This information was collected through a combination of state surveys and NASHP staff research. It offers a snapshot of how the state is defining, training, certifying, and paying for the CHW workforce — as well as how the state is developing cross-agency and state-to-local strategies to improve community health in partnership with CHWs.
This is a dynamic policy space, and states are continuing to develop new approaches. We will continue to make periodic updates to this page. Learn more about state CHW policies across the U.S.
State CHW Definition
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) website uses the APHA definition of CHWs.
The state’s CHW Medicaid provider manual defines a CHW as “a health worker who is a trusted member or has an unusually close understanding of the community served, which enables the person to provide information about health issues that affect the community and link individuals with the health and social services they need to achieve wellness.”
The manual also includes and defines a Community Health Representative (CHR) as “Community-based health care providers who provide health promotion and disease prevention services in their communities, and have completed an Indian Health Service-funded, tribally contracted or granted, and directed program of training.”
State CHW Governance
Minnesota does not have a dedicated state office of CHWs. The CHW Initiatives and Community Engagement Unitwithin the Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Division in the Minnesota Department of Health, which was established in 2024, partners closely with the Minnesota CHW Alliance and collaborates with other key partners in the state.
Certification and Training1
Completion of the Minnesota CHW Certificate program is not required for employment but is required for Medicaid reimbursement for CHW services provided to enrollees. Providers must have a valid CHW certificate from the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU). Minnesota Medicaid recognizes the statewide standardized competency-based educational program based in accredited post-secondary schools and overseen by MnSCU System. CHW providers must enroll and be screened following the Minnesota Health Care Programs provider screening requirements at the time of enrollment and once within every five years to maintain their enrollment.
The Community Health Worker Training Program (CHWTP) is a partnership between the Minnesota Department of Health, the Minnesota Community Health Worker Alliance (MNCHWA), Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, and accredited institutions that offer the Community Health Worker (CHW) Certificate. CHWTP’s mission is to strengthen and diversify the CHW workforce by offering scholarships for individuals pursuing a CHW certificate at an accredited institution, creating a CHW apprenticeship program, and building out additional free online training modules for CHWs.
[1] Minnesota was the first state to develop and offer a statewide CHW curriculum based in post-secondary education. The Minnesota standardized curriculum is a competency-based, 16-credit certificate program that creates a pathway for students interested in a wide range of health and social services careers.
Medicaid Reimbursement
Minnesota Medicaid reimburses for CHW services under its State Plan. As of January 2024, Minnesota Medicaid expanded reimbursement for CHW services to include new Community Health Integration services defined by Medicare and performed by CHWs.
Other Funding or Financing Mechanisms
The Community Health Worker Training Program (CHWTP) is supported by HRSA-22-124 funding through 2025 for CHW training programs and awarded to MDH in partnership with MNCHWA, the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, and accredited institutions that offer the Community Health Worker (CHW) Certificate.
In 2023, Minnesota statute 144.1462 authorized a grant to the Minnesota Community Health Worker Alliance to expand and strengthen the CHW workforce across Minnesota and support the department of health to design, conduct, and evaluate the CHW initiative.
Key Partnerships
Minnesota Community Health Worker Alliance is a key partner in supporting the CHW workforce and is partnering with MDH to implement the CHWTP and other efforts to expand and strengthen the CHW workforce.
The Minnesota Department of Health also partners with state agencies, educational institutions, local public health, health care organizations, community organizations, and other interested parties to increase statewide access to appropriate and effective CHW services to support the health and well-being of Minnesotans.
State CHW Legislation
Minnesota Statute 256B.0625, Subdivision 49, mandates that medical assistance covers care coordination and patient education services provided by a CHW if the CHW has received a certificate from the MnSCU System’s approved CHW curriculum.
Minnesota Statute 144.1462 , authorizes the commissioner of health to support collaboration and coordination between state and community partners to develop, refine, and expand the community health worker (CHW) profession in Minnesota; equip CHWs to address heath needs; and improve health outcomes.
State Resources
ACO – Accountable care organization
AHEC – Area Health Education Centers
APHA – American Public Health Association
APM – Alternative payment model
CBO – Community-based organization
CDC – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
CDC CCR Funding – Community Health Workers for COVID Response and Resilient Communities Funding
CHR – Community health representative
CHW – Community health worker
CPT Codes – Current Procedural Terminology Codes
C3 Project – CHW Core Competency Project
FFS – Fee for services
HCSPCS Codes – Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System Codes
HRSA – Health Resources & Services Administration
MCO – Managed care organization
NACHW – National Association of Community Health Workers
SDOH – Social determinants of health
VBP – Value-based payment
State CHW Definition: This category indicates where states have a formal definition of a CHW. In some cases, where there is not a definition in statute, this category may draw information from provider manuals and state websites or reports.
Certification and Training: This category includes information about how CHWs are trained in the state, which entities provide training, whether or not the state runs or recognizes a CHW certification program, and information about the entities that administer existing certification programs.
Medicaid Reimbursement: This category includes information about state Medicaid strategies that provide enrollees access to CHW services. Entries indicate whether state Medicaid programs currently reimburse for CHW services or incorporate CHWs into alternative payment models under the authority of a state plan amendment (SPA), or where states have earmarked funds to support CHW services under the authority of an 1115 demonstration waiver. It also indicates where CHW services might be supported through managed care approaches (e.g., where MCOs are paying for CHW services using administrative dollars or where states are using managed care contracts to incentivize or require MCOs to cover CHW services).
Other Funding or Financing Mechanisms: This category includes information about other state funding or financing approaches that cover CHW services or CHW positions. It includes information about federal grant dollars for which the state is the grantee.
Key Partnerships: This category offers information about key partners outside state government, including state CHW associations and CHW training entities, and highlights formal cross-agency partnerships within the state that support alignment of funding and resources for the CHW workforce.
State CHW Legislation: This category highlights any state legislation relevant to the CHW workforce. This might include statutory language directing agencies to develop a Medicaid reimbursement approach, laws that established state CHW certification, or other relevant statutes.
State Resources: This category offers links to any key reports or resources that states elected to highlight as critical to CHW policy and partnership.
