Policy Corner: January 27, 2023
Categories: Policy Corner Archives
Lawmakers Announce Bill to Expand Access to Long-term Care
This week, Senator Bob Casey, Jr. (D-Pa.), Chair of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) announced that lawmakers would be introducing legislation known as the “Better Care Better Jobs Act” to expand access to long-term care to enable older adults and people with disabilities, including brain injury, to receive quality care and remain in their communities. The legislation would enhance Medicaid funding for home and community-based services (HCBS) and strengthen the caregiving workforce. States would be eligible for a permanent 10 percentage point increase in the federal Medicaid match for delivering HCBS, as well as enhanced funding for administrative activities associated with improvement efforts. In order to receive additional funding, states must expand financial eligibility criteria for HCBS to federal limits; require coverage for personal care services; expand supports for family caregivers; and improve coordination with housing, transportation, and employment supports among other provisions.
The legislation would also permanently authorize spousal impoverishment protections against impoverishment for individuals whose spouses are receiving Medicaid HCBS. In addition, the legislation would permanently authorize Money Follows the Person (MFP) Rebalancing Demonstration program. Some states use MFP funding to assist individuals with brain injury in transitioning from nursing home care to home and community-based services. About half of the states administer Medicaid HCBS brain injury waiver programs and a few states provide HCBS for persons with brain injury under other Medicaid authorities.
In addition to Senator Casey, cosponsors include Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Kristen Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Cory Booker (D-N.J)., Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Angus King (I-Maine), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J)., Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), and Gary Peters (D-Mich.).
House and Senate Leadership Appoint Key Committee Chairs
With the election of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to the position of the Speaker of the House, the Republicans have since released the House Rules, which provides procedures and rules of operation, and have announced leadership positions with regard to key committees. Rep. Kay Granger (R-Tex.) will chair the House Appropriations Committee and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) is the Ranking Member. The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education will be chaired by Rep. Robert Brown Aderholt (R-Ala.) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) is the Ranking Member. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers is chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) is the Ranking Member. Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) is Chair of the House Education and Workforce Committee and Bobby Scott (D-Va.) is the Ranking Member. In addition to electing the Speaker of the House, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) was elected as the Minority Leader.
On the Senate side, the Democrats will continue to control the Senate with Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) as the Majority Leader and Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) as the Minority Leader. The committee leaderships have changed some however, with the retirement of long-serving senators. Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.) will chair the Senate Appropriations Committee and Susan Collins (R-Maine) is the Ranking Member. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is the chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee and the Ranking Member is Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.). Senator Bob Casey, Jr. (D-Pa.) will continue to chair the Senate Select Committee on Aging and Senator Mike Braun (R-Ind.) is the Ranking Member.
House Subcommittee on Health Announce First Committee Hearing
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) and incoming Health Subcommittee Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) announced Wednesday the first legislative hearing to be held by the Subcommittee on Health of the 118th Congress. The hearing is entitled, “Lives Worth Living: Addressing the Fentanyl Crisis, Protecting Critical Lifelines, and Combatting Discrimination Against Those with Disabilities.” It will focus on the illicit fentanyl poisoning crisis, the cybersecurity breach of suicide lifelines, and Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY) measures. The hearing will be held Wednesday, February 1, at 10:00 am (ET) in the Rayburn House Office Building. Witnesses will be announced and are by invitation only.
Senator Haasan Recognizes Bobby Silverstein’s Contributions on the Senate Floor
On Monday, Senator Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) honored the life and legacy of Robert “Bobby” Silverstein on the Senate floor for his contributions to improve the lives of people with disabilities. Senator Haasan noted that during his time working for both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, Bobby held a number of leadership roles where he helped develop legislation to improve the lives of individuals with disabilities, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Bobby, who passed away in November, worked on behalf of the Brain Injury Association of America as part of the Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville PC, a Washington, DC-based law firm that focuses on healthcare, education, rehabilitation and research.
NIDILRR Announces New TBI Model Systems Multi-Site Collaborative Research Funding Opportunity
Last week, the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) announced a new Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Systems Multi-Site Collaborative research project opportunity to leverage the capacities of the TBI Model Systems Centers Program and contribute to the advancement of evidence-based rehabilitation interventions. Applications must include a proposed research collaboration between a minimum number of three of the currently-funded NIDILRR TBI Model Systems Centers. NIDILRR plans to make one grant under this opportunity in FY 2023. The grant is for a 60-month project period. The closing date to submit applications is March 21, 2023.
Save the Date for the ACL Virtual TBI Partners Day
Mark your calendar for Administration for Community Living’s (ACL) virtual “Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Partners Day” scheduled for February 28, 2023, 12:00 – 4:00 pm (ET) in observance of March Brain Injury Awareness Month. ACL will feature sessions on aging, employment, the intersectionality of TBI and other medical and social issues, and peer support. Plans are to include state and federal representatives, as well as people living with a brain injury and family members in the sessions. Session participants will be given the opportunity to ask questions during each session. There will be no cost to register for the event. Mark your calendar and watch for further information!