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Title 8: Medicaid Page 34 Iowa Department of Health and Human Services Employees’ Manual Chapter B: Application Processing Representation Revised October 17, 2025 Responsible Person The policies and procedures for these two types of representation are discussed in this section. Responsible Person Legal reference: 42 CFR 435.907(a), 441 IAC 76.1 and 76.9(1) and (3) When an applicant or member is unable to act on their own behalf because they are a minor, incompetent, incapacitated, or deceased, another person may act responsibly for the client. The responsible person must be:  A family member, friend, or other person who has knowledge of the client’s financial affairs and circumstances, and a personal interest in the client’s welfare,  An adult in the child’s household or family, or  A legal representative, such as a conservator, guardian, executor, or someone with power of attorney. A responsible person assumes the applicant’s or member’s position and responsibilities during the application process or for ongoing eligibility. A responsible person may designate an authorized representative to represent the incompetent, incapacitated, or deceased applicant or member. (See Authorized Representative.) However, this does not relieve the responsible person from assuming the applicant’s or member’s position and responsibilities during the application process or for ongoing eligibility. Provide copies of all correspondence and documents that you would normally provide to the applicant or member to the responsible person and to the representative, if the responsible person has authorized one. When there is no person as described above to act as a responsible person, any individual or organization can act as the responsible person if the individual or organization:  Conducts a diligent search for someone who meets the criteria for a responsible person but cannot locate such a person, and  Completes form 470-3356, Inability to Find a Responsible Person.