Vision Care for Kids Act of 2006 - Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to award grants to states to: (1) provide comprehensive eye examinations by a licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist for children identified by a licensed health care provider or vision screener, with priority to children under age nine; (2) provide treatment or services to correct vision problems of such children; and (3) develop and disseminate educational materials on recognizing signs of visual impairment in children.
[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6066 Introduced in House (IH)]
109th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 6066
To establish a grant program to provide vision care to children, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 13, 2006
Mr. Pascrell introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a grant program to provide vision care to children, and
for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Vision Care for Kids Act of 2006''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Good vision is essential for proper physical
development and educational progress in growing children.
(2) Many serious ocular conditions are treatable if
identified in the preschool and early school-aged years.
(3) Early detection of ocular conditions provides the best
opportunity for effective, inexpensive treatment and can have
far-reaching implications for vision.
(4) Various identification methods, whether vision
screening or comprehensive eye exams required by State laws,
will identify children needing services. A child identified
through vision screening should receive a comprehensive eye
exam followed by subsequent treatment as needed. A child
identified through a comprehensive eye exam should receive
subsequent treatment as needed. All children identified as
needing services should have access to subsequent treatment as
needed.
SEC. 3. GRANTS REGARDING VISION CARE FOR CHILDREN.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services
(referred to in this section as the ``Secretary''), acting through the
Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, may award
grants to States on the basis of an established review process for the
purpose of complementing existing State efforts for--
(1) providing comprehensive eye examinations by a licensed
optometrist or ophthalmologist for children who have been
previously identified through a vision screening or eye
examination by a licensed health care provider or vision
screener as needing such services, with priority given to
children who are under the age of 9 years;
(2) providing treatment or services, subsequent to the
examinations described in paragraph (1), necessary to correct
vision problems; and
(3) developing and disseminating, to parents, teachers, and
health care practitioners, educational materials on recognizing
signs of visual impairment in children.
(b) Criteria and Coordination.--
(1) Criteria.--The Secretary, in consultation with
appropriate professional and consumer organizations including
individuals with knowledge of age appropriate vision services,
shall develop criteria--
(A) governing the operation of the grant program
under subsection (a); and
(B) for the collection of data related to vision
assessment and the utilization of follow up services.
(2) Coordination.--The Secretary shall, as appropriate,
coordinate the program under subsection (a) with the program
under section 330 of the Public Health Service Act (relating to
health centers) (42 U.S.C. 254b), the program under title XIX
of the Social Security Act (relating to the Medicaid program)
(42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.), the program under title XXI of such
Act (relating to the State children's health insurance program)
(42 U.S.C. 1397aa et seq.), and with other Federal or State
programs that provide services to children.
(c) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under
subsection (a), a State shall submit to the Secretary an application in
such form, made in such manner, and containing such information as the
Secretary may require, including--
(1) information on existing Federal, Federal-State, or
State-funded children's vision programs;
(2) a plan for the use of grant funds, including how funds
will be used to complement existing State efforts (including
possible partnerships with non-profit entities);
(3) a plan to determine if a grant eligible child has been
identified as provided for in section 3(a); and
(4) a description of how funds will be used to provide
items or services only as a secondary payer to--
(A) any State compensation program, under an
insurance policy, or under any Federal or State health
benefits program; or
(B) by any entity that provides health services on
a prepaid basis.
(d) Evaluations.--To be eligible to receive a grant under
subsection (a), a State shall agree that, not later than 1 year after
the date on which amounts under the grant are first received by the
State, and annually thereafter while receiving amounts under the grant,
the State will submit to the Secretary an evaluation of the operations
and activities carried out under the grant, including--
(1) an assessment of the utilization of vision services and
the status of children receiving these services as a result of
the activities carried out under the grant;
(2) the collection, analysis, and reporting of children's
vision data according to guidelines prescribed by the
Secretary; and
(3) such other information as the Secretary may require.
(e) Limitations in Expenditure of Grant.--A grant may be made under
subsection (a) only if the State involved agrees that the State will
not expend more than 20 percent of the amount received under the grant
to carry out the purpose described in paragraph (3) of such subsection.
(f) Definition.--For purposes of this section, the term
``comprehensive eye examination'' includes an assessment of a patient's
history, general medical observation, external and ophthalmoscopic
examination, visual acuity, ocular alignment and motility, refraction,
and as appropriate, binocular vision or gross visual fields, performed
by an optometrist or an ophthalmologist.
(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purpose of carrying
out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as
may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2006 through 2010.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
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