AARP Minnesota Advocacy Hub

For the first time since AARP began publishing the Scorecard in 2011, more than half of Medicaid long-term care dollars nationwide for older adults and people with physical disabilities went to home- and community-based services instead of nursing homes and other institutions.

Access to workplace retirement plans is critical to helping people save. That's why AARP advocated for a new Secure Choice program to help workers save for their future. Beginning in January 2025, employers with five or more employees who do not offer retirement plans will be requited to enroll their works in the state’s IRA plan.

Reliable, affordable high-speed internet access is of utmost importance to older Minnesotans, but access and adoption have remained elusive for too many, too long. In addition, it will be critical to help people acquire the skills, devices, and capacity they need to access the internet and reap the full benefits of our digital economy.

In a historic win for family caregivers and workers, the Minnesota Legislature enacted a state-administered insurance program allowing workers to take time off to care for themselves, a family member or a loved one. AARP also pushed for new laws to help workers save for retirement, lower drug costs, increase investments to help seniors age in place, and Social Security and property tax relief. 

We’re thrilled that all working Minnesotans will soon be able to take paid time off to care for a loved one, thanks to legislation signed recently by Gov. Tim Walz.

Minnesota is the 15th state, along with the District of Columbia, to enact some form of paid family medical leave, although some programs are still being implemented. AARP Minnesota spent nearly a decade lobbying for the legislation, part of our push to support family caregivers.

We’re thrilled that our advocacy helped pass legislation in Minnesota that will allow retirees to keep more of their Social Security income.

On May 21, state lawmakers passed a bill that will eliminate the state tax on Social Security benefits for three-quarters of the state’s recipients. People with taxable incomes up to $78,000, or $100,000 for a couple, would be exempt from paying state taxes on their benefits under the legislation, which Gov. Tim Walz signed on May 24.

We commend the U.S. Supreme Court for striking down a Minnesota law allowing local governments to seize a person’s home to recoup back property taxes and keep any leftover money after the home is sold. 

AARP Foundation filed a brief in a case before the court this week in support of Geraldine Tyler, a 94-year-old Minnesota woman who lost her condo after she failed to pay $15,000 in back taxes, fees and interest.

We applaud state lawmakers in Minnesota, Missouri and Vermont for passing AARP-supported legislation to help private-sector workers save for retirement.

Lawmakers in Minnesota and Vermont approved legislation that would phase in state-facilitated retirement savings programs in those states starting in 2025.