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Senate
File
599
-
Introduced
SENATE
FILE
599
BY
COMMITTEE
ON
HEALTH
AND
HUMAN
SERVICES
(SUCCESSOR
TO
SF
363)
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
work
requirements
for
the
Iowa
health
and
1
wellness
plan,
public
assistance
programs,
an
information
2
technology
fund,
the
public
assistance
modernization
fund,
3
and
the
Medicaid
for
employed
people
with
disabilities
4
program.
5
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
6
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DIVISION
I
1
IOWA
HEALTH
AND
WELLNESS
PLAN
——
WORK
REQUIREMENTS
2
Section
1.
NEW
SECTION
.
249N.4A
Work
requirements.
3
1.
The
department
shall
request
any
federal
approval
4
necessary
to
include
work
requirements
as
a
condition
of
a
5
member
maintaining
eligibility
for
the
Iowa
health
and
wellness
6
plan.
7
2.
The
goal
of
including
work
requirements
is
to
reduce
the
8
dependence
of
low-income
Iowans
on
public
assistance
programs
9
through
efforts
that
advance
economic
stability
and
mobility.
10
3.
The
department
shall
exempt
an
individual
from
the
work
11
requirements
for
the
Iowa
health
and
wellness
plan
if
the
12
individual
meets
any
of
the
following
criteria:
13
a.
The
individual
is
under
nineteen
years
of
age.
14
b.
The
individual
is
sixty-five
years
of
age
or
older.
15
c.
The
individual
is
determined
to
be
disabled
by
the
United
16
States
social
security
administration.
17
d.
The
individual
is
identified
as
medically
frail
or
18
medically
exempt
under
the
Medicaid
program.
19
e.
The
individual
is
a
caretaker
of
a
dependent
child
under
20
six
years
of
age.
21
f.
The
individual
is
pregnant
and
the
pregnancy
is
high
22
risk.
23
g.
The
individual
is
receiving
unemployment
compensation
as
24
determined
by
the
department
of
workforce
development.
25
h.
The
individual
is
participating
in
substance
use
disorder
26
treatment,
not
to
exceed
a
consecutive
six-month
period.
27
i.
The
individual
is
otherwise
exempt
for
good
cause
as
28
determined
by
the
director.
29
4.
To
maximize
fiscal
stability
and
administrative
30
efficiency,
any
exemption
applied
under
the
Iowa
health
and
31
wellness
plan
shall
be
substantially
similar
to
the
exemptions
32
applied
under
other
public
assistance
programs.
33
5.
Upon
the
department’s
receipt
of
federal
approval,
34
and
the
department’s
operationalizing
of
a
real-time
system
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to
facilitate
evaluation
efforts
and
recipient
referrals
and
1
reporting,
the
department
shall
implement
work
requirements
as
2
a
condition
of
maintaining
eligibility
for
the
Iowa
health
and
3
wellness
plan.
The
department
shall
adopt
rules
pursuant
to
4
chapter
17A
as
necessary
to
administer
the
work
requirements
5
for
the
Iowa
health
and
wellness
plan.
6
6.
The
department
may
resubmit
a
request
for
federal
7
approval
submitted
under
subsection
1
if
the
initial
request
is
8
denied
or
withdrawn
for
any
reason.
9
7.
If
federal
law
or
regulations
affecting
work
10
requirements
for
the
Iowa
health
and
wellness
plan
are
modified
11
to
exclude
work
requirements
as
a
basis
for
maintaining
12
eligibility
as
provided
in
this
section,
the
department
shall
13
discontinue
the
Iowa
health
and
wellness
plan,
subject
to
14
federal
approval.
If,
under
federal
law,
the
department
is
not
15
allowed
to
discontinue
the
Iowa
health
and
wellness
plan,
the
16
department
may
implement
an
alternative
plan
as
specified
in
17
the
medical
assistance
state
plan
or
waiver
for
coverage
of
the
18
affected
population,
subject
to
prior
statutory
approval
of
19
implementation
of
the
alternative
plan.
20
Sec.
2.
EFFECTIVE
DATE.
