Policy Corner: May 20, 2022
Categories: Policy Corner Archives
House Passes the TBI/PTSD First Responder Training Bill
Late Wednesday night, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2992, the “TBI and PTSD Law Enforcement Training Act,” sponsored by Congressional Brain Injury Task Force Co-Chairs Reps. Bill Pascrell, Jr. and Don Bacon (R-Neb.) and Reps. John Rutherford (R-Fla.) and Val Demings (D-Fla.) by a 400-21 vote. The bi-partisan legislation through the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance, calls for establishing crisis intervention training tools for first responders to address individuals with traumatic brain injuries (TBI), acquired brain injuries (ABI), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and measures to better train law enforcement and first responders for interactions with individuals with TBI, ABI or PTSD.
The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) joins several law enforcement organizations, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the National Association of State Head Injury Administrators (NASHIA) in support of this legislation. The bill will now be sent to the Senate.
House Passes Reauthorization of WIOA, Including Vocational Rehabilitation Programs
On May 17, the House of Representatives passed the “Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022,” H.R. 7309, which reauthorizes a number of jobs training programs, including programs offered by state vocational rehabilitation agencies that assist individuals with disabilities in obtaining employment. Title IV of WIOA amends the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and authorizes funding for independent living and vocational rehabilitation (VR) services for individuals with disabilities of which most of the authorized programs (VR) are administered by U.S. Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA). H.R. 7309 authorizes appropriations for fiscal years 2023 through 2028. The bill was introduced March 31, 2022, by Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.). The House Committee on Education and Labor advance the bill by a voice vote on April 5, 2022. The WIOA reauthorization expired in 2020.
House Committee Advances Cognitive Research Act
On Tuesday, the House Committee on Science, Space & Technology advanced H.R. 7180, the “Brycen Gray and Ben Price COVID-19 Cognitive Research Act,” sponsored by Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio), May 17. The bill authorizes the Director of the National Science Foundation to award grants to support research on the disruption of regular cognitive processes associated with COVID–19 infection. The Director would award grants to eligible entities, including through the RAPID funding mechanism, on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis to support interdisciplinary research on the disruption of regular cognitive processes associated with both short-term and long-term COVID–19 infections, including with respect to children and adolescents.
House Energy and Commerce Committee Marks Up Six Health Bills
The House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair, Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.), has reported that the Committee marked up six bipartisan health bills this week, including legislation to reauthorize and improve programs at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), address the mental health and substance use disorder crises, and establish President Biden’s ARPA-H initiative. The bipartisan Advanced Research Project Agency-Health Act, or “ARPA-H,” H.R. 5585, led by Chairwoman Anna Eschoo (D-Calif.) will create an independent agency that accelerates biomedical innovation and makes transformative breakthroughs in the most challenging diseases.
Senator Introduces Bill to Create Parity in Evaluation Process of Veterans Living with Brain Injury
In April, Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, announced that he was introducing legislation to improve the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAF) by creating fair and commonsense processes for evaluating and assessing veterans who are dependent on a caregiver, including veterans with brain injury. “Our nation’s veterans, who require a caregiver because of a mental health condition or brain injury, deserve an evaluation and assessment process equivalent to veterans that have suffered physical health conditions,” said. Sen. Moran. “Receiving input from a veteran’s previous health care providers and providing access to a thorough history of a veteran’s treatment, will help the VA more quickly provide timely resources to our caregivers on the frontline.”
The “Reinforcing Enhanced Support through Promoting Equity for Caregivers Today (RESPECT) Act” would amend the PCAFC to make certain mental health professionals and neurological specialists participate in the evaluation and assessment process for veterans. Additionally, this bill would create an assessment waiver process for caregivers of veterans with chronic or degenerative conditions. The “RESPECT Act” would also make certain caregivers have access to valuable mental health resources in the community through the federal grant-making process.