(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s unemployment rate inched up one-tenth of a percent to three percent in September, while the labor participation rate dropped by one-tenth of a percent. Iowa Workforce Development spokesperson, Jesse Dougherty, says the slight change is seasonal. He says the primary reason for the change is college students who left the workforce to go back to school. Dougherty says they are the same workers that made an impact on employment earlier in the year.

“Iowa did have an influx of new hiring in the spring, particularly in leisure and hospitality, and arts, entertainment and recreation, a lot of those industries, you’d expect to see a lot of hiring,” he says. “And so we think that’s reflective of the fact that employers were, you know, pulling from a lot of that younger population to help fill jobs. But now that we’re heading back into the fall, we’re seeing that kind of drop off with those students leaving those jobs and headed back into the classroom.”

He says some of the students will get part-time jobs while at college, but many won’t be in the workforce again until school is out. Dougherty says there were some areas that saw increases. “Construction lead all industries in September with 18-hundred jobs added, that was definitely a good sign, as it showed more employers are either hiring or extending their projects to get to get more done, while the weather has still been good in the state,” he says. “Our largest industry, manufacturing didn’t have a large game, but it did add 200 jobs, so that was positive.”

He says the national economy continues to cause apprehension in some other industries, with banking and finance, losing 800 jobs and professional business services, lost one-thousand jobs. Dougherty says those industries try to keep a good handle on costs. “Some of that belt tightening that employers might do, to cut back on things that really happens a lot within professional business services because of those extraneous services to buildings and things like that. And, and, of course, leisure and hospitality as well,” he says.

He says businesses are keeping an eye on increases in the cost of materials. Mortgage rates recently went up, and that’s another issue that can have an impact on businesses. “The mortgage demand I think, has fallen to the lowest level since 1995. And so, we are seeing some apprehension from some employers in this in those types of industries. And so what we’re really focused on in the face of those national headwinds is our focus is really having the most responsive reemployment system as we possibly can,” Dougherty says.

The uptick in the unemployment rate still leaves it below the three-point-one percent rate from last September. The U-S unemployment rate remained at 3.8 percent in September.

DES MOINES – Governor Kim Reynolds has announced new grant awards for Iowa’s community colleges that will help expand the use of modernized infrastructure needed for programs that help individuals obtain a commercial driver’s license (CDL). The new grants come as part of the state’s collective effort over the past two years to expand training opportunities and widen pathways to Iowa’s high-demand jobs.  The Iowa CDL Infrastructure Grant program is awarding $4,844,092 to 10 of Iowa’s community colleges, which will support new equipment and the creation/remodeling of driver training facilities. With these new investments, the colleges’ CDL programs will be able to support an estimated total increase of 1,305 program participants in their annual class size. 

“The pathway to finding a job as a truck driver, one of our most-needed occupations, runs through getting a CDL license,” said Governor Reynolds. “It’s important that we do everything we can to not only make it easier for individuals to obtain these licenses, but also to support the long-term viability of the programs that made it possible to gain that experience right here in Iowa.”

Grant funds will help support the building, purchasing, or remodeling of training infrastructure that prepares drivers for meeting CDL requirements. Funds will be administered as reimbursement, and programs must offer competency-based training courses and/or a training course that would allow someone to complete training and take the licensing exam within a 30-day window. Colleges receiving grant funds also have agreed to a 5-year tuition freeze for their CDL programs once the project from this award is complete. 
 
“Increasing the CDL pipeline is crucial to sustaining and improving our economy. We are chronically short of drivers and Governor Reynolds’ continued investment in our community colleges should help accomplish this goal,” said Beth Townsend, Executive Director of Iowa Workforce Development. “This investment today will also give Iowa employers a leg up in recruiting more individuals in our state who have a CDL and are workforce ready.” 

For more information on the grant program and for a list of awardees, visit this link. 

(Radio Iowa)- Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says the U-S needs to ensure humanitarian aid for Gaza goes directly to the people who need it and not into the hands of Hamas terrorists.

Ernst, in a speech on the Senate floor, talked about her recent trip to the Middle East. She says during a meeting in Jordan, the country’s king expressed his concern that Iran would capitalize on the chaos in Gaza and escalate the conflict.

Ernst, a Republican from Red Oak, compares Hamas to ISIS and she says they deserve nothing less than destruction. The top Democrat in the U-S Senate says lawmakers and the Biden Administration are working on a plan that would provide a surge of military aid to Israel as well as humanitarian aid for civilians trapped in Gaza without food, water or electricity. U-S officials say they’ve so far confirmed 31 Americans were killed in this month’s Hamas attack in Israel.

