Minnesota Association of Residential Service Homes
Press and News
MARSH in the News
Coverage of MARSH advocacy and the issues facing Family Residential Services providers and the Minnesotans they serve.
MARSH advocates for licensed residential service providers across Minnesota and the vulnerable adults and children in their care. Our work, and the crisis facing Family Residential Services under the state's flat rate reimbursement system, has been covered by news outlets around the state. Recent stories are collected below.
Recent Coverage
MARSH and multiple FRS clients have filed suit against the Minnesota Department of Human Services in federal court, alleging the state is systematically dismantling the Family Residential Services program that more than 3,000 Minnesotans rely on. The story features clients and guardians from a MARSH member home and coverage of the July 9 town hall with state lawmakers at Eagan High School.
In this commentary, MARSH President Sandra Bond describes how the DHS Revalidate 2026 initiative swept legitimate providers into disenrollments, terminations, interrupted payments, and lengthy appeals, and how those burdens compound the financial strain of the flat rate reimbursement system. The piece argues that Minnesotans with disabilities should not pay the price for administrative failures.
KSTP reports on the state's shift from individualized, needs-based daily rates to a fixed rate system for Family Residential Services, a Medicaid program that is not among those DHS deemed high risk for fraud. The story features MARSH President Sandra Bond and an FRS provider weighing closure, along with Senator Bill Lieske, who authored a bipartisan bill to restore the former rate system.
This commentary describes how the flat rate payment system is forcing small, family-based foster care homes to close, displacing vulnerable adults and destabilizing small businesses across Minnesota. It explains why FRS homes are homes in the truest sense, why one-size-fits-all funding penalizes providers who serve individuals with the greatest needs, and why legislators must act to restore funding structures that reflect real care needs.
Media inquiries: Members of the press seeking comment, interviews, or background on Family Residential Services and residential provider issues in Minnesota can reach MARSH at admin@marshmn.org.
MARSH is a statewide coalition of licensed residential service providers advocating for the vulnerable adults and children they serve. To support this advocacy and access member resources, visit marshmn.org/membership-perks.