H.F. 697 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 35A.19 Veterans case manager. 1 1. For the purposes of this section: 2 a. “Health care facility” means a hospital as defined in 3 section 135B.1, or a health care facility as defined in section 4 144D.1. 5 b. “Veterans health care facility” means a health care 6 facility operated by the veterans health administration. 7 2. A veterans case manager shall be appointed by the 8 director, in consultation with the director of the department 9 of inspections and appeals and the director of human services, 10 to assist veterans in obtaining the greatest degree of health 11 care and health care benefits available and to promote policies 12 that would benefit veterans seeking health care. The case 13 manager shall serve at the pleasure of, and report directly to, 14 the director. 15 3. The veterans case manager shall perform the following 16 duties: 17 a. Act as an intermediary between health care facilities and 18 veterans health care facilities. 19 b. Assist health care facilities in the transfer of veterans 20 to veterans health care facilities. 21 c. Provide information to veterans and health care 22 facilities regarding health care services available to 23 veterans. 24 d. Apply for, receive, and administer federal aids, grants, 25 and gifts relating to inpatient health care services for 26 veterans. 27 e. Work with county veteran affairs offices to inform 28 veterans of benefits that may be available to veterans for 29 health care services. 30 f. Recommend to the department of inspections and appeals 31 standards and courses of study that fulfill the requirements of 32 section 272C.2C, subsection 1A. 33 g. Ensure that veterans are treated by health care 34 facilities with at least the same level of care as nonveterans. 35 -1- LSB 2153YH (6) 89 dg/rh 1/ 5

H.F. 697 h. Encourage physicians, nurses, and other individuals 1 working in health care who have military experience to work in 2 Iowa. 3 i. Inform Iowa residents who are veterans or currently 4 serving in the military about education, benefits, and support 5 available to obtain a degree or certification that would allow 6 the person to become a health care worker. 7 j. Collaborate with health care facilities in identifying, 8 upon a person’s admission to a health care facility, the 9 person’s eligibility for benefits through the United States 10 department of veterans affairs, including prescription drug 11 benefit eligibility, and programs with a focus on veterans. 12 k. Collaborate with the department of inspections and 13 appeals to identify any barriers to veterans in accessing 14 prescription drug benefits designated for veterans. 15 l. Assist health care facilities in amending rules and 16 procedures for medication administration to allow veterans 17 greater access to prescription drug benefits. 18 Sec. 2. Section 135B.1, Code 2021, is amended by adding the 19 following new subsections: 20 NEW SUBSECTION . 5. “Veteran” means the same as defined in 21 section 35.1. 22 NEW SUBSECTION . 6. “Veterans case manager” means the same 23 as described in the provisions of section 35A.19. 24 Sec. 3. Section 135B.7, Code 2021, is amended by adding the 25 following new subsections: 26 NEW SUBSECTION . 6. The department shall adopt rules 27 requiring hospitals, upon identifying a person requiring 28 inpatient health services as a veteran, to establish and 29 implement protocols providing for all of the following: 30 a. Contacting the veterans case manager regarding the 31 veteran’s admission. 32 b. Identifying whether the veteran is at risk for causing 33 harm to the veteran’s self or others. 34 c. Holding a veteran experiencing or at risk of experiencing 35 -2- LSB 2153YH (6) 89 dg/rh 2/ 5

H.F. 697 a mental health crisis for a period of not less than 1 twenty-three hours unless a court order dictates otherwise or 2 the patient is allowed to transfer to a veterans health care 3 facility as defined in section 35A.19. 4 d. Requiring the hospital to evaluate the veteran’s mental 5 stability to determine if the veteran is a threat to the 6 safety of the veteran’s self or others prior to the veteran’s 7 discharge. 8 e. Preventing the hospital from treating a veteran with less 9 or different care than nonveteran patients solely because of a 10 person’s veteran status. 11 NEW SUBSECTION . 7. The department, in consultation with the 12 department of veterans affairs, shall adopt rules that provide 13 that if a person is eligible for benefits through the United 14 States department of veterans affairs or any other third-party 15 payor, the payor of last resort for reimbursement to a hospital 16 is the medical assistance program established under chapter 17 249A. The rules shall also require the hospital to request 18 information from a person or a person’s personal representative 19 regarding the person’s veteran status and to report to the 20 veterans case manager only the names of persons identified as 21 potential veterans along with the names of their spouses and 22 any dependents. Information reported by the hospital shall be 23 verified by the department. This subsection shall not apply to 24 the admission of a person for outpatient health services. 25 NEW SUBSECTION . 8. The department shall adopt rules 26 that require hospitals to collaborate with the veterans case 27 manager to identify barriers veterans may face in obtaining 28 prescription drug benefits, and require, upon the admission 29 of a person eligible for benefits through the United States 30 department of veterans affairs to a hospital, the hospital 31 to cooperate with the veterans case manager to assess the 32 extent for which the person is eligible for prescription drug 33 benefits. 34 Sec. 4. Section 272C.2C, Code 2021, is amended by adding the 35 -3- LSB 2153YH (6) 89 dg/rh 3/ 5

