Leaders of Iowa assisted living (AL) programs play a critical role in ensuring tenant safety while also protecting tenant rights. Discharges, referred to in Iowa rules as involuntary transfers from the program, are among the most highly scrutinized regulatory actions and a frequent source of complaints.
Iowa law establishes clear, structured requirements for when and how an assisted living tenant may be required to leave the program, whether due to an emergency or because the tenant no longer meets retention criteria. Iowa mandates that specific formatting and verbiage be included in discharge notices, which can be easily overlooked. Therefore, IHCA maintains up-to-date, compliant, customizable discharge notice templates for both involuntary (30-day) and emergency discharges as noted here:
To understand the requirements for compliant discharges in assisted living programs, members are encouraged to review IHCA’s guidance document, Involuntary Discharge Guidance for AL Program Leaders.
The Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing (DIAL) and the Iowa Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman have reported an increase in the use of outdated notice templates. To ensure use of the most up-to-date version, IHCA recommends downloading notice templates directly from our website under the Practice Guidance heading.
Questions about discharges can be directed to IHCA’s Brenda Irlbeck, VP of Regulatory Affairs.