House File 369 HOUSE FILE BY FREVERT Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays Approved A BILL FOR 1 An Act establishing minimum requirements for the staffing of the 2 county offices maintained by the department of human services. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 2830HH 80 5 jp/cf/24 PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. Section 217.42, subsection 2, Code 2003, is 1 2 amended to read as follows: 1 3 2. The department shall maintain an office in each county. 1 4 Based on the annual appropriations for field operations, the 1 5 department shall strive to maintain a full=time presence in 1 6 each county. If it is not possible to maintain a full=time 1 7 presence in each county, the department shall either have 1 8 staff present in the office during regular business hours at 1 9 least three days per week or assure that if telephone calls 1 10 made to that office during regular business hours are 1 11 transferred to another office, the calls shall be answered 1 12 directly by a staff person and not by an electronic system. 1 13 In any event, if it is not possible to maintain a full=time 1 14 presence in a county office, the department shall provide 1 15 staff based on its caseweight system to assure the provision 1 16 of services. The department shall consult with the county 1 17 boards of supervisors of those counties regarding staffing 1 18 prior to any modification of office hours. 1 19 EXPLANATION 1 20 This bill establishes minimum requirements for the staffing 1 21 of the county offices maintained by the department of human 1 22 services. Under Code section 217.42, if the department does 1 23 not maintain a full=time presence in the department's county 1 24 office, the department is required to utilize its caseweight 1 25 system to assure provision of services. The bill requires the 1 26 department to either have staff present in the office during 1 27 regular business hours at least three days per week to assure 1 28 that if telephone calls made to that office during regular 1 29 business hours are transferred to another office, the calls 1 30 are answered directly by a staff person and not by an 1 31 electronic system. 1 32 LSB 2830HH 80 1 33 jp/cf/24 1 34 1 35