H.F. 697 following new subsection: 1 NEW SUBSECTION . 1A. The board of medicine, board of 2 dentistry, board of physician assistants, board of podiatry, 3 and board of nursing shall establish rules requiring a person 4 licensed pursuant to section 148.3, 148C.3, 149.3, or 152.6 or 5 chapter 153 to receive continuing education credits regarding 6 the treatment of veterans, as defined in section 35.1, as 7 a condition of license renewal. Each licensing board, in 8 consultation with the veterans case manager established in 9 section 35A.19, shall have the authority to determine how often 10 a licensee must receive continuing education credits. 11 EXPLANATION 12 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 13 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 14 This bill relates to veterans health care services. 15 The bill creates the position of veterans case manager 16 within the department of veterans affairs. The veterans case 17 manager shall be appointed by the executive director of the 18 Iowa department of veterans affairs in consultation with the 19 director of the department of inspections and appeals and 20 the director of the department of human services, to assist 21 veterans in obtaining the greatest degree of health care and 22 health care benefits available and to promote policies that 23 would benefit veterans seeking health care. The veterans case 24 manager shall serve at the pleasure of, and report directly to, 25 the executive director of the department of veterans affairs. 26 The bill specifies the duties of a veterans case manager. 27 The bill requires the department of inspections and appeals 28 to adopt rules that require hospitals, upon identifying a 29 person admitted to the hospital as a veteran, to contact the 30 veterans case manager, assess whether the veteran is a danger 31 to the veteran’s self or others, hold the veteran for 23 hours 32 if that person is experiencing or at risk of experiencing a 33 mental health crisis, assess whether the veteran is a danger to 34 the veteran’s self or others prior to discharging the veteran, 35 -4- LSB 2153YH (6) 89 dg/rh 4/ 5

H.F. 697 and prevent the use of less or different care than nonveterans 1 solely because of a person’s veteran status. 2 The bill requires the department of inspections and appeals, 3 in consultation with the department of veterans affairs, to 4 adopt rules that provide that if a person is eligible for 5 benefits through the United States department of veterans 6 affairs or any other third-party payor, specifying that 7 the payor of last resort for reimbursement to a hospital is 8 the medical assistance program established in Code chapter 9 249A. The rules shall also require the hospital to request 10 information from a person or a person’s personal representative 11 regarding the person’s veteran status and to report to the 12 veterans case manager only the names of persons identified as 13 potential veterans along with the names of their spouses and 14 any dependents. Information reported by the hospital shall be 15 verified by the department. These rules shall not apply to the 16 admission of a person for outpatient health services. 17 The bill requires the department of inspections and appeals 18 to adopt rules that require hospitals to collaborate with the 19 veterans case manager to identify barriers veterans may face 20 in obtaining prescription drug benefits, and require, upon 21 the admission of a person eligible for benefits through the 22 United States department of veterans affairs to a hospital, the 23 hospital to cooperate with the veterans case manager to assess 24 the extent for which the person is eligible for prescription 25 drug benefits. 26 The bill requires the board of medicine, board of dentistry, 27 board of physician assistants, board of podiatry, and board of 28 nursing to establish rules requiring a person licensed under 29 those boards to receive continuing education credits regarding 30 the treatment of veterans as a condition of license renewal. 31 Each licensing board, in consultation with the veterans case 32 manager, shall have the authority to determine how often a 33 licensee must receive continuing education credits. 34 -5- LSB 2153YH (6) 89 dg/rh 5/ 5