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SF255 • 2026

A bill for an act relating to the personal needs allowance under the medical assistance program.(See SF 476 .)

A bill for an act relating to the personal needs allowance under the medical assistance program.(See SF 476 .)

Healthcare
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
WESTRICH
Last action
2025-03-03
Official status
Committee report approving bill, renumbered as SF 476 . S.J. 395 .
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

A bill for an act relating to the personal needs allowance under the medical assistance program.(See SF 476 .)

A bill for an act relating to the personal needs allowance under the medical assistance program.(See SF 476 .)

What This Bill Does

  • A bill for an act relating to the personal needs allowance under the medical assistance program.(See SF 476 .)

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2025-03-03 Iowa Legislature

    Committee report approving bill, renumbered as SF 476 . S.J. 395 .

  2. 2025-02-24 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee recommends passage.

  3. 2025-02-20 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee Meeting: 02/24/2025 12:30PM Senate Lounge.

  4. 2025-02-18 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee: Alons, Celsi, and Rowley. S.J. 302 .

  5. 2025-02-11 Iowa Legislature

    Introduced, referred to Health and Human Services. S.J. 238 .

Official Summary Text

A bill for an act relating to the personal needs allowance under the medical assistance program.(See SF 476 .)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
Senate

File

255

-

Introduced

SENATE

FILE

255

BY

WESTRICH

A

BILL

FOR

An

Act

relating

to

the

personal

needs

allowance

under

the

1

medical

assistance

program.

2

BE

IT

ENACTED

BY

THE

GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

OF

THE

STATE

OF

IOWA:

3

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255

Section

1.

Section

249A.30A,

Code

2025,

is

amended

to

read

1

as

follows:

2

249A.30A

Medical

assistance

——

personal

needs

allowance.

3

1.

The

personal

needs

allowance

under

the

medical

4

assistance

program,

which

may

be

retained

by

a

person

who

is

a

5

resident

of

a

nursing

facility,

an

intermediate

care

facility

6

for

persons

with

an

intellectual

disability,

or

an

intermediate

7

care

facility

for

persons

with

mental

illness,

as

defined

in

8

section

135C.1

,

or

a

person

who

is

a

resident

of

a

psychiatric

9

medical

institution

for

children

as

defined

in

section

135H.1

,

10

shall

be

fifty

sixty-five

dollars

per

month.

11

2.

A

resident

who

has

income

of

less

than

fifty

sixty-five

12

dollars

per

month

shall

receive

a

supplement

from

the

state

in

13

the

amount

necessary

to

receive

a

personal

needs

allowance

of

14

fifty

sixty-five

dollars

per

month.

The

general

assembly

shall

15

annually

appropriate

a

sufficient

amount

from

the

general

fund

16

of

the

state

to

the

department

of

health

and

human

services

for

17

this

purpose.

18

3.

Beginning

July

1,

2026,

the

department

shall

annually

19

increase

the

personal

needs

allowance

by

a

percentage

equal

20

to

the

percentage

increase

in

the

consumer

price

index

for

21

all

urban

consumers

for

the

most

recent

twelve-month

period

22

published

in

the

federal

register

by

the

United

States

23

department

of

labor,

bureau

of

labor

statistics.

24

EXPLANATION

25

The

inclusion

of

this

explanation

does

not

constitute

agreement

with

26

the

explanation’s

substance

by

the

members

of

the

general

assembly.

27

This

bill

relates

to

the

personal

needs

allowance

under

the

28

medical

assistance

program.

29

The

personal

needs

allowance

covers

a

person’s

personal

30

expenses

not

covered

by

the

medical

assistance

program.

31

Current

law

provides

that

a

person

who

is

a

resident

of

a

32

nursing

facility,

an

intermediate

care

facility

for

persons

33

with

an

intellectual

disability

or

mental

illness,

or

a

34

psychiatric

medical

institution

for

children

may

retain

a

35

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S.F.

255

personal

needs

allowance

of

$50

per

month.

A

resident

who

has

1

an

income

of

less

than

$50

dollars

per

month

shall

receive

a

2

supplement

from

the

state

to

receive

a

personal

needs

allowance

3

of

$50

per

month.

The

bill

increases

the

personal

needs

4

allowance

to

$65

per

month

and

a

resident

with

an

income

of

5

less

than

$65

per

month

shall

receive

a

supplement

from

the

6

state.

7

The

bill

provides

that

beginning

July

1,

2026,

the

8

department

shall

annually

increase

the

personal

needs

allowance

9

by

a

percentage

equal

to

the

percentage

increase

in

the

10

consumer

price

index

for

all

urban

consumers

for

the

most

11

recent

12-month

period

published

in

the

federal

register

by

the

12

United

States

department

of

labor,

bureau

of

labor

statistics.

13

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