Identification and Benefits After Prison in Minnesota

Minnesota's Department of Corrections has a published policy -- Policy 205.141 -- that states the department's goal is for every person leaving a state facility to leave with personal identification documents. That includes a birth certificate, Social Security card, and state ID or driver's license. The state ID and driver's license costs are paid through department funds.

That policy is the foundation. On top of it, Minnesota has submitted a Medicaid reentry waiver to the federal government that would allow Medical Assistance -- Minnesota's Medicaid program -- to begin providing services up to 90 days before release from participating state prisons and local jails. That waiver was submitted to CMS on January 16, 2025. It is pending federal review with no specific timeline for approval.

Here is what the system provides now and what you need to do.

What Minnesota DOC Provides at Release

The Minnesota DOC Reentry Services Unit organizes transitional programming for people during confinement and after release. The Unit works in collaboration with facility services, field services, state and county agencies, faith-based groups, and community organizations.

Policy 205.141 establishes that your case manager and the Reentry Services Unit should be working on your identification documents as part of your reentry preparation. The state ID and driver's license are funded through department funds -- you should not have to pay for these at release.

Ask your case manager or reentry case worker:

Has my birth certificate been obtained? Has my Social Security card been requested or is the original on file? Has my state ID or driver's license been initiated through DVS? What reentry programming is available at my facility and what community referrals have been made?

Getting Your Minnesota State ID or Driver's License

Minnesota Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) handles state IDs and driver's licenses. Find your nearest DVS location at dps.mn.gov/dvs.

If your state ID or driver's license was not processed before release, visit any Minnesota DVS office. You will need documents establishing your identity, Social Security number, and Minnesota residency. Standard documents include a birth certificate or passport, your Social Security card, and proof of a Minnesota address. Your DOC release documentation serves as a supporting identity document.

Getting Your Social Security Card

If your Social Security card was not obtained before release, contact SSA at 1-800-772-1213, apply online at ssa.gov, or visit your nearest SSA office. Replacement cards are free. Bring your state ID and birth certificate.

Ask whether your facility had a prerelease SSA agreement, which allows the card replacement and benefit application process to begin up to 90 days before release.

Getting Your Birth Certificate

If you were born in Minnesota, request a certified copy from the Minnesota Department of Health Office of Vital Records at health.state.mn.us or by calling (651) 201-5970. Fees are currently $26 per copy.

If you were born in another state, contact that state's vital records office.

Medical Assistance: Medicaid

Minnesota expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Minnesota's Medicaid program is called Medical Assistance (MA) and is administered by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS). Low-income adults who meet income requirements are generally eligible for MA after release.

Minnesota DHS and the DOC developed a Medicaid Section 1115 Reentry Demonstration Waiver application and submitted it to CMS on January 16, 2025. If approved, the waiver would allow MA to cover services for eligible participants up to 90 days before release from participating state prisons -- initially Faribault, Stillwater, and Shakopee -- and from local jails that meet readiness requirements. The waiver aims to improve health outcomes, reduce deaths, decrease recidivism, and address racial disparities in health and incarceration. As of June 2026, CMS review is pending.

Ask your case manager whether the reentry waiver has been approved and whether your facility is participating in pre-release Medicaid enrollment.

Minnesota received a CMS Medicaid continuity of care planning grant in 2025, building infrastructure for the January 1, 2026 federal requirement that Medicaid be suspended rather than terminated during incarceration.

After release, apply for Medical Assistance at mnbenefits.mn.gov, by calling 1-800-657-3739, or at your local county human services office.

SNAP: Food Assistance

Minnesota's SNAP program is administered by the Minnesota Department of Human Services and delivered through county human services offices. Apply at mnbenefits.mn.gov or at your local county office.

Minnesota does not impose a lifetime ban on SNAP for people with felony drug convictions.

However, Minnesota asks about probation status during SNAP applications and imposes restrictions for people on probation. If you are releasing to probation supervision, confirm your SNAP eligibility with your probation agent or your county human services office before applying.

If you are not on probation -- or once probation ends -- you are generally eligible for SNAP if you meet income and residency requirements. Benefits are typically issued on an EBT card within 30 days. Expedited SNAP for households with urgent need can be issued within 7 days.

SSI and SSDI

SSI (Supplemental Security Income) and SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) are federal programs available if you have a qualifying disability.

SSI payments are suspended after one full calendar month of incarceration. If you were incarcerated for less than 12 consecutive months, SSI can be reinstated the month you are released -- contact SSA immediately. If incarcerated 12 or more consecutive months, file a new application.

SSDI payments are suspended after 30 continuous days of incarceration following conviction. Contact SSA with your release documents for reinstatement.

Minnesota Medical Assistance and SSI eligibility are linked. Notify your county human services office and SSA on the same day.

Veterans Benefits

If you served in the U.S. military, the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provide benefits after release. Contact MDVA at mn.gov/mdva or the nearest VA facility.

Minnesota has VA medical centers in Minneapolis and St. Cloud, and community-based outpatient clinics statewide. The VA Healthcare for Re-Entry Veterans (HCRV) program provides transitional case management for veterans leaving incarceration. VA benefits suspended during incarceration can be reinstated -- notify the VA of your release date and bring your DD-214 and release documents.

Community Reentry Resources

Minnesota DOC Reentry Services (mn.gov/doc): The DOC Getting Out page provides resources organized for people approaching release -- housing, employment, programming, and community connections organized through the Reentry Services Unit.

180 Degrees: Comprehensive, culturally specific services including residential programs, life skills, resiliency mentoring, educational engagement, and therapeutic mental health services for adults and families in Minnesota.

All Square: Minneapolis-based organization providing employment and support for people with criminal records.

Twin Cities R!SE: Employment services and career pathway support for people in poverty with barriers to employment, including returning citizens.

District of Minnesota Reentry Court: A federal collaborative program between the U.S. District Court, U.S. Attorney's Office, Federal Defender's Office, U.S. Probation Office, and community agencies providing an alternative to traditional post-conviction supervision.

Minnesota State Law Library Reentry Guide (mncourts.libguides.com/prisoners/community): Statewide resource directory for community resources for people leaving incarceration.

STEP-AHEAD (iseek.org): Career planning, training, and job search information developed specifically for people leaving DOC facilities.

211 Minnesota (mn211.org or dial 2-1-1): Statewide social services resource for food, housing, healthcare, and reentry support.

Start Before You Leave

Policy 205.141 is your foundation -- your case manager is supposed to be working on your ID documents as part of reentry preparation, with the state covering the cost. Use that. Do not wait until the last month.

Raise the ID, birth certificate, and Social Security card status at every case management meeting. Ask about the Medicaid reentry waiver status and whether pre-release MA enrollment is available at your facility. Ask what county human services contacts have been established for your receiving community.

Know the SNAP probation restriction. If you are releasing to probation supervision, confirm eligibility before you apply.

On release day: your state ID should be in hand. Apply for Medical Assistance and SNAP at mnbenefits.mn.gov or your county human services office -- one portal, both programs. Contact SSA for your card and benefit reinstatement.

Minnesota's reentry infrastructure -- the DOC Reentry Services Unit, the pending Medicaid waiver, the community organizations across the state -- reflects a system moving toward better outcomes. The racial disparities documented in Minnesota's prison data make that work urgent. Use every resource available.