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SF547 • 2026

A bill for an act relating to area agencies on aging, dementia service specialists, and a dementia services coordinator, and providing an appropriation.(Formerly SSB 1170 .)

A bill for an act relating to area agencies on aging, dementia service specialists, and a dementia services coordinator, and providing an appropriation.(Formerly SSB 1170 .)

Budget
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Last action
2025-03-11
Official status
Subcommittee: Costello, Donahue, and Salmon. S.J. 492 .
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 area agencies on aging, dementia service specialists, and a dementia services coordinator, and providing an appropriation.(Formerly SSB 1170 .)

A bill for an act relating to area agencies on aging, dementia service specialists, and a dementia services coordinator, and providing an appropriation.(Formerly SSB 1170 .)

What This Bill Does

  • A bill for an act relating to area agencies on aging, dementia service specialists, and a dementia services coordinator, and providing an appropriation.(Formerly SSB 1170 .)

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. 2025-03-11 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee: Costello, Donahue, and Salmon. S.J. 492 .

  2. 2025-03-10 Iowa Legislature

    Referred to Appropriations. S.J. 443 .

  3. 2025-03-06 Iowa Legislature

    Committee report, approving bill. S.J. 435 .

  4. 2025-03-06 Iowa Legislature

    Introduced, placed on calendar. S.J. 430 .

Official Summary Text

A bill for an act relating to area agencies on aging, dementia service specialists, and a dementia services coordinator, and providing an appropriation.(Formerly SSB 1170 .)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
Senate

File

547

-

Introduced

SENATE

FILE

547

BY

COMMITTEE

ON

HEALTH

AND

HUMAN

SERVICES

(SUCCESSOR

TO

SSB

1170)

A

BILL

FOR

An

Act

relating

to

area

agencies

on

aging,

dementia

service

1

specialists,

and

a

dementia

services

coordinator,

and

2

providing

an

appropriation.

3

BE

IT

ENACTED

BY

THE

GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

OF

THE

STATE

OF

IOWA:

4

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547

Section

1.

NEW

SECTION

.

231.33A

Area

agencies

on

aging

——

1

dementia

service

specialists.

2

1.

Each

area

agency

on

aging

shall

provide

for

the

position

3

of

a

dementia

service

specialist

in

an

effort

to

increase

4

access

and

connections

to

local

supports

and

services

for

5

persons

living

with

dementia,

their

families,

and

caregivers,

6

and

to

increase

awareness

about

dementia

within

the

network

7

of

area

agency

on

aging

providers

as

well

as

in

counties,

8

communities,

and

businesses

throughout

the

state.

In

addition,

9

the

department

shall

provide

for

the

position

of

a

dementia

10

services

coordinator

to

provide

statewide

coordination

of

11

dementia

initiatives

and

dementia

service

specialists.

12

2.

The

duties

of

a

dementia

service

specialist

shall

include

13

but

are

not

limited

to

all

of

the

following:

14

a.

Supporting

people

living

with

dementia,

their

families,

15

and

caregivers

including

through

conducting

education

and

16

outreach

activities

to

increase

community

awareness

of

dementia

17

and

the

resources

available

to

support

individuals

with

18

dementia

and

their

caregivers.

19

b.

Providing

referrals

to

support

groups,

respite

care

20

providers,

research

opportunities,

and

other

community

21

resources.

22

c.

Conducting

community

cognitive

screenings,

and

training

23

area

agency

on

aging

staff

to

conduct

cognitive

screenings.

24

d.

Building

dementia-capable

area

agencies

on

aging

through

25

staff

trainings,

resources,

and

support.

26

e.

Promoting

dementia-capable

communities

by

serving

as

27

a

supporter

for

dementia-friendly

initiatives,

presenting

28

dementia-friendly

sessions

and

trainings

to

consumers

and

29

businesses,

and

serving

as

a

resource

for

dementia-friendly

30

community

action

teams.

31

f.

Providing

technical

assistance

for

internal

and

external

32

program

planning

to

enhance

relevance

and

improve

access

for

33

people

living

with

dementia

including

through

support

groups,

34

evidence-based

programs,

meal

sites,

and

home-delivered

meal

35

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S.F.

547

programs.

1

g.

