Policy Corner: March 11, 2022

Congress Sends FY 2022 Spending Bill to the President

The U.S. Senate passed an omnibus spending bill to fund the government through Sept. 30 after six months of federal government programs being funded by a series of continuing resolutions (CRs). The spending bill is now on its way to the president for his signature. The $1.5 trillion spending bill contains all 12 fiscal year 2022 spending bills; $13.6 billion in supplemental appropriations to address the crisis in Ukraine; and a number of unrelated that were added to the bill. The measure also reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). The ominous spending bill is a big win for traumatic brain injury (TBI) programs and other disability services. The bill includes funding for the:

Department of Health and Human Services

Administration for Community Living (ACL)

• $15.321 million for the ACL TBI State Grant Program, which is an increase of $4 million from FY21.
• Includes funds to increase annual grant funding to competitively funded model systems centers, and a $100,000 increase for the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems National Data and Statistical Center within the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research.
• $1 million increase for the Lifespan Respite Care Program ($8.1 million)
• $5.5 million increase for the National and Native American Family Caregiver Support Programs ($205 million)
• $5 million increase for the Community Based Child Abuse Prevention Program ($65 million)
• $399 million for Home and Community-based Supportive Services, an increase of $6 million above the FY 2021 enacted level.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• $8.75 million for Traumatic Brain Injury within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which includes $2 million set aside for concussion surveillance. This is an increase of $2 million from FY21. The National Concussion Surveillance System was authorized by the TBI Program Reauthorization Act of 2018 but had not yet been funded.

Department of Defense

• $60 million for peer-reviewed brain injury and neurological disease prevention research within the Defense Health Program.
• $170 million for peer-reviewed traumatic brain injury and psychological health research within the Defense Health Program.

Department of Veterans Affairs – Long Term Care for Veterans with Severe TBI

• The Committee continues to note the increasing prevalence of deployment-related traumatic brain injuries. This increase continues to demonstrate the longstanding need for providing adequate long-term specialty care for Veterans suffering from severe TBIs. The Committee appreciates the Veterans Affairs (VA) progress on this issue and directs VA to (1) ensure an adequate number of long-term residential care facilities tailored to care for Veterans with severe TBIs are available and (2) consider entering into agreements to provide long-term specialty care for Veterans suffering from severe TBIs where VA-provided direct care is not available.

Senators Introduce Legislation to Help People Living with Long COVID

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions (HELP) Committee, introduced the Comprehensive Access to Resources and Education (CARE) for Long COVID Act, to help people living with long-term COVID-19 symptoms. This bill would improve research on long COVID as well as provide resources for people with long COVID. Joining him as co-sponsors are Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.). Long-COVID often results in brain fogginess, fatigue, cognitive issues, difficulty concentrating, depression, muscle pain, headache, rapid heartbeat and intermittent fever. Specifically, the bill would:

• Accelerate research by centralizing data regarding long COVID patient experiences;
• Increase understanding of treatment efficacy and disparities by expanding research to provide recommendations to improve the health care system’s responses to long COVID;
• Educate long COVID patients and medical providers by working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop and provide the public with information on common symptoms, treatment, and other related illnesses;
• Facilitate interagency coordination to educate employers and schools on the impact of long COVID and employment, disability, and education rights for people with long COVID; and
• Develop partnerships between community-based organizations, social service providers, and legal assistance providers to help people with long COVID access needed services.

Register Now for the CBITF Briefing Next Week

The Congressional Brain Injury Task Force (CBITF) Brain Injury Awareness Day Briefing will be held virtually next week on the afternoon of March 16 from 2:30-4:30 p.m. ET. This year’s theme is The Importance and Value of Advocacy: Engaging with Policy Makers. CBITF co-chairs, Reps. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-N.J.) and Don Bacon (R-Neb.) will kick off the Briefing which will feature U.S. Representatives and Senators or their staff who will discuss current proposed legislation impacting brain injury and how, as advocates, we can help promote the interests of brain injury. Click here to register.

BIAA Releases Legislative Issue Briefs

The Brain Injury Association of America released updated Legislative Issue Briefs detailing the critical public policy issues of importance to people with brain injury. Advocates are encouraged to use the issue briefs when working with national, state, and local government officials to educate them on topics ranging from access to care, research, and information about the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force. Click here to view the issue briefs.

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.