801—7.1(35A,35B) County commissions of veteran affairs fund.

1. 7.1(1)  Purpose. The purpose of the county commissions of veterans affairs fund is to assist county commissions of veteran affairs in complying with legislative requirements for employing a county veteran service officer who maintains national accreditation through the National Association of County Veterans Service Officers (NACVSO), maintains an active Personal Identification Verification (PIV) card necessary to access the Veterans Administration’s Veterans Benefit Management System, is occupied in veterans affairs service for a minimum number of hours, and maintains an office in a location owned or leased by the county.
2. 7.1(2)  Allocation amounts. Counties requesting reimbursement from the department in accordance with Iowa Code section 35A.16(4) will make their requests in accordance with state travel policies. Required supporting documentation for eligible expenses shall be submitted during the fiscal year up to the $3,000 annual allocation within 30 days of training completion, but no later than June 30 of each fiscal year.

3. 7.1(3)  Allocation report. Counties shall submit a written report to the department 30 days following the end of the fiscal year in which the allocation was received. The report shall include:

   1. a. An assessment of county veteran affairs services, including county population, verification of an office, hours of employment, and number of hours of veterans’ services provided by the county veteran service officer.

   2. b. Documentation that the county veteran service officer is performing required duties and maintaining qualifications and credentials pursuant to Iowa Code section 35B.6.

      A final report on county veteran affairs expenditures for the fiscal year in which the allocation was received and the expenditure report from the previous fiscal year. Information provided in this report shall be used by the department to comply with rule 801—7.3(35A,35B).

4. 7.1(4)  Recovery of funds. The department shall be the entity charged with the recovery of county commissions of veteran affairs fund allocations from counties under the following circumstances:

   1. a. Unauthorized use. Counties expending a portion of the allocation on items that do not provide services to veterans pursuant to Iowa Code section 35B.6 will be required to return the unauthorized funds to the state of Iowa.
   2. b. Maintenance of effort. Counties not maintaining their previous fiscal year’s spending levels will be considered to have supplanted county funding with state allocation funds. Counties not complying with their maintenance of effort will be required to return the supplanted portion to the state of Iowa pursuant to Iowa Code section 35A.16(3).
   3. c. Noncompliance. Counties that are not in compliance with the requirements of Iowa Code section 35B.6 on June 30 of each fiscal year will be required to return all moneys received during that fiscal year to the county commissions of veteran affairs fund pursuant to Iowa Code section 35A.16(3). Counties that are deemed noncompliant due to the termination or resignation of an employee shall not be required to return the state allocation if an employee is hired within two months of the previous employee’s separation.
5. 7.1(5)  Appeals. Applicants that are dissatisfied with a decision may file an appeal with the commandant. The written appeal must be received within 15 working days of the date of the notice of decision and must be based on a contention that the process was conducted outside of statutory authority; violated state or federal law, policy or rules; or involved conflicts of interest by staff. The commandant shall review the appeal and issue a final decision.

[ARC 9183C, IAB 4/30/25, effective 6/4/25]