Rather than helping develop care plans that would allow disabled Minnesotans to live in their homes, counties continue to steer thousands into facilities that promote dependency and isolation.
A year later, the Johnsons applied again, and again Pine County said no.
Finally, worn down by constant anxiety and repeated trips to the emergency room, the Johnsons turned to their last resort: They sold their house and moved 40 miles west to Kanabec County.
Two months later, Michaela was approved for more than $60,000 a year in home care and medical equipment.
“You get to the point where you’re told ‘no’ so many times that you have no choice: You have to pack up and leave,” Michelle Johnson said from the family’s new home in Mora.
The Johnsons are among tens of thousands of Minnesota families whose lives are upended by the arbitrary and confusing way Minnesota distributes money designed to help people with severe disabilities. This coveted assistance, disbursed by counties in a form known as Medicaid “waivers,’’ supplies people who have qualifying disabilities with more than $3 billion a year.
The only mostly normal thing about 2020 in Minnesota? Weather
It was warmer and drier than average, but not without extraordinary events.
By Raymond Grumney, Summary by Minnesota DNR State Climatology Office January 8, 2021 9:22am Record cloudiness in January set the stage for a mild winter, but then heavy snows fell in April. Tropical Depression Cristobal caused mudslides in southeastern areas of Minnesota, and was the state s first known direct encounter with a tropical cyclone. A tornado near Dalton, Minn., was the most violent since 2010. Damaging winds and hailstorms struck repeatedly during late summer. A massive downpour hit parts of eight counties with at least six inches of rain.
Snow forecast and weather warnings See how much snow is forecast to fall, current weather warnings from the National Weather Service, and current snow depth around the state.
By Raymond Grumney share Copy shortlink: News Graphics News Graphics The rover is the most sophisticated that NASA has ever sent to Mars. It will search for signs of ancient microbial life, characterize the planet s geology and climate, and collect rock/sediment samples for possible return to Earth. It is powered by heat from the radioactive decay of plutonium into electricity used to charge its two batteries. News Graphics Map of recent quakes that are occurring in both the United States and around the world. The data is from the United States Geological Survey s (USGS). Earthquake information is extracted from a merged catalog of earthquakes located by the USGS and contributing networks. Earthquake data will be available with