DES MOINES - Iowa Finance Authority Executive Director Dave Jamison was recently elected to the National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA) Board of Directors. The election was held during NCSHA's 43rd Annual Conference, October 19-22 in New Orleans, LA.

"I'm honored to have the opportunity to serve on the NCSHA Board of Directors to support their exceptional work in communicating the importance and far-reaching benefits that affordable housing programs have all across the country," said Iowa Finance Authority Executive Director Dave Jamison. "Affordable housing is central to thriving neighborhoods and communities as it provides many economic benefits and provides families with a stable place to call home, often resulting in higher educational achievement for children, proud neighborhoods and strong communities."

The National Council of State Housing Agencies - known as NCSHA - is a national nonprofit, nonpartisan association that advocates on behalf of housing finance agencies (HFAs) before Congress and the Administration for affordable housing resources. It represents the HFAs of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, New York City, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Membership also includes more than 300 affordable housing industry partners.

"I look forward to working with Dave Jamison, Executive Director of the Iowa Finance Authority and the other Board officers and directors as we continue our efforts on behalf of all of our members to protect and strengthen federal housing programs in response to the wide range of housing needs HFAs serve," said Barbara Thompson, Executive Director of NCSHA.

Prior to being appointed Executive Director of the Iowa Finance Authority in 2011, Jamison served as Story County Treasurer for sixteen years. Jamison is an Iowa native, U.S. Marine Corps veteran and a graduate of Iowa State University, where he received a BBA in Management.  He also holds a Finance Master certificate from the National Association of County Collectors, Treasurers and Finance Officers (NACCTFO) through the University of Missouri - St. Louis.

While Treasurer, Mr. Jamison was President of the Iowa State County Treasurers Association, Co-Chair of the ISCTA web site task force that established the IowaTreasurers.org web site for all 99 county treasurers and Chair of the Education Committee for NACCTFO.

The Iowa Legislature created The Iowa Finance Authority, the state's housing finance agency, in 1975 to undertake programs to assist in the attainment of housing for low-and moderate-income Iowans.

NCSHA Board of Directors

President

Brian A. Hudson, Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency

Vice President

Thomas R. Gleason, MassHousing

Secretary/Treasurer

Grant S. Whitaker, Utah Housing Corporation

Immediate Past President

Gerald M. Hunter, Idaho Housing and Finance Association

At-Large Executive Committee Member

Richard L. McQuady, Kentucky Housing Corporation

Board Members

Stephen P. Auger, Florida Housing Finance Corporation

Anas Ben Addi, Delaware State Housing Authority

Dean J. Christon, New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority

Kim Herman, Washington State Housing Finance Commission

Dave Jamison, Iowa Finance Authority

Mary Kenney, Illinois Housing Development Authority

Douglas A. Garver, Ohio Housing Finance Agency

Ralph Perrey, Tennessee Housing Development Agency

Dennis Shockley, Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency

Raymond Skinner, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development

Mary Tingerthal, Minnesota Housing

Cris White, Colorado Housing and Finance Authority

Legislation includes Loebsack's measure to move Cedar Rapids flood protection forward

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack released the following statement today after the House of Representatives passed the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA). This bipartisan legislation will authorize Corps of Engineers funding for improvements to ports, waterways and projects tied to flood protection, drinking water, dams and levees and environmental restoration. The legislation also includes flood protection measures that Loebsack fought to expand after the Floods of 2008. Congressman Loebsack fought to secure funding that was needed to complete the study and allow the Cedar Rapids flood protection project to be included in this bill. He also pushed to move WRRDA forward in order to address critical flood protection and transportation concerns on the Mississippi River. He is a cosponsor of legislation that was incorporated into WRRDA that will explore the creation of public-private partnerships between the Army Corps of Engineers and private entities as financing alternatives for lock and dam capital projects.

"In what has become par for the course in Washington, an issue of high importance to many Iowans and to the nation was again delayed and put on the back burner. While I am pleased that the House Republicans have finally moved the Water Resources Reform and Development Act forward, it is far past time.

