Policy Corner: September 11, 2020

Senate Democrats Block the COVID-19 Relief Bill

Yesterday, the Senate failed to pass its $497 billion COVID-19 relief bill known as the “Delivering Immediate Relief to America’s Families, Schools, and Small Businesses Act.” The bill is referred to as a “skinny” version of the HEALS Act that was introduced before the August recess to provide funding related to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The Senate democrats blocked the bill due to its limited scope and paired-down funding. The bill fell short of getting the needed 60-vote majority with a vote of 52-47. The “skinny” bill focuses on COVID-19-related liability waivers and $497 billion in funding for education, the post office, and combating the COVID-19 pandemic, but is far less encompassing than the House bill, referred to as the HEROES Act, passed in May. It is unclear if the Senate will proceed with another bill.

Congress Has Yet to Pass All FY 2021 Appropriation Bills

With Sept. 30 looming as the end of the current fiscal year, it is increasingly likely that Congress will pass a short-term appropriations bill to continue federal government beginning Oct. 1. The House of Representatives has passed 11 of 12 appropriations bills, with the Senate only passing five. The House passed a minibus in July, combining six appropriations bills to fund federal government beginning Oct. 1: Defense, Commerce-Justice-Science, Energy and Water Development, Financial Services and General Government, Labor-Health and Human Services (HHS)-Education, and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development.

The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) signed an organizational support letter urging Senate appropriators to fund $5 million for the National Concussion Surveillance System, which would be administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Injury Center. Congressional Brain Injury Task Force Co-chairs Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-N.J.) and Don Bacon (R-Neb.) offered an amendment, which was adopted, to provide $1 million to establish the surveillance system. The House has recommended level funding for the CDC Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) program ($6,750,000); the Administration for Community Living (ACL) TBI grant program ($11,321,000 combined appropriation for the state and P&A grant programs), and the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) program ($111,970,000). With regard to the ACL TBI program, the House Appropriations Committee encouraged ACL to expand efforts to better understand the impact of TBI on young people.

HHS Publishes a Discharge Planning Resource to Use During COVID-19

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR)/At-Risk Individuals Program has published a resource, “Discharge Planning a Care Coordination during the COVID-19 Pandemic,” developed in partnership with colleagues from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and ACL. Targeted toward nurses, social workers, case managers, and others conducting discharge planning for adults with disabilities, it explains the Olmstead decision, lays out potential pathways for adults with disabilities diagnosed with COVID-19, and explains person-centered planning to facilitate the integration of individuals with disabilities in the most integrated setting.

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.