Dayton Administration Postpones Elder Nursing Rule

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - A set of Medicaid rule changes regarding care for the poor and elderly that were to take hold Wednesday have been delayed by Gov. Mark Dayton's administration.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services won't institute rules that were in the works since a 2009 law change. Reports Tuesday say that the changes would have made it harder for low-income senior citizens to qualify for home-based care, such as bathing and dressing.

The agency says 3,300 people would have been affected. Those poor and frail senior citizens currently receive Medicaid and other forms of state assistance.

Dayton says he wants the Legislature to re-examine the law. He says he'll recommend covering the cost of the delay in a supplemental budget he presents in March.