Governor Tim Walz has presented himself as a champion for those who got tough breaks along the way, but Minnesotans who live with addiction and disabilities are getting caught in the crossfire of the fraud crisis. These are folks who need help and it is the responsibility of the state, churches, and families to provide the support that they need to survive. Yet, in 2025, adults with profound disabilities-many nonverbal and under guardianship, received eviction notices from the places the administration helped fund through the Integrated Community Supports (ICS) program.
Traditionally, these folks would live in group homes, but ICS allowed them to get their own place and receive services to foster more independent living through alternative services agreements. ICS bills Medicaid for housing and supportive services that are traditionally provided in a group home.
DHS cut payments to providers in September of 2025 after ICS allegedly approved Medicaid payments for vendors who did no work on the tenant’s behalf. When this happened, many providers cut off leases and left many people with disabilities facing eviction and homelessness or relying on family who were assured the ICS program was going to help their loved one.
In a Nov 13 statement, DHS said it contacted ‘five Integrated Community Supports providers (ICS) that they are subject to payment withholds based on a determination by our inspector general that there is a credible allegation of fraud.”
These struggling Minnesotans did nothing to deserve eviction. They are guilty of no more than getting a tough break and living with a disability that prevents the from working to support themselves, yet they are paying the price for the crooks who stole money from Medicaid. Many of the fraudsters who stole millions of taxpayer dollars can pay for expensive lawyers and will get a slap on the wrist, while the victims get evicted from their apartments.
For years, the administration has allowed fraud to become a massive problem and a national spectacle. Rather than prevent the fraud from happening in the first place, or assisting federal partners in booting the foreign nationals who rip us off, the administration kicks people with disabilities out of their apartments. The message should not be that if this administration is forced to look for fraud, the most vulnerable will end up being punished for it.
