Minnesota
Minnesota Medicaid revalidation: Families of disabled adults fear losing services
(FOX 9) – Families and service providers across Minnesota are facing uncertainty after the state’s Medicaid revalidation process left thousands without funding.
Longtime provider cut off after decades of service
What we know:
Options Inc. in Sherburne County supports nearly 200 people with developmental disabilities, helping some find work and others live more independently.
The organization has existed since 1979, and relies heavily on Medicaid funding, which was recently cut off due to the state’s effort to revalidate providers and prevent fraud.
Colene and Dan Verdick, whose 29-year-old daughter Hannah attends Options, said the loss of services is taking a toll.
“It’s very stressful,” said Colene Verdick, a parent of an Options Inc. participant.
“We don’t know what life without it would be like. I mean, we had a small taste of it during COVID, and it was not good,” said Colene Verdick.
“Nope, she was miserable,” said Dan Verdick.
Options Inc. is one of about 3,400 providers statewide that lost Medicaid funding in the process.
Rep. Natalie Zeleznikar said, “to just shut off the spigot and terminate everybody, that means you put all the good providers in the bad apple bag, and that’s wrong.”
Medicaid service providers looking for answers
Throughout Minnesota roughly 3,400 Medicaid service providers are trying to prove the legitimacy of their services after the state disenrolled roughly 60% of its providers. FOX 9’s Corin Hoggard has the details.
The revalidation process and provider appeals
Timeline:
Options Inc. began the revalidation process in May 2025, received a response in April 2026, and submitted all required documents by May 20.
The Department of Human Services (DHS) said this did not give them enough time to finish the revalidation review, including a site visit.
“We should have had this revalidation done in June of 2025. I hate to have to put families and providers through all of this stress and heartache,” said Brenda Geldert, executive director of Options Inc
The state revalidated about 37% of providers, referred 1% for inspector general’s investigations, and allowed most others to appeal their disenrollment.
Rep. Zeleznikar is urging Gov. Walz to treat the situation as an emergency and create an incident command center.
DHS response and ongoing issues
The other side:
DHS has responded to FOX 9 about other providers profiled recently, saying most have minor paperwork issues to resolve.
One provider in Rep. Zeleznikar’s district has been revalidated. However, Bella Mente says the state’s system still won’t allow them to submit bills for their services.
Options Inc. and other organizations are waiting for answers, while families like the Verdicks worry about the impact on their loved ones’ daily lives.
A St. Cloud Tech ninth-grader won the Minnesota State High School League Clay Shooting championship on Friday.
Allie Lauer won the title with a score of 99 and reverse run of 83, while second-place finisher Isabella Blaz (Rosemount) also scored a 99 but a reverse run of 54. LeRoy-Ostrander’s Kimberly Volkart finished in third place with a score of 98.
MSHSL:
“I was nervous coming in because the other girls are older,” Lauer said. “It was nice weather today and things worked out well. Your average (score) doesn’t really matter. Just keep a good mindset and don’t focus on the scores.”
BOYS CLAY SHOOTING CHAMPIONSHIP
Proctor sophomore Lane Graves took home the championship after a grueling three-way, two-round shoot-off against Rushford-Peterson’s Colton Ronnenberg (second place) and Prior Lake’s Jack Benedict.
After Benedict was eliminated in the first shoot-off, Graves outlasted Ronnenberg with a 9-7 win in round two.
TEAM CLAY SHOOTING CHAMPIONSHIP
The Bemidji Lumberjacks took the team title with a total score of 487, one ahead of Lakeville South and five better than both Stewartville and Spring Grove.
St. Cloud’s Stanley Cup Champion Nate Schmidt [GALLERY]
Former St. Cloud Cathedral and University of Minnesota standout Nate Schmidt will bring the Stanley Cup to St. Cloud on August 25th. Here’s a look at his career through photos.
REDWOOD FALLS
— The 64-year-old Redwood Falls man
killed in a rollover crash Saturday in Redwood County
was fleeing police in his vehicle at the time, according to information from the Redwood County Sheriff’s Office.
Francis Albert Rohlik was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash at approximately 7:22 p.m. on June 27. He was northbound on Redwood County Road 7 north of
Belview
when his vehicle left the roadway and rolled at the intersection with 400th Street in Kintire Township, according to
an accident report
by the
Minnesota State Patrol.
Rohlik was not wearing a seat belt, the State Patrol reported. According to the Redwood County Sheriff’s Office, he was ejected from the vehicle during the crash.
Shortly before the crash, at approximately 7:19 p.m. Saturday, law enforcement officers attempted to stop his vehicle for traffic violations on County Road 7 near Belview. The driver accelerated away from deputies and a brief pursuit ensued. After approximately three miles, the vehicle lost control and rolled over near the intersection with 400th Street, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies immediately administered medical aid to the driver. However, he was pronounced dead at the scene. Rohlik was the only occupant in the vehicle.
Assisting agencies included the Minnesota State Patrol, the Yellow Medicine County Sheriff’s Office, Belview Fire Department, Belview First Responders, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, CentraCare Ambulance, and North Memorial AirCare. The Minnesota State Patrol is investigating the crash.
Minnesota
David Doty, Minnesota federal judge who oversaw NFL’s labor disputes for decades, dies at 96
A Minnesota federal judge noted for presiding over “several landmark disputes involving the National Football League” has died at 96, the U.S. District Court announced Monday.
David Doty died Saturday, just three days before his 97th birthday, the court said.
“Judge Doty devoted his entire professional life to serving others — as a Marine, as a lawyer who served not only clients but his community in many ways, and as a U.S. District Judge for nearly four decades,” Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz said. “Despite his remarkable accomplishments, he was a genuinely humble man. He treated everyone — from the guy who shined his shoes to Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court — the same way: with kindness and compassion and a sincere interest in their lives.”
Former President Ronald Reagan appointed Doty to Minnesota’s district court in 1987, and the court said he “continued to maintain a significant caseload until just a few months before his death.”
Doty grew up in Minneapolis and earned his law degree from the University of Minnesota. Before becoming a judge, he practiced law for more than a quarter-century. He also served in the U.S. Marine Corps for six years.
Doty’s ruling in an antitrust case involving the NFL in the early ’90s led to the creation of the free agency system the league still uses. He oversaw decades of NFL labor matters, including a 2011 case that preceded a brief lockout. So influential was Doty in NFL labor matters that owners tried to get him removed from cases on multiple occasions, according to the Associated Press.
The NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero shared a statement from the league on Doty’s death: “Judge Doty devoted his life to public service and the law, presiding over NFL-related litigation for many years during his distinguished career. We express our sincere condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.”
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