Raises For Minnesota Nursing Home Workers Will be Delayed Because of Error

(Getty images via the Minnesota Reformer)

(Minnesota Reformer) – Long-anticipated raises for thousands of Minnesota nursing home workers will be delayed because the Minnesota Department of Human Services failed to complete the necessary steps to receive approval and funding from the federal government.

Nursing home workers expected to see their pay increase around $2 per hour on average on Jan. 1, as approved by the state’s new Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board more than a year and a half ago.

The board, which was created in 2023 by the Democratic-controlled Legislature, voted in April 2024 to approve four hourly minimum wages to take effect 2026: $22.50 for certified nursing assistants; $23.50 for trained medication aides; $27 for licensed practical nurses; and $19 for all other nursing home workers. The board also voted to raise minimum hourly wages an additional $1.50 in 2027. It’s not clear when workers will receive those raises but it will be at least three months.

“We weren’t fully aware of the state rule that required approval by Dec. 1 in order for the new wages to be enforceable,” said Kristy Graume, director of state government relations at DHS at a meeting of the board. “We certainly share in your frustration and we apologize.”