House Study Bill 574 SENATE/HOUSE FILE BY (PROPOSED DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS BILL) Passed Senate, Date Passed House, Date Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays Approved A BILL FOR 1 An Act relating to the process utilized in assessing residents of 2 health care facilities for veterans program benefits. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 5409DP 81 5 pf/je/5 PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. Section 135C.31A, Code Supplement 2005, is 1 2 amended to read as follows: 1 3 135C.31A ASSESSMENT OF RESIDENTS == PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY. 1 4Beginning July 1, 2003, aA health care facility receiving 1 5 reimbursement through the medical assistance program under 1 6 chapter 249A shall assist the Iowa department of veterans 1 7 affairs in identifying, upon admission of a resident, the 1 8 resident's eligibility for benefits through thefederalUnited 1 9 States department of veterans affairs.The health care 1 10 facility shall also assist the Iowa department of veterans 1 11 affairs in determining such eligibility for residents residing 1 12 in the facility on July 1, 2003.The department of 1 13 inspections and appeals, in cooperation with the department of 1 14 human services, shall adopt rules to administer this section, 1 15 including a provision that ensures that if a resident is 1 16 eligible for benefits through thefederalUnited States 1 17 department of veterans affairs or other third=party payor, the 1 18 payor of last resort for reimbursement to the health care 1 19 facility is the medical assistance program. The rules shall 1 20 also require the health care facility to obtain information 1 21 from a resident to determine if the resident is a veteran and 1 22 to then report to the Iowa department of veterans affairs only 1 23 the names of residents identified as veterans along with the 1 24 names of their spouse and any dependents. Information 1 25 reported by the health care facility shall be verified by the 1 26 Iowa department of veterans affairs. This section shall not 1 27 apply to the admission of an individual to a state mental 1 28 health institute for acute psychiatric care or to the 1 29 admission of an individual to the Iowa veterans home. 1 30 EXPLANATION 1 31 This bill requires the rules of the department of 1 32 inspections and appeals, regarding the identifying of 1 33 residents of health care facilities who are veterans, to 1 34 require the health care facilities to obtain information from 1 35 residents to determine if the residents are veterans and then 2 1 to report to the Iowa department of veterans affairs only the 2 2 names of residents identified as veterans along with the names 2 3 of their spouse and any dependents. Information reported by 2 4 the health care facilities is to be verified by the Iowa 2 5 department of veterans affairs. 2 6 LSB 5409DP 81 2 7 pf:rj/je/5