Minnesota Aging Pathways — What the Rebrand Means for Families

What Is Minnesota Aging Pathways?

Minnesota Aging Pathways is the state's unified entry point for aging and disability services, operated through a partnership between the Minnesota Board on Aging and the regional Area Agencies on Aging. It replaced the Senior LinkAge Line brand as part of a broader effort to consolidate how families access long-term care information, though the underlying services and the toll-free number remain the same.

The phone number has not changed: 1-800-333-2433. What changed is the scope. Minnesota Aging Pathways now functions as a single portal for Medicare counseling, MnCHOICES assessment referrals, caregiver support program screening, and managed care plan comparisons — all services that previously required contacting multiple state agencies separately.

What Minnesota Aging Pathways Actually Does

When you call or visit the Aging Pathways portal, a trained options counselor can help with:

• MnCHOICES assessment referrals — The counselor can connect you with your county's lead agency to request the in-home clinical evaluation that determines the clinical pathway for publicly funded long-term care programs
• Program screening — Quick triage to identify which programs your parent may qualify for: the Elderly Waiver, Alternative Care, Essential Community Supports, Community First Services and Supports, or Minnesota Senior Health Options
• Medicare counseling — Side-by-side plan comparisons, enrollment assistance, and coordination with Medical Assistance for dual-eligible beneficiaries
• Caregiver support — Connections to Title III-E respite grants (no income test required), caregiver training classes, and local support groups

The counselors are not caseworkers and cannot make eligibility determinations. Their role is to help you identify the right agency, prepare for the intake process, and avoid the common mistake of contacting the wrong office first.

When to Call Minnesota Aging Pathways

Call Aging Pathways or your county office directly. The counselors can tell you which county department handles MnCHOICES intake for your parent's situation, whether the referral should go through the county or through a managed care organization, and what documentation to have ready before the assessor arrives.

This matters because the routing is not obvious. If your parent is already enrolled in a managed care plan like Minnesota Senior Health Options or Minnesota Senior Care Plus, the MnCHOICES reassessment may be coordinated through the managed care organization's care coordinator rather than the county — and calling the wrong office first can add weeks to the timeline.

The Difference Between Aging Pathways, the Board on Aging, and Your County

These three entities have different roles, and confusing them wastes time:

• Minnesota Aging Pathways (1-800-333-2433) — Information, screening, and referrals. This is your first call
• Minnesota Board on Aging — Sets policy, distributes federal Older Americans Act funding, and oversees the seven Area Agencies on Aging, including the Minnesota Indian Area Agency on Aging. Not a direct service provider
• Your county human services department — Conducts the MnCHOICES assessment, processes Medical Assistance applications, and manages waiver enrollment. This is where eligibility decisions are made

Aging Pathways connects you to the county. The county makes the decisions. The Board on Aging funds the system.

Next Steps

If you are navigating a parent's dementia care in Minnesota and need to understand how MnCHOICES, the Elderly Waiver, and Medicaid qualification fit together, the Minnesota Dementia Care Guide walks through the entire process in the order you will actually encounter it — from securing legal authority through benefit enrollment and estate recovery protection.

See more Minnesota guides →