Your state's pack. New issue every Monday. Bookmark it. I built this for the Iowa T&E solo who knows the Probate Code cold but still loses an afternoon a week tracking the moving Iowa Medicaid pieces.
For licensed attorneys. This pack is general legal information and professional commentary for practicing attorneys — it is not legal advice, does not apply to any specific matter, and creates no attorney-client relationship. Verify every authority against the cited primary source before relying on it with a client. Published by Mike Moss, a Utah-admitted attorney, as an AI-enablement information product; it is not an offer of legal services and is not a representation that the author is admitted to practice in your jurisdiction.
Three developments I think actually matter to an Iowa T&E solo. Each has a read that lands on your practice specifically — and each comes with a reachable citation so you can verify it yourself before you use it with a client.
Iowa does not authorize transfer-on-death deeds for real property; Iowa courts have treated them as void. The live 2026 vehicle is HF 2422 (introduced 2/12/2026, House Judiciary) — earlier 2025 bills (HF 125, HF 816) died. Until enactment, use a funded revocable trust.
The probate-avoidance reflex that works in TOD-deed states fails in Iowa. For the home, the funded revocable trust — not a beneficiary deed — is the tool. Watch the 2026 session.
Iowa HF 2422 (2026) · legis.iowa.gov; Iowa Legal Aid
Iowa Code § 249A.53(2) defines the recoverable estate to include joint property, life estates, and assets held in trust — not just probate property.
Because recovery runs against the expanded estate, jointly-titled real estate and retained life estates are not reliably protective in Iowa. Plan around the expanded definition.
Iowa Code § 249A.53(2) · legis.iowa.gov; Iowa HHS Estate Recovery
Maximum CSRA is $162,660 (minimum $32,532); the special income standard is $2,982/mo. Iowa applies the federal $752,000 home-equity floor.
Two places this lands: community-spouse protection math and the income cap for institutional eligibility. Flag the 2028 OBBBA $1,000,000 home-equity cap now.
42 U.S.C. § 1396p · CMS 2026 Standards (medicaid.gov)
This week in Iowa for the T&E solo with Medicaid-planning clients: what the Iowa State Bar Association, the district probate courts, and Iowa HHS put in front of you.
The ISBA CLE calendar, the Probate, Trust & Estate Planning Section, and the Iowa HHS estate-recovery updates all publish on different schedules. This is that sift, already done, with the link on each item.