By Colleen Jolly, ICA Board of Directors Read the full story

Iowa state capitol building

Iowa legislators have passed five bills that will favorably impact direct-care workers. Read the full story

Iowa direct-care workers with State Senator Jack Hatch (D, Des Moines)

Forty-five direct-care workers and their supporters participated in the Iowa Caregivers Association’s (ICA) annual Direct-Care Worker Day at the State Capitol. Read the full story

On May 26, after months of debate among state lawmakers, Iowa Gov. Chet Culver signed into law a bill that will impose a quality assurance fee on all for-profit and nonprofit nursing homes in order to leverage matching federal money. The state’s direct-care workers are among those who are expected to benefit. Read the full story

As reported by The Des Moines Register (“Winners, losers seen in ‘granny tax’ plan,” March 17, 2009), Iowa lawmakers are debating a bill that would impose a new tax on the state’s nursing homes. The tax would equal roughly 3 percent of residents’ cost of care and generate approximately $33 million per year.

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An extensive Health Care Reform bill, House File 2539 (pdf), passed by the Iowa Legislature in 2008 included a provision calling for the improvement of wages and benefits for direct-care workers. The legislation directed that the first phase of this effort be focused on direct-care workers employed by Iowa nursing facilities.

The legislation created a Direct Care Worker Compensation Advisory Committee that includes members of the Iowa General Assembly, representatives from the nursing home industry, directors of state agencies, AARP, and the Iowa CareGivers Association.

John Hale, policy director for the Iowa CareGivers Association and a member of the Advisory Committee, said that “the first meeting of the Compensation Advisory Committee occurred on September 10th. I was pleased that every person in attendance recognized the extent of the problem and the need to do something. I’m hopeful that the effort will produce recommendations that can be adopted by the Iowa General Assembly in 2009.”

A report from the Advisory Committee will be shared with the Iowa Governor and the General Assembly in December of this year.

Aaron Toleos, Online Communications Director
atoleos@phinational.org