Policy Corner: February 12, 2021

CBITF Schedules Virtual Awareness Day Briefing

The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) is pleased to announce that the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, chaired by Reps. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-N.J.) and Don Bacon (R-Neb.), has scheduled a virtual Brain Injury Awareness Day briefing March 3 from 2-4 p.m. (ET). The event, “The Impact of COVID-19 on Persons with Brain Injury,” will be moderated by BIAA National Medical Director Brent Masel, M.D. Click here to register.

House Committees Move Forward on COVID-19 Relief Package

Now that the House of Representatives and the Senate have passed budget reconciliation instructions, 12 House committees are making their recommendations to advance the fiscal year (FY) 2021 budget reconciliation package to enact President Biden’s American Rescue Plan. The House Committee on Energy and Commerce, chaired by Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.), marked up its recommendations Thursday with regard to vaccine distribution, national testing efforts, and health services in underserved communities. The Committee also recommended an increase in the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) – the federal match – to support Medicaid Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS).

House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-Va.) announced that the committee has advanced its portion of the reconciliation bill addressing funding relief for students, schools, institutions, and child care. The committee recommends nearly $130 billion to help schools take the steps recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to ensure students and educators can return to the classroom safely. The bill further provides $39 billion for child care providers through the Child Care and Development Block Grant Program. Child care providers receiving funds must provide financial relief for families, to the extent possible, and prioritize such relief for families struggling to cover tuition. The proposal extends food assistance through the Pandemic-EBT program and boosts the value of WIC benefits for vulnerable mothers and children. The bill also includes increased funding for programs that prevent and respond to child abuse and neglect, hundreds of millions of dollars to support survivors of domestic violence or sexual assault, and more than $4 billion to help families cover the costs of home heating and cooling.

Advocates Urge the Administration to Consider Persons with Disabilities as Priority for COVID-19 Vaccine

The Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), of which the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) is a member, sent a letter to President Biden’s COVID-19 Advisory Board calling for individuals with disabilities to be treated equitably in the response to the virus. Many individuals with disabilities have underlying health conditions that make them more vulnerable to the disease, and CCD is calling for that to be taken into account when the initial doses of COVID-19 vaccine are allocated. In addition, the group warned against rationing care or putting individuals with disabilities at a disadvantage when it comes to receiving COVID-19 treatment.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) announced in late November 2020 that residents of “long-term care facilities” were included in phase 1a of allocation in their framework, alongside health care workers. The definition of long-term care facilities is very broad and includes individuals who are, for whatever reason, unable to live independently. However, the real decision makers are the states, and ACIP’s recommendations provide a guide to governors as they decide how to allocate vaccines.

Lawmakers Introduce Separate Bills on Emergency Funding for HCBS

Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) has introduced H.R. 525 to provide an emergency increase in federal funding for state Medicaid Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS), similar to what is contained in the COVID-19 relief package. Sen. Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-Pa.) has introduced a companion bill, S.151, to provide for an emergency increase in Federal funding to State Medicaid programs for expenditures on home- and community-based services. The text for both bills is unavailable at this time.

Legislators Call for Dependents to be Eligible for Economic Impact Payments

Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) are urging Congressional leaders to include all dependents in economic payment proposals, which would make nearly 15 million dependents eligible to receive economic impact payments and help families weather the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. They are calling on the leaders to expand the definition of dependents to include children younger than 19, college students below the age of 24, adults with disabilities, and qualified relatives. They are proposing to introduce legislation referred to as the All Dependents Count Act.

Lawmakers Introduce Bills Relating to Funding Education and Supports for Children with Disabilities

Rep. Susie Lee (D-Nev.) has introduced H.R. 764 to require full funding of Part A of Title I of the Elementary Education Act of 1965 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Title I provides federal aid to schools to ensure a high-quality education for every child, including schools with high numbers or high percentages of children from low-income families.

Sen. Christopher Murphy (D-Conn.) has introduced the Supporting Children with Disabilities During COVID-19 Act, S. 240. The purpose is to appropriate emergency funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), early childhood education programs, and the Assistive Technology Act of 1998.

Scott Introduces Bill to Reauthorize CAPTA

Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-Va.) has introduced the Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, H.R. 485, to reauthorize the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA). The legislation authorizes funding for state’s child protective services. Under this program, states perform a range of prevention activities, including addressing the needs of infants born with prenatal drug exposure, referring children not at risk of imminent harm to community services, implementing criminal record checks for prospective foster and adoptive parents and other adults in their homes, training child protective services workers, protecting the legal rights of families and alleged perpetrators, and supporting citizen review panels. CAPTA requires states to convene multidisciplinary teams to review the circumstances of child fatalities in the state and make recommendations.

BIAA gratefully acknowledges the Centre for Neuro Skills and Avanir Pharmaceuticals for their support for legislative action. Click here to read past issues of Policy Corner.