Medical assistance recipients within Beltrami County should be prepared to prove eligibility to continue their health care coverage.
The most common provider of MA in this area is PrimeWest.
During the Beltrami County Work Session, Health and Human Service’s Anne Lindseth said many of the program rules within the economic assistance division were waived or adjusted due to the impact of COVID-19.
Over 7,000 in the county receive MA, and this eligibility process is expected to resume in April.
Lindseth noted that even with the economic uncertainty amid the pandemic, there was not a large influx of new clients for SNAP or other welfare programs, with numbers remaining steady between 2019 and 2020.
Other items in the work session included:
- Proposed forest management activities for Three Island County Park and Three Island Grouse Management Area. Public comment can be submitted to DJ Bakken at (218)333-8413 through Feb. 26. Proposal includes a current timber sale of 51.7 acres and a suggested sale in 2025.
- Adjustments in the contract signing process for the Minnesota Department of Human Services. Beltrami County HHS suggests personnel be granted authority to sign contracts for incoming monies already approved through the approval of the county’s HHS budget.
- Jail project update. No new information presented, this agenda item largely brought new County Administrator Thomas Barry up to speed. Citizens on the various Jail Project committees should be receiving some communication, as headway on the project was slowed due to COVID-19.
Items on the regular agenda included:
- A public hearing on an unnamed lake in Turtle River. The lake in question was named Sunny Lake. The Minnesota DNR has some rules regarding the naming of unnamed bodies of water, aimed at limiting confusion between the lakes.