Providing

training

and

technical

assistance

related

to

2

dementia,

and

how

to

work

effectively

with

a

person

who

has

3

dementia

in

a

crisis

situation,

to

first

responder

or

public

4

safety

agencies

including

law

enforcement,

emergency

medical

5

service

providers,

fire

and

rescue

teams,

adult

protective

6

services

workers,

and

crisis

response

workers

within

the

7

service

area.

8

3.

The

duties

of

a

dementia

services

coordinator

shall

9

include

but

are

not

limited

to

the

following:

10

a.

Coordinating

state-funded

and

privately

funded

dementia

11

services

within

the

state.

12

b.

Coordinating

the

dementia

service

specialist

program

13

within

the

area

agencies

on

aging.

14

c.

Coordinating

the

implementation

of

the

Alzheimer’s

15

disease

and

related

dementias

state

plan.

16

d.

Assessing

and

analyzing

dementia-related

data

collected

17

by

the

state.

18

e.

Evaluating

state-funded

dementia

services.

19

f.

Identifying

and

supporting

the

development

of

20

dementia-specific

trainings.

21

g.

Performing

other

duties

as

may

be

required

to

ensure

the

22

state

is

addressing

Alzheimer’s

and

related

dementias.

23

Sec.

2.

DEMENTIA

SERVICE

SPECIALISTS

——

DEMENTIA

SERVICES

24

COORDINATOR

——

APPROPRIATION.

There

is

appropriated

from

the

25

general

fund

of

the

state

to

the

department

of

health

and

human

26

services

for

the

fiscal

year

beginning

July

1,

2025,

and

ending

27

June

30,

2026,

the

following

amount,

or

so

much

thereof

as

is

28

necessary,

to

be

used

for

the

purposes

designated:

29

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

$

750,000

30

The

funds

appropriated

in

this

section

shall

be

used

by

the

31

area

agencies

on

aging

to

provide

a

dementia

service

specialist

32

in

each

of

the

area

agencies

on

aging

and

to

provide

for

a

33

dementia

services

coordinator

within

the

department

of

health

34

and

human

services

as

provided

in

section

231.33A,

as

enacted

35

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547

in

this

Act.

1

EXPLANATION

2

The

inclusion

of

this

explanation

does

not

constitute

agreement

with

3

the

explanation’s

substance

by

the

members

of

the

general

assembly.

4

This

bill

relates

to

area

agencies

on

aging,

dementia

5

service

specialists,

and

a

dementia

services

coordinator.

6

The

bill

requires

each

area

agency

on

aging

to

provide

for

7

the

position

of

a

dementia

service

specialist

(specialist)

8

to

increase

access

and

connections

to

local

supports

and

9

services

for

persons

living

with

dementia,

their

families,

10

and

caregivers,

and

to

increase

awareness

about

dementia

11

within

the

network

of

area

agency

on

aging

providers

and

in

12

communities

and

businesses

throughout

the

state.

The

bill

also

13

requires

the

department

of

health

and

human

services

(HHS)

to

14

provide

for

the

position

of

a

dementia

services

coordinator

15

(coordinator)

to

provide

statewide

coordination

of

dementia

16

initiatives

and

specialists.

17

The

bill

provides

that,

at

a

minimum,

the

duties

of

18

a

specialist

shall

include

providing

support,

providing

19

referrals,

conducting

cognitive

screenings,

building

20

dementia-capable

area

agencies

on

aging,

promoting

21

dementia-capable

communities,

and

providing

technical

22

assistance

as

detailed

in

the

bill.

23

The

bill

provides

the

duties

of

a

coordinator

shall

24

include

coordinating

dementia

services

throughout

the

25

state,

coordinating

the

specialist

program,

coordinating

26

the

Alzheimer’s

disease

and

related

dementias

state

plan,

27

evaluating

state

dementia

services,

identifying

trainings,

and

28

performing

other

duties

as

may

be

required.

29

The

bill

appropriates

$750,000

from

the

general

fund

of

the

30

state

to

HHS

for

FY

2025-2026

to

be

used

by

the

area

agencies

on

31

aging

to

provide

a

specialist

in

each

of

the

area

agencies

on

32

aging

and

to

provide

for

a

coordinator

within

HHS.

33

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