Senate File 255 - Introduced SENATE FILE 255 BY WESTRICH A BILL FOR An Act relating to the personal needs allowance under the 1 medical assistance program. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 2579XS (2) 91 lh/ko
S.F. 255 Section 1. Section 249A.30A, Code 2025, is amended to read 1 as follows: 2 249A.30A Medical assistance personal needs allowance. 3 1. The personal needs allowance under the medical 4 assistance program, which may be retained by a person who is a 5 resident of a nursing facility, an intermediate care facility 6 for persons with an intellectual disability, or an intermediate 7 care facility for persons with mental illness, as defined in 8 section 135C.1 , or a person who is a resident of a psychiatric 9 medical institution for children as defined in section 135H.1 , 10 shall be fifty sixty-five dollars per month. 11 2. A resident who has income of less than fifty sixty-five 12 dollars per month shall receive a supplement from the state in 13 the amount necessary to receive a personal needs allowance of 14 fifty sixty-five dollars per month. The general assembly shall 15 annually appropriate a sufficient amount from the general fund 16 of the state to the department of health and human services for 17 this purpose. 18 3. Beginning July 1, 2026, the department shall annually 19 increase the personal needs allowance by a percentage equal 20 to the percentage increase in the consumer price index for 21 all urban consumers for the most recent twelve-month period 22 published in the federal register by the United States 23 department of labor, bureau of labor statistics. 24 EXPLANATION 25 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 26 the explanations substance by the members of the general assembly. 27 This bill relates to the personal needs allowance under the 28 medical assistance program. 29 The personal needs allowance covers a persons personal 30 expenses not covered by the medical assistance program. 31 Current law provides that a person who is a resident of a 32 nursing facility, an intermediate care facility for persons 33 with an intellectual disability or mental illness, or a 34 psychiatric medical institution for children may retain a 35 -1- LSB 2579XS (2) 91 lh/ko 1/ 2
S.F. 255 personal needs allowance of $50 per month. A resident who has 1 an income of less than $50 dollars per month shall receive a 2 supplement from the state to receive a personal needs allowance 3 of $50 per month. The bill increases the personal needs 4 allowance to $65 per month and a resident with an income of 5 less than $65 per month shall receive a supplement from the 6 state. 7 The bill provides that beginning July 1, 2026, the 8 department shall annually increase the personal needs allowance 9 by a percentage equal to the percentage increase in the 10 consumer price index for all urban consumers for the most 11 recent 12-month period published in the federal register by the 12 United States department of labor, bureau of labor statistics. 13 -2- LSB 2579XS (2) 91 lh/ko 2/ 2