Transforming Lead Agencies

Beginning in 2024, MTI has expanded to support counties and Tribal Nations (lead agencies) to increase employment outcomes for Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Waiver program participants to ensure they are working and advancing in competitive, integrated employment that aligns to their strengths, interests, and needs. The objectives for counties and Tribal Nations are:

Advance an Employment First Culture to improve employment outcomes
Use data to set and monitor goals
Assess and address inequities
Build staff capacity
Build provider capacity
Educate and engage people and their families
Strengthen inter-agency coordination
Innovate and use best practices
Collaborate and inform broader strategies and capacity building, and create a more seamless, person-centered system

What does Technical Assistance look like for Counties and Tribal Nations (lead agencies)?

The Minnesota Transformation Initiative (MTI) will provide technical assistance (TA) and consultation to Counties/Tribal nations to build capacity to reach competitive, integrated employment outcomes for HCBS and ICF/DD service recipients.

TA with each agency will consist of an assessment and review of current state and desired future state, plan development and ongoing consultation. TA will be delivered via a combination of on-site visits and distance technology (phone, email, online meetings, etc.).

1. Assessment of Current State and Desired Future State

In this meeting, MTI will discuss the Minnesota Employment First Policy and what it means to be an Employment First Agency. We will review the current landscape of employment for people with disabilities in the county/Tribal Nation, generate ideas for an ideal future state, and get an understanding of the technical assistance and consultation needs.

We recommend assembling a team within your county or Tribal Nation that will collaborate with MTI on an ongoing basis to complete the assessment, develop the TA Plan, and implement consultation interventions. Representation on the team may include agency leadership, case managers, board members, and individuals and families who are receiving services. This team will meet regularly to implement strategies, evaluate progress towards goals, data, and alignment with vision and mission.

Goal: Understand the current landscape of employment for individuals with disabilities in the community and generate ideas for future state. Understand what the lead agency wants employment (CIE) for people with disabilities to look like at the completion of the grant cycle.

Current activities
Current outcomes
What’s working
What’s not working
Perceived Barriers (structural, attitudinal, procedural, etc.)
Future Vision

Activities: In-person site visit. Review available data; document review. Conduct interviews with human service directors, supervisors, case managers, providers, individuals with disabilities and their trusted supporters, and other identified partners.

Examples of documents include: • Organizational chart • Organization annual reports • Organizational strategic plans • Service Coordination Processes/Procedures • Job descriptions • Number of individuals with employment services authorized and any available employment data • Review of organization website

In this meeting, we will discuss key findings of the assessment, including areas of strengths and areas for growth lead agency team. We will review the components of the TA Model and discuss recommendations on which elements will best help the agency to achieve their desired goals.

Goal: Counties and Tribal Nations understand strengths and areas of growth based on site review, and the components needed for successful transformation to increase employment (CIE) outcomes for people with disabilities.

Activities: Share key findings, strengths and areas of growth with Counties and Tribal Nations. Share components of the TA Model and review the elements of successful transformation that are needed to increase outcomes for people with disabilities using HCBS services. Conduct presentation and foster discussion, questions and answers with lead agency team.

3. Develop Technical Assistance Plan

MTI will develop a technical assistance plan to support capacity building to reach competitive, integrated employment outcomes for HCBS and ICF/DD service recipients.

Goal: Counties and Tribal Nations have a TA Plan that will advance employment (CIE) outcomes and is tailored to each Counties and Tribal Nations unique current state, desired future state and support needs.

Activities: Meet with lead agency team to determine and document which tactics the lead agency has incorporated in their day-to-day work, and which they would like support with/technical assistance for.

What are they already do well they need more support with
What do they need a lot of support with
What don’t they need support with because they have it in place
What training and support do people with disabilities, their trusted supporters, lead agency staff, providers and community partners need
Current capacity/needed capacity
Assign roles and responsibilities
Develop Timeline

For TA activities, identify actions/activities to be conducted, by whom, dates and timelines; develop specific and measurable goals and objectives for activities, and how they respond to areas of need identified; identify anticipated outcomes of TA - deliverables and products from TA; specify MTI’s key check-in points and responsibilities with agency team.

4. On-going Consultation

Goal: Counties and Tribal Nations work through their plan, and receive TA according to their TA Plan to advance employment (CIE outcomes).

Activities: Meet with Lead Agency on a regular basis to provide TA on selected components, provide training as needed, monitor progress.

5. Progress Reporting and Performance Measurement

Goal: Counties and Tribal Nations monitor and report on their progress; employment (CIE) outcomes for people with disabilities increase, use of sub-minimum wages decreases.

Activities: Monitor, review, analyze and report on progress made; goals accomplished.