Senator Jordan Rasmusson. (Senator Rasmusson’s Office)
St. Paul, MN – Republican lead on the Human Services committee Senator Jordan Rasmusson (R-Fergus Falls) says Governor Tim Walz’s plans to overhaul the state’s Department of Human Services is yet another attempt to paper over Minnesota’s fraud problem.
In a statement, Rasmusson says, “The Department of Human Services has not done the basics to protect taxpayers, hold employees accountable, or provide services to people who need them. With Governor Walz months away from leaving office, his administration is proposing new studies instead of focusing on accountability and action.”
Walz announced on Tuesday that he plans to overhaul the DHS to update technology and streamline Medicaid services into one centralized plan. Walz says the fraud took place in places that are “more downstream,” and that “counties are telling us what the problems are.” He says that they are taking more accountability for it, and that “getting the services to improve quality of life for Minnesotans is a priority.”
Rasmusson says DHS is years behind performing site visits, decades behind on technology, and is barely able to meet legislative deadlines, “Governor Walz has had press conference after press conference announcing supposed reforms, but Minnesotans are still staring at this administration’s failures to protect taxpayers and the Minnesotans who rely on these services.”
Walz is even getting kickback from his own party. DFL Senate Chair of the Human Services Committee John Hoffman said, ‘Major structural changes to a system that serves hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans require thoughtful collaboration between the executive branch and the legislature.” The governor says he’s willing to work with lawmakers to update the systems.
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