The Minnesota Department of Human Services is delaying the implementation of new care standards for the state's nursing homes and long-term care facilities for another year.

The delay, which comes at the request of Gov. Mark Dayton, is meant to ensure the state has "appropriate supports" in place for all 3,300 Minnesotans who will be affected by the change.

The Legislature signed off on the new criteria in 2009. Among other things, the revised nursing facility standards are meant to ensure the facilities are prepared to cope with the state's growing population of elderly adults and to set up better ways to assess and monitor the people who enter the system.

Since some of the new programs will not be ready to launch until 2014, DHS has pushed back implementation to New Year's Day 2015.