This
division
of
this
Act,
being
21
deemed
of
immediate
importance,
takes
effect
upon
enactment.
22
DIVISION
II
23
WORK
RULES
AND
REQUIREMENTS
FOR
PUBLIC
ASSISTANCE
PROGRAMS
24
Sec.
3.
PUBLIC
ASSISTANCE
PROGRAMS
——
WORK
RULES
AND
25
REQUIREMENTS
ALIGNMENT.
The
department
of
health
and
human
26
services
shall
work
with
the
United
State
department
of
27
health
and
human
services
and
the
United
States
department
28
of
agriculture
to
align
the
requirements
and
rules
for
29
participants
of
public
assistance
programs
related
to
working,
30
including
but
not
limited
to
rules
and
requirements
related
31
to
employment
and
training
for
the
supplemental
nutrition
32
assistance
program.
33
DIVISION
III
34
INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY
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Sec.
4.
NEW
SECTION
.
217.25
Information
technology
fund.
1
1.
An
information
technology
fund
is
created
in
the
state
2
treasury
under
the
control
of
the
department
of
health
and
3
human
services.
The
fund
shall
consist
of
moneys
appropriated
4
or
transferred
to,
or
deposited
in,
the
fund
as
provided
5
by
law.
All
moneys
deposited
or
paid
into
the
fund
are
6
appropriated
to
the
department
of
health
and
human
services
7
to
be
used
for
information
technology
systems
and
related
8
modernization
initiatives.
9
2.
Notwithstanding
section
8.33,
moneys
appropriated
in
10
this
section
that
remain
unencumbered
or
unobligated
at
the
11
close
of
the
fiscal
year
shall
not
revert
but
shall
remain
12
available
for
expenditure
for
the
purposes
designated
until
the
13
close
of
the
succeeding
fiscal
year.
Notwithstanding
section
14
12C.7,
subsection
2,
interest
or
earnings
on
moneys
in
the
fund
15
shall
be
credited
to
the
fund.
16
Sec.
5.
TRANSFER
OF
MONEYS.
Any
unobligated
or
unencumbered
17
moneys
remaining
in
the
public
assistance
modernization
18
fund
created
in
section
239.11,
on
June
30,
2025,
shall
be
19
transferred
to
the
information
technology
fund
created
in
20
section
217.25,
as
enacted
in
this
division
of
this
Act.
21
Sec.
6.
REPEAL.
Section
239.11,
Code
2025,
is
repealed.
22
DIVISION
IV
23
MEDICAID
FOR
EMPLOYED
PEOPLE
WITH
DISABILITIES
PROGRAM
24
Sec.
7.
Section
249A.3,
subsection
2,
paragraph
a,
25
subparagraph
(1),
subparagraph
division
(a),
Code
2025,
is
26
amended
to
read
as
follows:
27
(a)
As
allowed
under
42
U.S.C.
§1396a(a)(10)(A)(ii)(XIII),
28
individuals
with
disabilities,
who
are
less
than
sixty-five
29
years
of
age,
who
are
members
of
families
whose
income
is
30
less
than
two
hundred
fifty
percent
of
the
most
recently
31
revised
official
poverty
guidelines
published
by
the
United
32
States
department
of
health
and
human
services
for
the
family,
33
who
have
earned
income
and
who
are
eligible
for
mandatory
34
medical
assistance
or
optional
medical
assistance
under
this
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section
if
earnings
are
disregarded.
As
allowed
by
42
U.S.C.
1
§1396a(r)(2),
unearned
income
shall
also
be
disregarded
in
2
determining
whether
an
individual
is
eligible
for
assistance
3
under
this
subparagraph.
For
the
purposes
of
determining
the
4
amount
of
an
individual’s
resources
under
this
subparagraph
and
5
as
allowed
by
42
U.S.C.
§1396a(r)(2),
a
maximum
of
ten
thousand
6
dollars
of
available
resources
for
an
individual
and
twenty-one
7
thousand
dollars
of
available
resources
for
a
couple
shall
be
8
disregarded,
and
any
additional
resources
held
in
a
retirement
9
account,
in
a
medical
savings
account,
or
in
any
other
account
10
approved
under
rules
adopted
by
the
department
shall
also
be
11
disregarded.
