The state Legislature voted to cut funding for nursing homes and the state’s disability waivers system to help balance the budget.

The disability waivers system is linked to Minnesota’s Medicaid program and provides home and community-based services to those with disabilities, helping them live in a community rather than an institution. In 2023, around 70,000 Minnesotans used disability waivers.

Lawmakers say the cuts will “slow the growth” of the program. Linda Wolford, the government relations director for the Minnesota Council on Disability, joined Minnesota Now to explain.