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Home→Agencies→Medicaid Estate Recovery→Iowa→When someone dies

Medicaid Estate Recovery in Iowa: when someone dies

A 5-step process for Iowa Health and Human Services — Estate Recovery Program after a death in Iowa.

OverviewWhen someone dies

Medicaid Recovery

Iowa

hhs.iowa.gov/medicaid/member-services/estate-recovery→

Administering agency

Iowa Health and Human Services — Estate Recovery Program

Phone877-463-7887
WebsiteVisit website →

Authority

Iowa Code 249A.53; Iowa Admin. Code r. 441-75.28(7)

Verified Jul 2026

Steps to take

  1. Determine whether the deceased received Medicaid at age 55 or older, or as a long-term care facility resident who could not be expected to return home.
  2. Report the death to the Iowa HHS Estate Recovery Program; a facility administrator and the personal representative must report within ten days of death (Iowa Code 249A.53(2)(f)).
  3. Provide the requested information about the deceased's assets so the program can determine the amount of the claim.
  4. Address the recovery claim as a debt of the estate, classified with taxes having preference, before distributing assets to heirs.
  5. Apply for a hardship waiver within 30 days of the estate recovery notice if recovery would deny the household food, clothing, shelter, or medical care and the household is under 200% of the federal poverty level with resources of $10,000 or less (Iowa Admin. Code r. 441-75.28(7)"g").

Iowa Health and Human Services — Estate Recovery Program

Phone: 877-463-7887

Visit the agency website →

Frequently asked questions

Iowa waives recovery to the extent it would reduce what a surviving spouse, or a surviving child who was under 21, blind, or permanently and totally disabled at death, receives from the estate, and where recovery would work an undue hardship under federal criteria. The waived amount can become a debt due later from the spouse's or child's estate.

Iowa Code 249A.53(2)(c) defines the estate broadly to include real property, personal property, and any asset in which the recipient held legal title or interest at death — including jointly held property, retained life estates, and interests in trusts.

SimplyTrustSimplyTrust Editorial·Updated July 14, 2026

Sources

  • legis.iowa.gov
  • hhs.iowa.gov

Data sourced from Medicaid Estate Recovery in Iowa primary sources (3 pages reviewed). How we research.

Medicaid Recovery

Iowa

hhs.iowa.gov/medicaid/member-services/estate-recovery→

Administering agency

Iowa Health and Human Services — Estate Recovery Program

Phone877-463-7887
WebsiteVisit website →

Authority

Iowa Code 249A.53; Iowa Admin. Code r. 441-75.28(7)

Verified Jul 2026
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