Minnesota legislative auditor: the Health Department has not inspected assisted living facilities as often as state law requires
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What happened
The Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor published an evaluation of assisted living facility licensing in September 2026. It found the Minnesota Department of Health generally ensured license applicants met requirements but had not inspected assisted living facilities as frequently as required by law, had not set clear standards for imposing licensing sanctions, and that the state human services report cards do not incorporate maltreatment information. For inspections due from January through June 2025, the department completed 29 percent on time and another 30 percent within 90 days of the due date. The report says the department's timeliness appeared to be improving, with significantly fewer inspections more than 90 days late than in the two previous six-month periods. The department wrote that it values the feedback and described actions it has taken or will take.
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Response
In a letter dated September 1, 2026, MDH Deputy Commissioner Wendy Underwood wrote that "MDH greatly values and appreciates [OLA's] feedback" and that MDH "will use this opportunity to continue to ensure our quality assurance and quality control processes are well-designed, consistent, and effective."
What happened next (0)
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