Families and advocates have fought for reforms in the foster care system for eight years now. The Layla Jackson Law is currently being considered in the Minnesota state legislature.
Bill to preserve Black families would now cover most MN foster kids sahanjournal.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sahanjournal.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A year later, the Johnsons applied again, and again Pine County said no.
Finally, worn down by constant anxiety and repeated trips to the emergency room, the Johnsons turned to their last resort: They sold their house and moved 40 miles west to Kanabec County.
Two months later, Michaela was approved for more than $60,000 a year in home care and medical equipment.
“You get to the point where you’re told ‘no’ so many times that you have no choice: You have to pack up and leave,” Michelle Johnson said from the family’s new home in Mora.
The Johnsons are among tens of thousands of Minnesota families whose lives are upended by the arbitrary and confusing way Minnesota distributes money designed to help people with severe disabilities. This coveted assistance, disbursed by counties in a form known as Medicaid “waivers,’’ supplies people who have qualifying disabilities with more than $3 billion a year.