Federal Court Requires Baseline Data and Measureable Goals for Minnesota’s Olmstead Plan

Last month, a U.S. District Court Judge “declined to adopt” Minnesota’s Olmstead Plan and ordered the State to make revisions by July 10.  Minnesota is now drafting a significant reframing of the Plan’s goals, focused on activities and reporting that will have the biggest impact on Minnesotans with disabilities.

Mary Tingerthal, chair of the Olmstead subcabinet appointed by Minnesota Governor Dayton to oversee the Plan’s implementation, said “the State remains committed to realizing the vision set forth in the plan of delivering services to people with disabilities in the most integrated setting. The good work we have already started will continue while we revise the plan.”

“There’s a lot of complexity in creating common data, reporting and measuring progress across eight state agencies,” she said. “We have much to be proud of in Minnesota, and there is still more to do. Our Olmstead work, while challenging, is a great complement to the work we’ve already accomplished. This is a huge transformation, and it’s the right thing to do.”

FMI:  To read more about Minnesota’s Olmstead Plan, go to mn.gov/olmstead