Sonya Sellmeyer

By Sonya Sellmeyer, Consumer Advocacy Officer for the Iowa Insurance Division

(Des Moines, Iowa) – According to the Kaiser Family Foundation in 2021, only 1% of all denied health insurance claims were appealed to their health insurance plan.  If you believe the healthcare services you received should have been covered under your health plan, you have a right to an appeal. An explanation of benefits (EOB) is issued by the health plan as a summary of the benefits payment towards a claim and is not a bill.  If a claim is denied, a code explains the reason for the denial.  A claim may be denied for an error, lack of information, out-of-network provider, no prior approval for a service or procedure, or the health plan does not provide the benefit.  If you disagree with the health plan’s determination, review the EOB for the appeal rights information.

There are two types of appeal rights.  An internal appeal is a request to the health plan to review their original decision.  You have 180 days after the EOB to file an internal appeal.  For further guidance on filing an appeal with your health plan, call the customer service number on your insurance card.  The health plan may require a completed appeal form, or letter with supporting information.  If the denial is based on the lack of a medical reason, the healthcare provider may be able to assist by writing a letter or providing additional health information to support the claim. The health plan must render a decision on the appeal within 30 days.  If a delay in receiving medical care could jeopardize the individual’s life, health, or the ability to regain maximum function, you or your provider may be able to request an expedited internal appeal with the health plan.

The second type of appeal is an external review, or the opportunity for an independent review of an adverse determination. You may be eligible for an external review after all internal appeals have been exhausted, and the denial is based on medical necessity, appropriateness, health care setting, level of care, or the effectiveness of the health care service of treatment. There may also be a right to external review if the claim was denied as “investigational or experimental.”  An external review must be filed with the Iowa Insurance Division within 4 months of the date of receipt of the final adverse claim determination notice.  The decision of the independent review organization is binding upon the health plan. Should you disagree with the independent review organization, you have a right to a judicial review in Iowa District Court within 15 business days of the issuance of the decision by the independent review organization.

Always contact your health plan to ensure a provider is in-network, services are covered, and to obtain preauthorizations, including those for dental services, as required by the policy.  Taking these steps will ensure health care services are paid for by the health plan according to the policy.

(Stuart, Iowa) – No injuries were reported after a passenger car struck a set of dual tires that came off a semi, west of Stuart. The crash happened at around 9:50-a.m. on Interstate 80 westbound near mile-marker 94. The incident also reportedly started a ditch fire. The car was totaled in the collision. The westbound lane was said to be partially blocked at the 94 mile marker.

Additional details are currently not available.

(Outer space) – If …as predicted…the skies are clear between Friday night and Saturday morning, and you don’t mind staying up late or getting up early, there’s a good chance you’ll see the 2023 Orionid meteor shower. The celestial event will be visible in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa.

Clear skies are expected for the Omaha area, with the hours between midnight and dawn being the best to spot the Orionids. There will be a waxing crescent moon on Friday evening, which will bring more illumination to the night sky. According to the website Earthsky.org, the Orionids radiate from a point near the upraised club of the constellation Orion the Hunter. The bright star near the radiant point is the reddish Betelgeuse.

Image from Theplanets.org.

The Orionids are produced from Halley’s Comet’s particles on its inbound leg. They are moving in one direction, we are moving in nearly the opposite direction, and the combined speeds produce fast-moving meteors. But we also encounter its particles from its outbound leg when it’s leaving the inner solar system. We reach that point in early May. They produce the Eta Aquariids meteor shower. So this comet generates two meteor showers.

Halley’s Comet was last here in 1986 and will return in 2061. But the Orionids never go away, they’re here every October.

(Omaha, NE – KETV) The Douglas County (Nebraska) Sheriff’s Office is finished with its investigation except for the final toxicology report for the crash that killed a 24-year-old Iowa woman in September. According to investigators, Abby Olberding, of Omaha, and formerly of Carroll, Iowa, died on Sept. 13 when a Jeep crossed the center line and hit her Impala, sending it into a ditch near 267th and West Center Road. The other driver is recovering from her injuries and is in stable condition.

According to court documents, the driver of the Jeep was not properly restrained at the time of the crash. Authorities pronounced Olberding dead at the scene and said the other driver was ejected through a glass roof, where she had a broken pelvis, among other injuries.

The Douglas County Attorney’s Office is waiting for the final toxicology report, at which time the DCSO will present its findings from the investigation. The attorney’s office will then determine whether charges will be made.