A8a Summary of Food Stamp Errors-Active and Negative cases, July 2004

A-8A summary of food stamp errors active and negative cases

Coming into Focus A Needs Assessment and State Plan for Iowans with Brain Injury, November 1998

Coming Into Focus presents a needs assessment related to Iowans with brain injury, and a state action plan to improve Iowa’s ability to meet those needs. Support for this project came from a grant from the Office of Maternal and Child Health to the Iowa Department of Public Health, Iowa’s lead agency for brain injury. The report is a description of the needs of people with brain injuries in Iowa, the status of services to meet those needs and a plan for improving Iowa’s system of supports. Brain injury can result from a skull fracture or penetration of the brain, a disease process such as tumor or infection, or a closed head injury, such as shaken baby syndrome. Traumatic brain injury is a leading cause of death and disability in children and young adults (Fick, 1997). In the United States there are as many as 2 million brain injuries per year, with 300,000 severe enough to require hospitalization. Some 50,000 lives are lost every year to TBI. Eighty to 90 thousand people have moderate to acute brain injuries that result in disabling conditions which can last a lifetime. These conditions can include physical impairments, memory defects, limited concentration, communication deficits, emotional problems and deficits in social abilities. In addition to the personal pain and challenges to survivors and their families, the financial cost of brain injuries is enormous. With traumatic brain injuries, it is estimated that in 1995 Iowa hospitals charged some $38 million for acute care for injured persons. National estimates offer a lifetime cost of $4 million for one person with brain injury (Schootman and Harlan, 1997). With this estimate, new injuries in 1995 could eventually cost over $7 billion dollars. Dramatic improvements in medicine, and the development of emergency response systems, means that more people sustaining brain injuries are being saved. How can we insure that supports are available to this emerging population? We have called the report Coming into Focus, because, despite the prevalence and the personal and financial costs to society, brain injury is poorly understood. The Iowa Department of Public Health, the Iowa Advisory Council on Head Injuries State Plan Task Force, the Brain Injury Association of Iowa and the Iowa University Affiliated Program have worked together to begin answering this question. A great deal of good information already existed. This project brought this information together, gathered new information where it was needed, and carried out a process for identifying what needs to be done in Iowa, and what the priorities will be.

Iowa State Plan for Brain Injury 2013-2018

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) impacts the lives of thousands of Iowans each year. The effects of brain injury (often called the "silent epidemic" because resulting injury is often not visible to others) are cognitive, emotional, and social but may also result in physical disability. This state plan, created by the Governor's Advisory Council on Brain Injuries, is intended to provide guidance for brain injury services and prevention activities in Iowa. This is the fourth Iowa State Plan for Brain Injury. In addition to a statewide needs assessment, development of this plan included recommendations made by the Mental Health and Disability Services Redesign Brain Injury Work-group. For the first time in the history of TBI surveillance in Iowa, the numbers and rates of TBI deaths are decreasing, however hospitalizations and emergency department visits resulting from TBI are steadily increasing. This trend is likely due to the decrease in motor vehicle accidents and improved hospitalization protocols. Looking to the future, the Advisory Council on Brain Injuries identified goals in each of four focus areas. These focus areas are: #1 Individual and family access; dedicated to the enhancement of the lives of individuals with brain injuries and their families. #2 Service and support availability; #3 Service system enhancements; continued funding growth and public awareness campaigns that draw attention to the impact of brain injury. #4 Brain injury prevention; working to prevent and reduce three of the most common causes of brain injury are falls, no helmet use, and motor vehicle crashes.

Investigation of Negative Moment Reinforcing in Bridge Decks, TR-660, 2015

Multi-span pre-tensioned pre-stressed concrete beam (PPCB) bridges made continuous usually experience a negative live load moment region over the intermediate supports. Conventional thinking dictates that sufficient reinforcement must be provided in this region to satisfy the strength and serviceability requirements associated with the tensile stresses in the deck. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) Bridge Design Specifications recommend the negative moment reinforcement (b2 reinforcement) be extended beyond the inflection point. Based upon satisfactory previous performance and judgment, the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) Office of Bridges and Structures (OBS) currently terminates b2 reinforcement at 1/8 of the span length. Although the Iowa DOT policy results in approximately 50% shorter b2 reinforcement than the AASHTO LRFD specifications, the Iowa DOT has not experienced any significant deck cracking over the intermediate supports. The primary objective of this project was to investigate the Iowa DOT OBS policy regarding the required amount of b2 reinforcement to provide the continuity over bridge decks. Other parameters, such as termination length, termination pattern, and effects of the secondary moments, were also studied. Live load tests were carried out on five bridges. The data were used to calibrate three-dimensional finite element models of two bridges. Parametric studies were conducted on the bridges with an uncracked deck, a cracked deck, and a cracked deck with a cracked pier diaphragm for live load and shrinkage load. The general conclusions were as follows: -- The parametric study results show that an increased area of the b2 reinforcement slightly reduces the strain over the pier, whereas an increased length and staggered reinforcement pattern slightly reduce the strains of the deck at 1/8 of the span length. -- Finite element modeling results suggest that the transverse field cracks over the pier and at 1/8 of the span length are mainly due to deck shrinkage. -- Bridges with larger skew angles have lower strains over the intermediate supports. -- Secondary moments affect the behavior in the negative moment region. The impact may be significant enough such that no tensile stresses in the deck may be experienced.

A Comparative Study: Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals under the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act & An Overview of Assistance Animal Laws of Select States, April 18, 2010

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Fair Housing Act (FHA) prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability and govern the use of service or emotional support animals in places where pets may not be permitted. However, courts have been struggling with how to define and treat animals that qualify for protection under each law. This has created confusion as to what rights and duties are owed disabled persons and the animals that live with or accompany them. This essay attempts to clarify these two federal laws with regard to service or emotional support animals and the differing parties‘ rights and interests. It also includes an overview of select state laws that govern assistance animals of all types and our recommendations for enhancing the Iowa Civil Rights Act.