and elderly waiver plans. MDH is required to develop draft legislative language for this new license category and submit the legislation to the legislature by Jan. 1, 2028.

• Bring together a representation of those interested in Small Assisted Living provider licensure.
• To provide input to MDH to inform proposed small assisted living provider
  licensing requirements.
• Understand where there is alignment and where there are differences of
  opinion.
• Support the development of relationships across providers, advocates and others.

• Morgan Althaus, Crow Wing County
• Shelli Bakken, LeadingAge Minnesota
• Rebecca Bollig, Board for Executives for Long Term Services and Supports (BELTSS)
• Molly Carmody, Alzheimer’s Association
• Careese Coleman, Small assisted living provider
• Thomas Elness, AARP
• Ron Elwood, Mid-MN Legal Aid
• Detective Colleen Fricke, City of Brooklyn Park
• Caren Gaytko, Board of Nursing
• Lisa Harrison-Hadler, Ombudsman for Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities (OMHDD)
• Nicole Mattson, Care Providers of Minnesota
• Nebiha Mohammed, Small assisted living provider
• Fire Chief Mike Nelson, Minnesota State Fire Chiefs Association
• Kathleen Otto, Elder Justice Center
• Parichay Rudina, Ombudsman for Long-Term Care (OOLTC)
• Suzanne Scheller, Elder Voice Advocates
• Marcus Schmit, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
• Scott Schulte, City of Champlin
• Jon Sondegaard, Residential Providers Association of Minnesota (RPAMN)

• Carol Backstrom, Commissioner’s Office
• Matthew Collie, Health Regulation
• Sarah Grebenc, Health Regulation
• Tim Hanna, Health Regulation
• Matt Heffron, Health Regulation
• Lindsey Krueger, Health Regulation
• Catherine Lloyd, Health Regulation
• Rick Michals, Health Regulation
• Daphne Ponds, Health Regulation
• Lisa Thimjon, Legislative Relations

• Leigh Ann Ahmad, Disability Services
• Darci Buttke, Aging and Adult Services
• Christala Culhane, Inspector General
• Matt Knutson, Inspector General
• Maggie Munson, Disability Services
• Rachel Shands, Aging and Adult Services

All meetings, unless announced, are 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Those interested in listening to the workgroup may do so via Microsoft Teams.

• Meeting ID: 258 618 679 464 913 
• Passcode: Dt7d9gX7 

*Dates subject to change

• 2026-11-05 Small ALF Licensure Bi-Weekly Workgroup Meeting Agenda (PDF)

• 2026-10-29 Small ALF Licensure Bi-Weekly Workgroup Meeting Agenda (PDF)
• 2026-10-29 Small ALF Licensure Bi-Weekly Workgroup Presentation (PDF)