Frank Gilbertson, a Mountain Iron, Minn. native with over two decades of experience working across health systems in the state, has been named director of DEED’s Disability Determination Services. 

Most recently, Frank served as the manager of the Health Care Administration (HCA) Finance Office at the Minnesota Department of Human Services where he developed and maintained HCA’s annual $70 million administrative budget and oversaw contracts and grant activities. Prior to managing the HCA Finance Office, Frank served as director of Revenue Development at Hennepin Health (Hennepin County Medical Center), director of Provider Relations and Contracting for UCare, and led corporate and strategic initiatives at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota. He also worked for HealthEast, the University of Minnesota, and HealthPartners.  

In his new leadership role at DEED, Frank will help the DDS team – about 133 employees and 50 contracted medical, psychological, and speech/language consultants – produce coverage determinations for workers with disabilities to make their lives better.  

For those of you who aren’t as familiar with DDS, you should know we rely on the Social Security Administration (SSA) to guide our work at DDS and to improve the quality of life for Minnesotans with disabilities. SSA employs DDS services to make medical eligibility decisions for disability and blindness applicants. Disability examiners review submitted disability applications and request medical records from the claimant's medical sources. Examiners also correspond with claimants, family members, and legal representatives to obtain additional information necessary for the claim. Examiners review and analyze the medical evidence, write comprehensive assessments based on medical and vocation factors, and apply SSA regulations and policy in order to reach an eligibility determination. 

Frank’s staff is committed to public service. DDS professionals perform meaningful, rewarding work with a direct impact on Minnesotans' quality of life, and work collaboratively with medical professionals, supervisors and peers. They manage an active caseload and maintain compliance with state and federal statutes. 

The backgrounds and education of disability adjudicators, supervisors, managers, and support staff vary significantly, with most having bachelor’s degrees in the liberal arts and social sciences. Of interest: DDS hires several classes of disability examiners annually. 

Frank earned a Master of Business from the University of St. Thomas and a Master of Public Administration from Hamline University. He is an avid reader of Green Lantern comic books, self-described continual learner and is currently taking a Health Care Regulation course from the University of Minnesota.   

Frank attributes his team-building skills to his Uncle Frank, a combat-wounded marine who served in World War II. His uncle, now deceased, often talked to his young nephew about how special his squad members were. 

Frank lives in Woodbury with his spouse Joan, and they have two children, a son Carl and a daughter Mary. Frank reports to Assistant Commissioner Carol Pankow. 

Welcome, Frank! 

– Commissioner Steve Grove