Minnesota is a big state, and every county has its own way of working through challenges. That’s why MFWCAA has Regional Representatives — real people you can reach out to when you need help, advice, or a place to talk through something that’s giving you trouble. Many members don’t realize just how helpful their rep can be. So here’s a quick breakdown. Your rep is your go-to resource. Not sure where to find something? Need to confirm whether a policy update is being handled the same way in other counties? Want to know when the next regional meeting is? Your rep can point you in the right direction faster than digging through emails or searching old notes. They also help bring your voice forward. Regional feedback plays a big part in how MFWCAA plans training topics, conference sessions, and advocacy priorities. Reps pass along what’s happening in your county so the full board gets a clearer picture of what workers and case aides are dealing with day to day. Regional meetings = shared knowledge. Some of the best problem-solving happens in these sessions. Workers swap tips, talk through tricky policies, and find out what’s working well in other parts of the state. If you haven’t joined one yet, it’s worth trying at least once. Find your rep The new website has an updated list of Regional Representatives with contact info for each county. If you haven’t connected with yours yet, feel free to reach out — they’re genuinely here to help. Staying connected makes this work less stressful and a lot more manageable. Your rep is one of the easiest ways to build that connection.
Financial workers and case aides are the first line of support for families across Minnesota. Every day you’re helping people navigate SNAP, cash programs, child care assistance, health care coverage, and everything in between. With programs changing so often, it’s tough to feel fully prepared unless you have steady training you can trust. That’s one of the biggest reasons MFWCAA exists — to make sure you never feel like you’re figuring things out alone. Policies change fast. Good training keeps you steady. Rules shift. Forms update. Processes get rewritten. When you’re dealing with real families who need quick answers, you don’t have time to dig for clarity. Training sessions, teletrainings, and conference workshops help you stay ahead instead of scrambling after the fact. Harder cases deserve better tools. Many workers across the state say the toughest part of the job isn’t the volume — it’s the complexity. Mixed households, farm income, immigration status, health care coordination… these cases take time and confidence. Training gives you both. When you understand the “why” behind a policy, everything else gets easier. Training also builds community. You’re not the only one wrestling with tricky cases. When you join MFWCAA trainings or watch recordings, you get to hear how workers in other counties handle similar situations. That connection matters more than most people realize. Where to find upcoming sessions The new MFWCAA website makes it easier to see upcoming regional meetings, statewide trainings, and new additions to the Members Area. Members can log in anytime to watch recordings or check for updates. If you’re looking for ways to feel better equipped in your role, training is one of the best places to start — and we’re here to help you get what you need.
FEBRUARY 2025 NEWSLETTER Welcome to 2025 MFWCAA Members! I’m Benjamin Henry your president for this year. I’ve been a worker since 2014 and started in the families immigration unit with Anoka Co. I moved over to Washington Co. as a Sr. Eligibility Specialist. I’m your “jack of all trades” type guy which is why you’ve see me running around like a mad man at the conferences! Conference Planning We are already off and running to plan our next conference and we’ve made progress on topics that we’d like to present (spoiler alert: my big topic I want to pull in this year is a tax professional who can go over difficult ones like farmsteads, partnerships, etc). We hear you; You WANT THE TOUGH STUFF! We’ve been diligently working to provide as much of the more complex topics as we can and hope you’ve noticed some of the additional offerings we’ve had in the past cou-ple years. DHS is aware and has been trying to get some more complex stuff at recent conferences too. Rest assured that remains one of our core focuses as we continue to plan our next conference. Website Struggles We’ve also noticed that, even with the upgrades, our website is fairly clunky and needs reasonably skilled individuals to update it. In response, we have set a meeting with our web developer to discuss a complete re-do with all the things we want in place rather than just piecemealing it together as we have. Stay tuned for more updates on that. In the mean-time, please email your region rep or our general email at mfwcaa@gmail.com if you’re having difficulties and we will get it sorted out! Take Care of Each Other Lastly, I think we’ve all seen the way the political winds are blowing. One of our missions is advocacy and I that will be needed now more than ever. Program cuts, culling of the federal workforce, and anti-immigration stances by our federal government mean we need to use our voices to protect the most vulnerable in our communities as we deal with increasing need with our programs. I hope you’ll join me in making sure people are being taken care of. The fight will continue to protect the integrity of our programs and provide services in a timely matter to those in need. Take Care of Yourself Too! These are uncertain and difficult times. They are the hardest I’ve ever experienced and I’m certain most of you are feel-ing tired at this point too. I’d encourage you all to take care of yourselves and take at least a little time to indulge your-selves in hobbies or other things that bring you joy. We’re here for you if you need anything so feel free to reach out. We’re pushing ahead with the knowledge that we will need things that provide workers some mental support and some training and that’s what we’re going to do! Take care everyone, Benjamin Henry
