Workforce Development Proposes Rules to Overpayments, Vacation and Pension

Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) has filed notices of intended action on three rules that pertain to ABI members. ARC 4647C changes procedures for IWD to collect and recover overpayment balances from claimants. The new procedures allow claimants to pay by credit card and also changes the second notice from another billing statement to a demand letter. ARC 4648C rescinds language regarding the role of an administrative law judge when determining a disqualification of benefits related to failure to report at a workforce development center as directed. According to the IWD, the notice also “adds language that ensures 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.” ARC 4649C has been filed in response to the passage of two bills from 2018. Updates to deductibility of vacation pay and pensions, as well as the way IWD handles fraudulent overpayments and offsets are included in the rule. Additional language is also included for the implementation and administration of voluntary shared work plans. These rules affect ABI member companies and the unemployment trust fund. If you have feedback you would like to provide to ABI, please contact Nicole Crain or Brad Hartkopf by Sept. 27. Comments are due to Iowa Workforce Development by Oct. 1.