A bill for an act
relating to higher education; establishing loan forgiveness and grants for home
care worker education; requiring reports; transferring money; appropriating money;
proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 136A.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
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The commissioner of the Office of Higher Education
must establish a grant program for students working as home care workers.
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(a) To be eligible for a grant under this section, a student must:
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(1) be enrolled at an eligible institution in a two- or four-year postsecondary program
that leads to a degree;
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(2) agree to work as a home care worker no less than an average of ten hours per week
during the academic period for which the grant is awarded; and
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(3) have made satisfactory academic progress as defined under section 136A.101,
subdivision 10.
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(b) For purposes of this section, "home care worker" means an individual who provides
to older adults or persons with disabilities in-home, nonprofessional long-term services and
supports that are funded in whole or in part by medical assistance, including by the home
and community-based waivers, alternative care, the essential community supports program,
or community support grants.
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(a) The commissioner must establish an application process
and other guidelines for implementing the program. The commissioner must notify grant
recipients of their award amounts by the following dates:
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(1) for fall academic periods, recipients must be notified by October 15;
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(2) for spring academic periods, recipients must be notified by February 1; and
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(3) for summer academic periods, recipients must be notified by July 1.
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These notification deadlines do not apply in cases where grants are awarded to home care
workers who applied after application deadlines and grant money was available after the
initial round of grants were awarded.
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(b) Each academic year, the commissioner must determine each grant amount up to
$5,000 based on available funding and the number of eligible applicants.
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(c) The commissioner must give equal consideration to all eligible applicants received
before the application deadline regardless of the order in which the application was received.
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(d) If there is insufficient grant money to provide a grant to all eligible applicants, the
commissioner shall prioritize the grants to eligible applicants based on the statewide
distribution of grant money.
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By February 15 of each year, the commissioner must submit a
report on the details of the program under this section to the legislative committees with
jurisdiction over higher education and human services finance and policy. The report must
include the following information:
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(1) the number of eligible applicants and the number of home care workers receiving a
grant, each broken down by postsecondary institution;
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(2) the total number of grants, the total dollar amount of all grants, and the average grant
amount; and
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(3) other summary data identified by the commissioner as outcome indicators.
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(a) For purposes of this section, the terms in this subdivision
have the meanings given.
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(b) "Home care worker" means an individual who provides to older adults or persons
with disabilities in-home, nonprofessional long-term services and supports that are funded
in whole or in part by medical assistance, including by the home and community-based
waivers, alternative care, the essential community supports program, and community support
grants.
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(c) "Qualified education loan" means a government, commercial, or foundation loan
used by an individual for actual costs paid for tuition and reasonable educational and living
expenses related to the postsecondary education of the home care worker.
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(a) A home care worker loan forgiveness program account
is established in the special revenue fund to provide home care workers with financial
assistance in repaying qualified education loans. The commissioner must use money from
the account to establish and administer the home care worker loan forgiveness program.
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(b) Money in the home care worker loan forgiveness program account is appropriated
to the commissioner for purposes of this section, does not cancel, and is available until
expended.
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To be eligible to participate in the home care worker loan forgiveness
program, an individual must:
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(1) have been employed as a home care worker at least an average of three hours per
week for ... prior to application;
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(2) have qualified education loans;
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(3) reside in Minnesota; and
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(4) submit an application to the commissioner in the form and manner prescribed by the
commissioner.
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(a) The commissioner may select eligible applicants each
year for participation in the home care worker loan forgiveness program, within the limits
of available funding. Applicants are responsible for securing their own qualified education
loans.
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(b) For each year that the participant meets the eligibility requirements under subdivision
3, the commissioner must make annual disbursements directly to a home care worker equal
to the least of (1) $....... times the average weekly number of hours worked in the preceding
year as a home care worker, (2) $......., or (3) the balance of the participant's qualified
education loans. An individual may receive disbursements under this section for a maximum