"Our crumbling infrastructure is an area I believe continued investment in is absolutely critical. These are investments that create jobs, have a direct impact on our economy, and provide safety and protection for Iowans. Iowa farmers, manufacturers, businesses and local economies rely on the Mississippi River infrastructure. It is clear that the locks and dams along the Mississippi River are deteriorating and significantly harming the economic development in the region. This bill is very important to Iowa, not just for the locks and dams, but also for much of our flood protection and Army Corps projects that are needed to keep our communities safe. The House and Senate must act without further delay to work out the differences between the two bills so a comprehensive WRRDA bill can be signed into law."

The Senate passed its version of WRRDA earlier this year and the two bills will now go to a Conference Committee to reconcile the differences.

Taxes account for the most expensive burden you'll experience in your lifetime, says engineer-turned-independent financial planning coach Rao K. Garuda.

In addition to federal, state, city and death taxes, there are 59 other varieties. Relatively few taxes, however, account for the bulk of the burden on citizens, says Garuda, whose clients include retirees, people planning for retirement, physicians, business owners and other professionals.

He thinks his fellow Americans deserve a shot at keeping more of their money.

"When I came to the United States, I had less than $10 in my pocket, but I had an excellent education as an engineer. When I married a physician, I realized how expensive it is to make a good living here," says Garuda, (www.aca-incorp.com), who quickly applied his analytical engineering mind to understanding the complicated tax system.

"Since this country has given me so much, I wanted to repay my fellow Americans with strategies for keeping more of their own money."

Garuda identifies some of the most expensive and common tax hurdles affecting Americans and offers advice on troubleshooting our tax system.

• Problem: The IRA tax: great on the front end, terrible down the road.
Solution: An IRA is tax-deferred, which means it will accumulate value over time. But when you withdraw from it, you will be heavily penalized with high taxes. That's why you should convert this asset to a Roth IRA, which allows your money to grow tax-free. Since the money put in was already taxed you don't have to pay any taxes when you take it out, and, overall, you'll save a significant amount of money.

• Problem: Too many people don't take advantage of creating tax-free income via insurance products.
Solution: From a financial perspective, retirees and professional planners run into a significant issue: seniors, blessed with good health, who outlive their money. But with certain insurance products, retirees can create tax-free income while covering the later years of retirement - and protect their wealth if they become severely ill. There are certain insurance products tied to the stock market that can help people accumulate assets in the long run. Many of these products offer a tremendous upside for potential without the downside of increased risk.

• Problem: Missed opportunities - people who don't take advantage of free money in a 401k.
Solution: Perhaps the company you work for is, like many others, bureaucratic to the point of being impractical. Your employer may not have done the best job communicating details about benefits such as matching 401k contributions, or you may not have taken the time to learn them. Now's the time; this is free money! If your employer is offering a 50 percent match on your first 6 percent of contributions to the 401k, you should be contributing at least 6 percent. Educate yourself on your company's plan so you can take full advantage.

About Rao K. Garuda

Rao K. Garuda, CLU, ChFC, is president and CEO of Associated Concepts Agency, Inc. - "The Missing Piece" of financial planning -- founded in 1978, and a popular speaker at seminars and conferences for financial industry professionals. He came to the United States from India 35 years ago with a degree in engineering and, after marrying a physician, realized he had to learn how to reduce the couple's taxes. Disappointed in the financial advice he received from professionals, he went to business school and developed expertise in tax reduction, and protecting money from stock market losses. Rao is a founding member of First Financial Resources, a national organization with over 75 partners in the USA; a life member of the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), and a life member of MDRT's Top of the Table for 21 consecutive years.

• Iowa Medicaid Enterprise (IME) says initiative exceeds savings targets by $18.5 million over three years 
• Innovative program targets fraud, abuse, errors across Medicaid programs, including personal care providers, in-home respite care, Medicaid-funded lawn-mowing and snow-removal abuses, inappropriate hospital charges, Medicaid/Medicare dual-eligible billing errors 

(Des Moines) - Gov. Terry E. Branstad announced today that an Iowa Medicaid initiative saved taxpayers $41 million in fiscal year 2013. That brings the total three-year savings of the program integrity effort to more than $86 million.

