ARC 4648C

ARC 4648C

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT[871]

Notice of Intended Action

Proposing rule making related to claims and benefits

and providing an opportunity for public comment

The Director of the Workforce Development Department hereby proposes to amend Chapter 24, "Claims and Benefits," and Chapter 25, "Benefit Payment Control," Iowa Administrative Code.

Legal Authority for Rule Making

This rule making is proposed under the authority provided in Iowa Code section 96.11.

State or Federal Law Implemented

This rule making implements, in whole or in part, Iowa Code chapter 96.

Purpose and Summary

These proposed amendments rescind a previous change that the Department has determined was not appropriate regarding the role of the administrative law judge in determining a disqualification for failure to report at a work development center as directed. Further clarifying rules may be proposed in the future.

Also, current procedures allow for an inequity to develop in cases of overpayment in which a claimant may have exhausted the claimant's entire claim. This proposed rule making will ensure that claimants who are overpaid do not have that overpayment eliminated by the simple addition of claim weeks they would otherwise have been ineligible to receive.

Fiscal Impact

This rule making has no fiscal impact to the State of Iowa.

Jobs Impact

After analysis and review of this rule making, no impact on jobs has been found.

Waivers

Any person who believes that the application of the discretionary provisions of this rule making would result in hardship or injustice to that person may petition the Department for a waiver of the discretionary provisions, if any.

Public Comment

Any interested person may submit written comments concerning this proposed rule making. Written comments in response to this rule making must be received by the Department no later than 4:30 p.m.on October 1, 2019. Comments should be directed to:

Public Hearing

No public hearing is scheduled at this time. As provided in Iowa Code section 17A.4(1)"b," an oral presentation regarding this rule making may be demanded by 25 interested persons, a governmental subdivision, the Administrative Rules Review Committee, an agency, or an association having 25 or more members.

Review by Administrative Rules Review Committee

The Administrative Rules Review Committee, a bipartisan legislative committee which oversees rule making by executive branch agencies, may, on its own motion or on written request by any individual or group, review this rule making at its regular monthly meeting or at a special meeting. The Committee's meetings are open to the public, and interested persons may be heard as provided in Iowa Code section 17A.8(6).

The following rule-making actions are proposed:

Item 1. Rescind paragraph 24.6(7)"f."

Item 2. Amend subrule 25.8(1), introductory paragraph, as follows:

25.8(1) Good faith overpayment. If an individual has acted in good faith in claiming benefits for any week and it is later determined that the individual is was not entitled to receive the benefits, the department shall recover the overpayment of benefits either by having a sum equal to the overpayment deducted from any future benefits payable to the individual or by having the individual pay to the department a sum equal to the overpayment. During a benefit year in which the maximum benefit amount has been paid or the maximum number of weeks has been paid and an overpayment is established for any benefits paid that the individual was not entitled to during that benefit year, no additional benefits will be payable to offset the overpayment. The department shall mail the overpayment decision to the claimant's last-known address. Once the overpayment amount has been established, an overpayment schedule shall be set up to leave a proper audit trail even if the claimant pays to the department a sum equal to the overpayment.