Advocacy Updates

TBI Act Reauthorization Efforts Still Underway

The House of Representatives has passed H.R. 7208, the House bill representing the Dennis John Benigno Traumatic Brain Injury Program Reauthorization Act of 2024. H.R. 7208 reauthorizes critical federal funding for TBI research and services, and renames the program’s national surveillance system and registry programs in honor of Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr., founder and co-chair of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force. The newly renamed “Bill Pascrell, Jr. National Program for Traumatic Brain Injury Surveillance and Registries” will continue to fund research, treatment initiatives, and data collection through key federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Administration for Community Living.

In addition to extending the funding, H.R. 7208 directs the Department of Health and Human Services to study designating TBI as a chronic condition. The bill passed by the House also reduces the state match requirement for TBI state grants, expanding access to federal funding for states struggling to meet financial obligations to widen the reach of essential TBI services nationwide.

As of press time, the TBI Act is with the Senate.

BIAA Holds Congressional Brain Injury Task Force Briefing

From left, Rick Willis, President and CEO of the Brain Injury Association of America; John Corrigan, PhD., National Research Director, BIAA; Page Melton Ivie, BIAA Board Chair; and David Harrington, BIAA Vice Chair, spoke during a Congressional briefing on Capitol Hill, where they educated members of Congress on the incidence of brain injury in the United States and the needs of the brain injury community.

Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., Congressional Brain Injury Champion, Dies at 87

U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-N.J.), cochair of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, passed away on August 21, 2024, at the age of 87.

“We are deeply saddened by the news that Rep. Pascrell has passed away,” said Rick Willis, President and CEO of the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA). “For decades, Rep. Pascrell has been a leader in advancing brain injury policy on Capitol Hill. He was a true ally to the brain injury community, and continuously helped our advocates push for greater access to care, expanded brain injury research and resources, and increased congressional awareness of important brain injury issues. BIAA will always be extremely grateful to Rep. Pascrell for his tireless support for the brain injury community. Our thoughts go out to his family, loved ones, and dedicated staff.”

In 2001, Rep. Pascrell co-founded the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force and had served as co-chair since its inception. The Task Force works to increase awareness of brain injury in the United States, supports research initiatives for rehabilitation and potential cures, and strives to address the effects these injuries have on all Americans. Rep. Pascrell also championed funding for programs at the Department of Defense that go towards traumatic brain injury research and treatment, such as the Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Research Program, the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, and the National Intrepid Center of Excellence. Most recently, Rep. Pascrell was the champion and House sponsor of the Dennis John Beningo Traumatic Brain Injury Program Reauthorization Act.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Recognize TBI as a Chronic Health Condition

In a victory for the brain injury community, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has recognized traumatic brain injury (TBI) as a chronic health condition.

CMS has added TBI to its list of chronic conditions for chronic special needs plans (C-SNPs) through its Medicare Advantage program effective for the January 2025 plan year. The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) will continue to fight to expand coverage for all types of brain injury with the ultimate goal of greater coverage across all forms of public and private insurance.

“We are thrilled that CMS agrees with our stance that brain injury is a chronic health condition, and has provided official recognition,” said Rick Willis, President and CEO of the Brain Injury Association of America. “This is an important first step in our fight to expand coverage for brain injury beyond acute care and helps us to make our case that brain injury should be treated by healthcare providers as a chronic condition like heart disease or diabetes.”

The addition of TBI to the list of chronic conditions was included in a rule published in the Federal Register earlier this year. Getting official recognition of TBI as a chronic condition from CMS is a significant step forward and provides validation that brain injury should be more broadly recognized as a chronic condition.

Earlier this year, BIAA published a position paper calling for CMS, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to designate brain injury as a chronic condition. Formal recognition, the paper states, has the potential to provide several advantages for people with brain injury, including the allocation of additional public health resources to focus on the lifelong effects of brain injury as well as health insurance plans, primarily Medicare and Medicaid, providing additional benefits and other supports as they do for other chronic health conditions. The greatest benefit, however, would be an increase in public awareness of the long-term effects of brain injury that affect the estimated 5 million Americans with a brain injury-related disability.

“When we talk about recognizing, treating, and covering brain injury as a chronic condition, that last piece of it is making sure there are resources there to continue providing support once a person with a brain injury leaves the acute care setting,” said Page Melton Ivie, Chair of the BIAA Board of Directors. “There is a lot of support in the hospital, but once you walk out the door, you’re on your own. We need to make sure we are continuing to support survivors and their families, because they are going to have a lot of needs that won’t be covered.”

BIAA is working to equip its affiliates and individual advocates with the tools they need to articulate how healthcare needs to change in order to reflect this recognition, including making sure that providers start treating TBI as a chronic condition.

In September, BIAA hosted a live Q&A session explaining what this designation means and outlining the next steps we can take to increase access to care. In case you missed it, scan the QR code or watch a recording on our YouTube channel: youtube.com/@bia_usa