Direct care workforce resources

Below are resources for direct care workers, people interested in direct care careers, counties, tribal nations and provider agencies working in disability, aging and behavioral health fields.

For people who use services, more resources are listed on the Workforce shortage resources for people who use services webpage.

Direct support professionals
Counties and tribal nations
Providers
Grants

Direct support professionals

Direct support professionals help people to increase their independence and be more included in community life. DSPs work in a variety of settings, including family homes, individual homes, small community group homes, vocational and day programs, as well as other locations. Their work requires creativity, flexibility, dedication, problem-solving skills and compassion.

Below are some resources for people interested in a career or already working as a direct support professional:

New DSPs

If you are interested in starting a rewarding career in direct care, here is some information to get you started:

Finding a job
- DEED CareerForce: Summary of the many different types of caring careers available in Minnesota and how to apply
- Work from home and support someone through life sharing
- Video: Human Services Careers in Minnesota – Intro and How to Apply
- Video: Behavioral Health Careers in Minnesota – Intro and How to Apply
- CareerForce: Transferable Skills to Health Care
Certification or requirements
Planning your career
- People interested in technical assistance to start an employee-owned cooperative can receive support through June 30, 2025. Review the Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developer’s Shared Ownership webpage for more information on receiving free technical assistance. Additional information about the cooperatives initiative can be found on the HCBS Workforce Development Grant webpage.
- Personal care assistance (PCA) workers can receive an enhanced rate if they complete the trainings and meet the additional requirements. Visit the Qualifying for the enhance rate webpage for more information on how to receive an enhanced rate of pay when providing qualified services.
- Health care employee success stories
- Short YouTube videos about health care career options
Current DSPs

Supporting parents at work and other resources
- You might be eligible for student loan forgiveness if you are employed by a not-for-profit or government organization. Visit Public Service Loan Forgiveness for more information.
- You might be eligible for an income-driven repayment plan to lower your monthly federal student loan payments. Visit Federal Student Aid: Income-Driven Repayment Plans for more information.
- If you need affordable health, dental or vision insurance, you may be eligible for a public health care program or advance premium tax credits. Free help to apply through MNsure is available from navigators. Navigators can help in many different languages.
- If you are paying for health insurance outside of your workplace, ask your employer about a health reimbursement arrangement (HRA). HRAs give employers and employees a tax advantage, as opposed to simply giving employees a stipend through their paychecks.
- Help Me Connect links to resources for pregnant people and families with children under 8 years old.
- Resources to help families find and pay for childcare
- Apply for assistance (food, shelter, child care, etc.)
- Review DLI: FAQs About Labor Standards for guidance on employee rights, wage laws and related information.
Associations and unions
- National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals
- Service Employee International Union (SEIU) Healthcare Minnesota
Counties and tribal nations
- Lead agencies must ensure people accessing waiver services are offered assistive technology and remote supports to improve their independence and quality of life. Review the CBSM Resource: Guidance on support technology and service planning for more information.
- Moving Home Minnesota (MHM) is a resource for people who want to move from a licensed setting to their own home. MHM offers a variety of services and can help with setting up public transportation, reoccurring delivery services, etc.
- Family training and counseling, specialist services, individualized home supports or other services can help people learn skills to become more independent.
- CBSM Resource: Guide for emergency backup planning includes best-practice guidance and resources for case managers and coordinators to help people develop plans for staffing emergencies. It is critical for people to have individualized backup plans in place to maintain support in the event of an unexpected staffing emergency. Backup planning before an emergency occurs will help each person make an informed choice based on their individualized preferences.
- People might want to move from foster care to their family's home, but family members need support to make the move successful. Consider such services as respite, family training and counseling, assistive technology or other programs to help make that happen.
- Caregivers who have common interests with the people they support tend to enjoy their jobs more and stay longer. To help identify a good match, lead agencies can set up services with a person-centered planning facilitator. Visit the Person-centered practices webpage for more information and a list of planning facilitators who serve your region.
- Lead agencies might want to support the development of local employee-owned service provider cooperatives to help retain more workers in this profession.
- There might be local resources people can use. Here is a link to a list of Minnesota city and township websites.
- CDCS is a service option available to people using the home and community-based services waiver programs. CDCS gives a person flexibility in service planning and responsibility for self-directing services, including hiring and managing support workers. CDCS may include traditional services and goods, and self-designed services. People who select the CDCS service option and have needs that cannot be met within their budget might be eligible for the CDCS budget exception. If a person meets one or more criteria, they can access the budget exception to increase their CDCS budget by 30% to have more funds to use for their support needs, including staffing needs.
- Some people might need more highly skilled staff. People with exceptional needs that cannot be met by a Disability Waiver Rate System framework rate may request an exception.
Resources for best practices in recruitment and retention
- Recruitment and Retention in Supports For Minnesotans With Disabilities: An Assessment Guide and Toolkit (PDF) is available to help employers establish best practices at their workplaces
- Providers may use the following resources for recruitment efforts:
- Guidance for employers on offering health, dental and vision benefits
- Under Minn. Stat. 124D.475, a student in grades 11 or 12 who is employed by an institutional long-term care or licensed assisted living facility, a home and community-based services and supports provider, a hospital or health system clinic, or a child care center may earn up to two elective credits each year toward graduation. A student may earn one elective credit for every 350 hours worked, including hours worked during the summer.
- The Collaborative Safety initiative can be a helpful tool. The initiative is an approach to move critical incident reviews away from a culture of blaming staff toward a culture of learning and improving.
Time savers and bringing in additional help
- We offer the following training options at low or no cost:
- When staff turnover is related to challenging behaviors, waiver providers might consider offering or requesting help from a positive support services provider. All the support staff levels are designed to help address challenging behaviors. The positive support specialist level can provide direct supports when implementing a positive support plan. Positive support specialists can earn higher wages and ease some of the responsibility put on DSPs who earn lower wages. Additionally, the service might support staff retention by giving current employees additional job opportunities within their organization
- Specialist services can also be helpful in addressing staff turnover when the person receiving services has a unique need that requires support from someone who has specialized skills or training. For example, a specialist services provider can help staff and caregivers develop additional communication skills, provide training on the use of assistive technology, develop a plan for the person to live more independently, etc. This service is different from those provided by a positive support specialist under Positive support services.
- Providers may share the following with their employees to bring in additional crisis support as needed 24 hours a day, seven days a week:
  - Call 988 to be connected with a regional professional who can support a person experiencing a mental health crisis. This service is available to all people, including adults and children with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
  - Call 911 if there is an immediate health or safety concern. 911 responders often partner with the 988 call line responders to support people in need.
- Providers may also connect with their local Mobile Crisis Mental Health Services to receive staff training on how to support people experiencing crises.
Resources from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development
- The Small Business Partnership Program connects employers with high quality free or low-cost professional business development and technical assistance services. To find a partner organization that can provide assistance, visit the partner directory
- Employers may post their hiring, career exploration and networking events on the CareerForce calendar. Submit the appropriate linked form to have an event added to the calendar
- Employers may contact CareerForce for help with finding employees, setting up hiring events and exploring other workforce options. Contact a CareerForce location near you to get started
- Employers may view the DEED Developments blog for tips and strategies for recruiting and retaining effective workers. DEED also invites employers to join Workforce Wednesday discussions with strategy consultants.
Request assistance
- We invite home and community-based services (HCBS) residential providers to coordinate with DHS during critical workforce shortages
- Organizations can request assistance from the Direct Support Workforce Solutions consulting group at the University of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration.
- The Administration for Community Living has launched a Direct Care Workforce Strategies Center. The center provides technical assistance to states and service providers. It also helps to improve recruitment, retention, training and professional development of direct care workers.
Legislative updates
- The 2021 Legislature passed many changes to increase wages for staff. Read more on the 2021 legislative changes that affect the direct care workforce shortage webpage.
- Long-term services and supports rate changes effective Jan. 1, 2024
- Long-term services and supports rate changes effective Jan. 1, 2025
Additional resources
- Resources for building capacity in autism services for children can be found on the Building EIDBI provider capacity webpage.
- 245D Residential Setting Provider Contingency Staffing Plan Guidance, DHS-6818A-ENG (PDF)
Department of Human Services grants

Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services Standards Implementation Grants

The Minnesota Legislature appropriated funding for grants to implement standards that increase access to culturally and linguistically appropriate services for people who receive HCBS services from disability, mental health and substance use disorder service providers. These grants may include training initiatives to help DSPs develop additional skills, improve the quality of supports provided, grow professionally and take advantage of career opportunities. While the application period has closed, selected grantees will be implementing their projects throughout 2025.

Disability Services Innovation Grants

The Disability Services Innovation Grants support new and innovative ideas to improve outcomes for people with disabilities. These grants support several initiatives, including those that grow the capacity and strength of the direct care and support workforce. The application process for these grants will open again on Jan. 5, 2026.

Live Well at Home grants

Live Well at Home grants help local communities and organizations to improve their capacity to develop, strengthen and integrate home and community-based programs for older adults who live in their own homes but may be at risk of long-term nursing home use and/or spending down assets to qualify for Medical Assistance. While the application period has closed, selected grantees will be implementing their projects throughout 2025 and 2026.

Regional and Local Dementia Grants

Regional and Local Dementia Grants focus on the impact that Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias have on family and friend caregivers and on communities. The grant funds promote collaboration and strengthen community relationships and partnerships by increasing awareness of dementia and connecting family, friends and caregivers of people with dementia to education and resources. Selected grantees will implement their projects throughout 2025 and 2026.

Minnesota Care Force Incentive Program

With $84 million approved in 2023, the Minnesota Care Force Incentive Program recognizes the essential work of direct support professionals. Funds will go to organizations in 2025 that will pay bonuses to eligible employees.

Skilled support professionals for people who are deafblind

This initiative will provide community-based skilled support professionals for people who are deafblind. This initiative will run from July 1, 2025, until June 30, 2027, though DHS might extend the program’s contracts up to a total of five years.

Department of Labor and Industry and Office of Higher Education opportunities

Registered apprenticeship grants

The apprenticeship funding opportunities support employers interested in forming a new registered apprenticeship program. The grants also support existing registered apprenticeship programs seeking to grow their current training programs. These grants are often available year-round and are funded through both state and federal initiatives.

Minnesota Dual-Training Pipeline

Minnesota Dual-Training Pipeline exists to support employers in creating or enhancing a competency-based earn-and-learn dual-training approach to meeting their workforce needs. With pipeline, workers receive a combination of related instruction that leads to earning a degree, certificate or industry-recognized credential paired with on-the-job training. The Dual Training Grant will reimburse tuition expenses necessary to gain skills for specific high-demand jobs. Applications for these grants open for employers annually in the spring, pending legislative approval.

Other opportunities

Find additional opportunities on the following pages:

Sign up for announcements

We encourage you to sign up for the Disability Services Division email list so you are notified as more information or resources become available.

Questions?

If you have questions about DHS work related to the direct care workforce shortage, or if you would like a resource added to this webpage, contact us through the DSD contact form.

Find more information about the direct care workforce shortage at the national level at Medicaid.gov, Workforce Initiative.