Sponsor: Financial Assistance Services
Title
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Metropolitan County Consortium Funding Pool Return Agreement with Hennepin County and Amendment Number 3 to Cooperative Agreement By and Around the Metropolitan County Consortium, State of Minnesota
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Recommendation
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1. Approve the Metropolitan County Consortium (MCC) Funding Pool Return Agreement with Hennepin County for the return of funds not to exceed $105,817.
2. Approve the third amendment to the Cooperative Agreement By and Around Metropolitan County Consortium, State of Minnesota.
3. Authorize the Chair and Chief Clerk to execute the agreements.
4. Authorize the County Manager to execute any future amendments in accordance with the county’s policies and procedures, in a form approved by the County Attorney’s Office.
5. Authorize the County Manager to establish a project budget of $105,817 for the Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Funding Pool in the Financial Assistance Services budget.
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Background and Rationale
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Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) is a covered service for Ramsey County residents who receive healthcare through Medical Assistance. This service provides residents with the ability to safely get to and from medical appointments. Counties are currently required to provide the coordination of this service for eligible residents with private providers. By adjusting the model to ensure continued provision these services to residents, this Request for Board Action directly supports Ramsey County’s strategic priority of Racial & Health Equity and Shared Community Power.
In 2010, Ramsey County, along with seven other Minnesota counties, joined the Metropolitan County Consortium (MCC), for the purpose of centralizing the provision of NEMT. The MCC entered an agreement with Hennepin County, in which Hennepin County would administer and coordinate these services for eligible residents on behalf of MCC partners. To support this administration, MCC partners provided funds as an initial cash flow mechanism, “Funding Pool” for Hennepin County. Ramsey County provided $105,817 on October 31st, 2010 to Hennepin County for the “Funding Pool”.
In 2021, Hennepin County discontinued utilizing the “Funding Pool” and since has been holding these unused funds. The Funding Pool Return Agreement provides for Hennepin County to return these unused funds.
Although the Minnesota Department of Human Services has been directed to begin to provide NEMT, taking this responsibility off counties, recent state legislation has indefinitely postponed this transition. Counties are expected to continue administering these services for the foreseeable future.
Because of these changes, along with increased program complexity and regulation, Hennepin County has re-assessed their model of administration and provision of these services on behalf of MCC and decided to move forward with a different model of service. In this new model of service, Hennepin County will be charging each MCC partner a ten percent administration fee, annually, based on the partners total utilization of NEMT the prior year. The amendment to the MCC Cooperative Agreement reflects these changes.
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County Goals (Check those advanced by Action)
☒ Well-being ☐ Prosperity ☐ Opportunity ☐ Accountability
Racial Equity Impact
In 2025, 191,948 Ramsey County residents received medical assistance. Of those residents receiving medical assistance, for whom Financial Assistance Services has race and ethnicity data recorded for, 70% of residents identified as non-white, with 27% identifying as Black, 23% identifying as Asian, 12% identifying as Hispanic and 3% identifying as American Indian. Continuing the provision of NMET to these populations is critical to support healthcare access for racial diverse and American Indian communities in Ramsey County.
Community Participation Level and Impact
This is an administrative action and no community participation was involved.
☒ Inform ☐ Consult ☐ Involve ☐ Collaborate ☐ Empower
Fiscal Impact
This action will increase revenue to Financial Assistance Services by $105,817 in the 2027 budget. These funds will be designated into a project fund for the purpose of paying the new administrative fee as detailed in Amendment No. 3 to Cooperative Agreement By and Among the Metropolitan County Consortium, State of Minnesota. Based on current usage, it is estimated that this revenue will cover three years of these new administrative costs. There is no levy impact.
Last Previous Action
On October 20, 2020, the Ramsey County Board approved the Cooperative Agreement by and Among the Metropolitan County Consortium for Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (Resolution B2020-202).
On June 22, 2010, the Ramsey County Board approved the Cooperative Agreement by and Among the Metropolitan Counties Consortium (Resolution 2010-225).
Attachments
1. Metropolitan County Consortium Funding Pool Return Agreement
2. Amendment No. 3 to Cooperative agreement By and Among the Metropolitan County Consortium, State of Minnesota