The law requires Medicaid recipients in Iowa to cooperate with child support services as a condition of receiving benefits through the program. The law requires state agencies that deliver benefits, such as the Department of Health and Human Services and Iowa Workforce Development, to check new sources of information to determine if Iowans are eligible.īefore Iowans could be enrolled in benefit programs, they will need to verify their identity through a questionnaire that could be completed online, in person or by phone - but can't be done through a paper application. More: Food pantries fear Iowa's new SNAP asset tests could overwhelm them with more clients What would Iowa's public assistance law do? Iowa's new law comes as the federal government is also set to increase work requirements for SNAP recipients 54 years old and younger under the deal President Joe Biden struck with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to raise the debt ceiling. "No matter the circumstances, we will continue our work to strengthen the SNAP program and fight against these wrong-headed policy changes that ignore the reality of your situation," DMARC said. The Des Moines Area Religious Council, which operates a food pantry network, released a statement denigrating the new law, which comes on the heels of "record numbers of people seeking out food assistance for the first time or the first time in a while." More than 200 Iowa faith leaders signed a letter in April opposing the legislation "on moral, religious and humanitarian grounds." "And having an asset verification system that allows us to get those dollars into the hands of the folks who need them the most is what Iowans ought to be doing."ĭemocrats and a coalition of anti-hunger and faith groups have fought against the law, pointing out that fraud is rare and families in need are likely to lose benefits. "We should not be overspending on benefits for people who don't qualify for them," Senate President Amy Sinclair, R-Allerton, said on a May 26 episode of "Iowa Press" on Iowa PBS. Supporters argue the new system will save taxpayers money and ensure benefits are going to those who need them. And Iowans receiving a range of benefits, including from Medicaid and other public health care programs, will face regular checks to make sure they qualify. Senate File 494, which Reynolds signed Thursday, will require Iowa families receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funds to undergo a new asset test before they can obtain food assistance. Kim Reynolds promised to use federal funding to expand food banks. The move is expected to kick thousands of Iowans off of Medicaid and SNAP benefits and has drawn the condemnation of food banks and pantries that say they are already struggling to keep up with the need. Iowans receiving public assistance will soon face new asset tests and eligibility checks, the culmination of a years-long push by Iowa Republicans to impose stricter requirements on benefit programs.
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