"The savings are six times greater than the overall cost of the program integrity contract, and $18.5 million above the savings target. That's very good news for taxpayers," said Branstad. "These savings help us provide better care for 400,000 Iowans in need, without reducing provider rates or trimming services."

The savings were achieved through a three-year, $14 million program integrity contract awarded to Optum of Eden Prairie, Minn. Optum, which manages most of the program integrity work for Iowa Medicaid Enterprise, will continue its program integrity efforts for FY 2014 in the first of two performance-based option years under the contract.

Iowa Medicaid Enterprise Director Jennifer Vermeer said savings under the program integrity contract include both "cost avoidance," which is money not spent because claims errors or fraudulent activities are caught in advance, and "recoveries," which refers to funds inappropriately billed to Medicaid that providers must repay.

A strong emphasis on avoidance is especially beneficial to Medicaid programs, since it is less costly than "chasing" inappropriately paid claims in an effort to recover funds.  Optum discovered inappropriate behavior by both providers and beneficiaries.

"We are pleased with the innovative approaches Optum has instituted," Vermeer said. "We've put those who deliberately seek to defraud the system on notice that we're using some very sophisticated techniques to thwart their efforts. For those who make mistakes or are misinformed, there's an educational component to the program that our Medicaid providers have found helpful."

The majority of the approximately 20,000 Medicaid providers bill appropriately and understand how the program works. But, Vermeer said the few who are fraudulent can cost taxpayers millions.

Some examples of potential fraud or inappropriate claims and payments that Optum analysts found include :

• Questionable In-home Respite Care Claims: Iowa Medicaid pays for some in-home non-medical services to families with disabled children, who can't be left alone, to give parents an opportunity to shop or run errands. Program integrity analysts found that some of these companies were billing for services not provided, submitting bills that show they were at two different households at the same time, or inflating the time they were at a household. In addition, parents sometimes had siblings or other relatives establish a "storefront day care center," and would bill Medicaid for in-home respite care through the company. Optum's work has resulted in a change in the law that now prevents billing through a day care center.

• Questionable Chore Claims: People who are eligible for Medicaid-paid nursing home care can sometimes remain in their homes with the help of various services, including chores such as lawn mowing and snow removal. Program integrity analysts found that some chore providers billed for snow removal on days it did not snow, or billed excessively for mild snowfall. In addition, analysts compared plot plans with lawn-mowing claims and discovered that often, providers would bill for far more hours than it would take to mow a small lawn. In one case, analysts found that one provider was submitting bills of $700 per month for lawn care at one single-family address.

• Questionable Durable Medical Equipment Claims: Generally, durable medical equipment, which includes items such as oxygen tank dispensers, home hospital beds, wheelchairs, etc. - are either purchased outright or rented by Medicaid, whichever is more cost-effective. In some cases, for example, a patient may require a wheelchair or a nebulizer for only a short period of time, and renting is more cost-effective than buying. Program integrity analysts found many instances of companies submitting rental claims long past when purchasing the item would be less expensive. In other cases, companies would submit rental claims even after Medicaid had already purchased the item from them, meaning they were receiving double payments.

• Questionable "Swing Bed" Claims: Critical access hospitals - defined as smaller, rural hospitals - at times keep injured or very sick patients in more expensive "swing bed" units, which can cost $4,000 per day, rather than moving them to lesser expensive care settings in the same hospital or to different facilities. For example, in several rehab cases, the level of care required could have been handled just as well in a nursing home setting, which costs Medicaid about $250 per day. Program integrity analysts focused on cases where patients were kept in "swing beds" for more than a year - generating up to $1.5 million in Medicaid bills - and found many cases of inappropriate billing by hospitals. The program's efforts resulted in a legislative change that now requires some prior authorization before patients are placed in swing beds.

In addition, Vermeer said there were other Medicaid fraud areas in which IME is collaborating with law enforcement officials, who are investigating based on information from Optum analysts. Steve Larsen, executive vice president of Optum Government Solutions, said Iowa's Medicaid program has become a national model in program integrity.

"The state shares our philosophy about payment accuracy - every taxpayer dollar must be properly spent, and every provider must be properly paid for the critical work they do," Larsen said.

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For more information:

Amy Lorentzen McCoy

Iowa Department of Human Services

515-281-4848