St. Paul, Minnesota — On day 89 of a 90-day federal review, the Trump administration sent a letter that effectively reset the clock — and left thousands of Minnesota nursing home workers waiting even longer for raises that were supposed to start in January.
The Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board’s executive director, Leah Solo, delivered the news Thursday at a board meeting: the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services had requested additional information from the state, restarting its review period from scratch. Under federal Medicaid law, CMS has up to 90 days to evaluate the state’s funding request — but it can pause and restart that clock by asking for more information.
“I hate to bring bad news,” Solo told the board.
What the Wage Floor Would Do
Minnesota’s law requires nursing facility employees to earn at least $19 an hour this year, rising to $20.50 in 2027. Workers with nursing licenses would earn substantially more. The state and federal government were each set to contribute $18 million to help nursing homes cover the cost.
But the wage floor has been stuck in bureaucratic limbo since before it was supposed to take effect. The state’s Department of Human Services was months late filing the required paperwork with CMS — an error officials apologized for — and only submitted the request in January, triggering the 90-day review. That delay was the first setback. Wednesday’s CMS letter is the second.
It’s the latest chapter in a saga that has dragged on for workers who were counting on the raises. Minnesota nursing home workers have been waiting for these pay increases since the state missed its original federal filing deadline, and the new delay adds more uncertainty to an already frustrating timeline.
A First-of-Its-Kind Program Under Fire
Minnesota is the first state to create a workforce standards board specifically focused on the nursing home industry — a model that labor unions have pushed in blue states as a way to set minimum wages for specific sectors. The concept traces back to New Deal-era labor policy.
The nursing home industry hasn’t been quiet about its opposition. Operators filed a lawsuit last month calling the board unconstitutional and arguing it “inflicts irreparable harm” on providers. A federal court hearing on the industry’s request for an injunction is scheduled for next month.
The board itself includes members from the industry who want it eliminated — a dynamic that made Thursday’s meeting particularly tense. The board spent the first 45 minutes in closed session to discuss the lawsuit before Solo delivered the news about CMS.
What Comes Next Is Unclear
Solo said she doesn’t know what information CMS is asking for. The letter went to the Department of Human Services, not the workforce board, and Human Services hadn’t yet shared the contents with Solo as of Thursday afternoon. The department said it was working on a response to questions about the letter.
CMS did not respond to requests for comment.
The move fits a broader pattern of the Trump administration using procedural tools to slow or block state-level labor and Medicaid policies it disagrees with. Whether CMS ultimately approves the funding request — or lets the review drag on indefinitely — remains to be seen.
For nursing home workers in Minnesota, the answer to when they’ll see their raises is the same as it’s been for months: not yet.
