MMLA's Project Care on the Effects of Medicaid "Unwinding"

In the latest issue of Minnesota Medicine, the frustration, fear, and anger resulting from “Medicaid unwinding” is discussed with Ralonda Mason, supervising attorney at the Saint Cloud office of Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid (MMLA). Along with others, Mason explains the complicated process of eligibility determinations and the toll on clients who were mistakenly denied coverage.

In response to the Covid-19 global pandemic, there was a massive increase in eligibility for the Medicaid program, which Mason explained was done for a very important reason. Many Americans would have otherwise lost healthcare coverage completely when employers needed to lay off staff or shut down completely and these people were suddenly eligible for Medicaid. “While we were struggling through an unprecedented health emergency in this country, having people lose coverage and access to healthcare would’ve been horrible for all of us.” Mason said.

But while experts in the field knew that eventually the expanded eligibility and coverage would end with the pandemic, many people benefitting from the program did not, and were taken by surprise when learning they could lose their coverage. It is estimated that between 100,000 and 280,000 Minnesotans could lose their Medicaid coverage in 2024. Mason notes that Minnesota has tried to be thoughtful about evaluating enrollee eligibility during the “unwinding” process while also recognizing the huge challenges inherent in reaching so many enrollees and communicating what needs to be understood and done.

MMLA’s Project Care (a free healthcare navigator service) provides assistance to help people apply for Medicaid coverage and take necessary steps to stay covered. Navigators work in the St. Cloud office, as well as in 14 different locations in the 12-county area. Bilingual navigators are stationed in public libraries, health clinics and social service agencies and navigators also meet with people on the phone and through virtual appointments. MMLA’s St. Cloud office is the only legal aid program in the state that provides this service to clients. “We’ve worked hard to make sure people know that we are providing these services. It is part of our job and our mission,” Mason said. On the subject of how complicated the process is, she noted, “You shouldn’t need to go to a lawyer to get to see your doctor.” Read more in “A tangled web: Minnesota’s post-COVID Medicaid ‘unwinding’ requires patience, compassion.”

LSC's Model Practices & Innovations Report Features LSNM Contributions

The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) recently featured data and best practices from Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota (LSNM) in its Model Practices & Innovations series. In the report, LSNM shares how Legal Kiosks and Justice Buses helped the program bridge the digital divide and reach clients without reliable internet access.

LSNM’s executive director, Anne Hoefgen, and communications and outreach coordinator, Kelly Wencl, contributed to the publication, which covers challenges of the pre-existing digital divide in greater Minnesota. That divide was exacerbated when Minnesota courts shifted from in-person hearings to remote civil proceedings in March 2020 in compliance with public health orders.

In 2020 LSNM received LSC-provided COVID-19 funding to increase reach in their service area while awaiting CARES Act funding. Then, working with the Minnesota Legal Services Coalition (MLSC), Reach Justice Minnesota was formed to leverage technology and staffing during the pandemic. Four legal aid organizations primarily comprise Reach Justice and collectively cover all 87 Minnesota counties. Legal Aid Service of Northeastern Minnesota (LASNEM), Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid (MMLA), Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS), and Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota (LSNM) serve as the four regional hubs for the project’s initiatives. For more about the resulting innovations and current practices, read Dialing Up: How Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota Expanded Its Services to Bridge the Digital Divide.

SMRLS' Justice Bus Tours Communities in Southern Minnesota

Spring is finally here, and Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS) is on the road bringing legal services access and resources directly to the people with its Justice Bus. Beginning this week, the Justice Bus is traveling through communities in southern Minnesota like Rushford, Preston, Le Roy, Red Wing, Cannon Falls, Owatonna, and Faribault. The bus is a mobile legal aid office, so instead of people coming to a SMRLS office to get legal services, the program comes to them.

First launched in summer 2021, the Justice Bus project, along with Legal Kiosks, are part of Reach Justice Minnesota, a series of initiatives created to leverage technology in response to the unprecedented challenges of Covid-19 and to meet clients in their communities.

Jocylyn Poehler, lead family law attorney of SMRLS’ southeast region, recently spoke with News 8 Now and KIMT News 3 about the planned stops on this opening Justice Bus tour, what kind of services are offered, and hopes for a meaningful impact in the lives of those who use it.

Dee Baskin and Mary Kaczorek Recognized with 2023 HCBA Excellence Awards

Dee Baskin, LRAP

Mary Kaczorek, MMLA

Each year the Hennepin County Bar Association (HCBA) presents its Excellence Awards to honor individual bar members for their service to the local legal profession, the community, and the association. HCBA is the largest of Minnesota’s local bar associations, with a membership of over 8,000 attorneys and law students serving the profession and the public. This year, the HCBA selected eight attorney members and two organizations from nominations received in different categories, including one member for career contributions to the profession. The 2023 HCBA Excellence Awards will be presented at the association’s annual meeting on June 8, and members will be recognized in the Hennepin Lawyer publication.

This year’s honorees include Dee Baskin, executive director of the Loan Repayment Assistance Program of Minnesota (LRAP) and Mary Kaczorek, managing attorney with Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid (MMLA). Both Baskin and Kaczorek will receive the association’s Improving Access to Justice Award.

Kaczorek has led MMLA’s housing unit through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and zealously advocated for remote hearings to benefit MMLA’s clients with low-incomes and disabilities. In addition to supervising attorneys and litigating her own cases in housing court, Kaczorek has also advocated for eviction reform at the Minnesota legislature. 

Baskin has been a behind-the-scenes champion for legal aid attorneys seeking public service loan forgiveness and has helped Minnesota attorneys navigate each pause on student loan payments through articles, CLE presentations, and social media updates.

Minneapolis Cited in Newsweek Article on Eviction Crisis

Though Las Vegas was cited as “leading the pack” in mounting U.S. evictions since the pandemic began, Minneapolis was also cited in a recent Newsweek Magazine article. Along with Austin, Minneapolis has seen a five-fold increase in eviction filings between 2021 and 2022.

To help shine a light on the nationwide eviction crisis, Newsweek spoke to Mary Kaczorek, managing attorney of the housing unit at Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid (MMLA), along with other legal aid organizations across the country.

”I keep thinking each month is going to be lower, but the last couple of months are actually higher," Kaczorek said.

With eviction protections dwindling and ending, and filings rising dramatically across the country, tenants’ rights groups are urging government officials to respond with new and increased rental assistance programs. A housing affordability crisis, inseparable from rising evictions, is also adding to the situation, which existed before the pandemic and has only exacerbated it.

The Star Tribune also published an article this month about the increase in public housing evictions in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, with some filings for falling behind on as little as $100 or less in rent.

”The stakes are so high in these cases because it takes years and years to get into public housing, and once you're evicted from there, there's really nowhere else to go," Kaczorek explained.

The Star Tribune also spoke with Heather Mendiola, staff attorney with Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS), about public housing tenants facing multiple financial obstacles all at once.

"Unfortunately, low-wage jobs aren't always flexible with paid time off. We see public housing tenants hit hard with unplanned catastrophic events, like hospitalizations and funerals, who are in the forced position to use the rent money to cover these unexpected expenses,” Mendiola said.

Read Las Vegas Tops Nation as Eviction Crisis Spreads Across America in Newsweek and Minneapolis, St. Paul public housing evictions outpacing pre-pandemic rates in the Star Tribune.