12
EXPLANATION
13
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
14
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
15
This
bill
relates
to
work
requirements
for
the
Iowa
health
16
and
wellness
plan
(IHAWP),
public
assistance
programs,
17
an
information
technology
fund,
the
public
assistance
18
modernization
fund,
and
the
Medicaid
for
employed
people
with
19
disabilities
program
and
program
review
and
report.
20
DIVISION
I.
This
division
requires
the
department
of
health
21
and
human
services
(HHS)
to
request
any
federal
approval
22
necessary
to
include
work
requirements
as
a
condition
of
23
maintaining
eligibility
for
IHAWP.
24
HHS
shall
exempt
certain
individuals
from
the
work
25
requirement
who
are
under
19
years
of
age,
65
years
of
age
or
26
older,
medically
frail
or
medically
exempt
under
Medicaid,
27
a
caretaker
of
a
child
under
6
years
of
age,
experiencing
a
28
high-risk
pregnancy,
receiving
unemployment
compensation,
29
participating
in
substance
use
disorder
treatment,
or
exempt
30
for
good
cause
as
determined
by
the
director
of
HHS.
The
31
division
requires
that
any
exemption
applied
under
IHAWP
shall
32
be
substantially
similar
to
the
exemptions
applied
under
other
33
public
assistance
programs.
34
The
division
requires
that
upon
HHS’s
receipt
of
federal
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approval
and
HHS’s
operationalizing
of
a
system
to
facilitate
1
evaluation,
and
recipient
referrals
and
reporting,
HHS
shall
2
implement
and
adopt
rules
to
administer
work
requirements
as
a
3
condition
of
maintaining
eligibility
for
IHAWP.
4
HHS
may
resubmit
a
request
for
federal
approval
under
the
5
division
if
the
initial
request
is
denied
or
withdrawn
for
any
6
reason.
7
If
federal
law
or
regulations
exclude
work
requirements
for
8
IHAWP,
HHS
shall
discontinue
IHAWP
or
implement
an
alternative
9
plan
as
described
in
the
bill.
10
The
division
takes
effect
upon
enactment.
11
DIVISION
II.
This
division
requires
HHS
to
work
with
the
12
United
States
department
of
health
and
human
services
and
13
the
United
States
department
of
agriculture
to
align
the
14
department’s
work
rules
and
requirements
for
participants
of
15
public
assistance
programs,
including
but
not
limited
to
rules
16
and
requirements
related
to
employment
and
training
for
the
17
supplemental
nutrition
assistance
program.
18
DIVISION
III.
This
division
creates
a
information
19
technology
fund
in
the
state
treasury
under
the
control
of
HHS.
20
All
moneys
in
the
fund
shall
be
appropriated
to
HHS
to
be
used
21
for
information
technology
systems
and
related
modernization
22
initiatives.
23
The
division
repeals
the
public
assistance
modernization
24
fund,
and
transfers
any
unobligated
and
unencumbered
moneys
in
25
the
fund
on
June
30,
2025,
to
the
information
technology
fund
26
created
in
the
division.
27
DIVISION
IV.
Currently,
for
the
purposes
of
determining
the
28
resources
of
an
individual
to
meet
the
eligibility
requirements
29
for
the
Medicaid
for
employed
people
with
disabilities
program
30
(MEPD)
program,
a
maximum
of
$10,000
of
available
resources
is
31
disregarded,
in
addition
to
any
additional
resources
held
in
32
a
retirement
account,
in
a
medical
savings
account,
or
in
any
33
other
account
approved
under
rules
adopted
by
HHS.
The
bill
34
maintains
the
maximum
amount
of
$10,000
in
available
resources
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disregarded
for
an
individual,
but
provides
that
for
the
1
purposes
of
determining
the
resources
of
a
couple,
a
maximum
2
amount
of
$21,000
of
available
resources
is
disregarded.
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