Most people know MFWCAA for the annual conference, but the real value of membership happens all year long. With workloads growing, budgets tightening, and policy shifts happening nonstop, consistent support matters more than ever. Here’s a look at how MFWCAA works for you from January through December. 1. Training doesn’t stop after the conference. Teletrainings, regional sessions, and new recordings are added throughout the year. Members can log in anytime to catch up, rewind, and rewatch tough topics. 2. You get access to updated tools and policy resources. When a major change hits — whether it’s SNAP, METS, CCAP, or something else — members can check the site for updates and materials that help cut through confusion. 3. Regional support keeps you connected. Your Regional Rep is there when you need help, clarity, or a sounding board. Regional meetings offer a place to trade ideas and get real answers from people who understand the work. 4. Scholarships and awards recognize members and their families. Whether you’re pursuing your own education or have a family member heading to college, MFWCAA scholarships can help. Awards highlight the financial workers and case aides who make an impact every day — the ones who rarely get the spotlight but deserve it. 5. A growing Members Area with resources you can actually use The new site makes it easier to find: • meeting notes • teletraining recordings • policy materials • forms and documents • updates from across the state The goal is simple: give you what you need, when you need it. A community built around supporting each other This work can be heavy. It helps to have a place where people understand what you deal with — deadlines, complex cases, tight timelines, and the pressure to get things right for families who rely on you. MFWCAA is here to make the load a little lighter and give you real support all year, not just during the conference. If you’re a member, take a moment to explore all the resources waiting for you. If you’re not, it might be a good time to join.
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.
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
