Responding to Urgent Needs of Survivors of the Holocaust Act or RUSH Act - Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to include specifically within its purview older Americans who are Holocaust survivors.
Authorizes the Administrator for Community Living to designate, within the Administration for Community Living of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), a person with specialized training, background, or experience with issues of Holocaust survivors to implement services for them.
Requires a state nutrition project to: (1) ensure that project meals meet the dietary needs of program participants based on religious, cultural, or ethnic requirements; and (2) encourage individuals who distribute nutrition services to engage in conversation with homebound older individuals and to be aware of the warning signs of medical emergencies, injury, or abuse in order to reduce isolation and promote wellbeing.
Amends the Older Americans Act Amendments of 2006 to require the study of nutrition projects to analyze the abilities of service providers to obtain viable contracts for special foods necessary to meet a religious requirement, required dietary need, or ethnic consideration.
Authorizes the HHS Assistant Secretary for Aging to make grants to or contract with states, public agencies, private nonprofit agencies, institutions of higher education, and organizations, including tribal organizations, to support programs that provide transportation services and resources to older individuals with the greatest economic or social need.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 999 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 999
To amend the Older Americans Act of 1965 to provide social service
agencies with the resources to provide services to meet the urgent
needs of Holocaust survivors to age in place with dignity, comfort,
security, and quality of life.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 21, 2013
Mr. Cardin (for himself, Mr. Kirk, Ms. Mikulski, and Mr. Nelson)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Older Americans Act of 1965 to provide social service
agencies with the resources to provide services to meet the urgent
needs of Holocaust survivors to age in place with dignity, comfort,
security, and quality of life.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Responding to
Urgent needs of Survivors of the Holocaust Act'' or the ``RUSH Act''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as
follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Purposes.
Sec. 3. Findings.
TITLE I--RESPONDING TO THE NEEDS OF HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS
Subtitle A--Definition, Grants, and Other Programs
Sec. 101. Definition.
Sec. 102. Organization.
Sec. 103. Area plans.
Sec. 104. State plans.
Sec. 105. Consumer contributions.
Sec. 106. Program authorized.
Sec. 107. Prevention of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
Subtitle B--Functions Within Administration for Community Living To
Assist Holocaust Survivors
Sec. 111. Designation of individual within the administration.
Sec. 112. Annual report to congress.
TITLE II--NUTRITION SERVICES FOR ALL OLDER INDIVIDUALS
Sec. 201. Nutrition services.
TITLE III--TRANSPORTATION
Sec. 301. Transportation services and resources.
SEC. 2. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this Act are--
(1) to include ``older individuals who are Holocaust
survivors'' in the list of groups that receive preference for
services as defined in section 305(a)(2)(E) of the Older
Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3025(a)(2)(E));
(2) to designate within the Administration on Aging an
individual to have responsibility for older individuals who are
Holocaust survivors;
(3) to ensure that the providers of nutrition services
through the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3001 et
seq.) can meet the special health-related or other dietary
needs of program participants; and
(4) to help meet the urgent transportation needs of
Holocaust survivors.
SEC. 3. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) During the Holocaust, which took place between 1933 and
1945, an estimated 6,000,000 Jews, as well as millions from
other targeted groups, were murdered by the Nazis and their
collaborators.
(2) The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Encyclopedia estimates that more than 200,000 Jews found refuge
in the United States from 1933 to 1945, and estimates that
approximately 137,000 Jewish refugees had settled in the United
States from 1945 to 1952.
(3) Jewish refugees continued to immigrate to the United
States from Europe and countries of the former Soviet Union
during the subsequent decades.
(4) According to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims
Against Germany's 2011 Worldbook: A Guide to Claims Conference
Programs Worldwide, the ``Estimated Nazi Victim Population'' in
the United States is 120,935, down from an estimated 127,300 in
2010.
(5) According to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims
Against Germany's 2011 Worldbook: A Guide to Claims Conference
Programs Worldwide, ``of Nazi victims currently residing in the
United States, three in five are women,'' and ``the average age
of a Nazi victim is 80, but nearly one-quarter are age 85 or
over.''
(6) Holocaust survivors continue to live with the unique
mental and physical scars of the unconscionable trauma caused
by the Holocaust, and while institutionalized settings are
beneficial for some, certain aspects of institutionalization
may have particularly adverse effects on Holocaust survivors.
(7) For many Holocaust survivors, institutionalized
settings produce sights, sounds, smells, emotions, and routines
which can induce panic, anxiety, and re-traumatization as a
result of experiences from the Holocaust.
(8) According to Findings from the National Jewish
Population Survey 2000-01, a Jewish Federations of North
America Report produced in December 2003, Nazi ``victims are
more economically and socially vulnerable, report poorer health
and more health problems, and have somewhat greater social
service needs.'' They also report poorer health and more
disabilities that limit daily activities compared to
nonvictims.
(9) Low-income Holocaust survivors are more reliant on
social service programs than most other older Americans, and
proportionally more Holocaust survivors need services such as
personal care, home-delivered and congregate meals,
transportation, counseling, and mental health support to
promote health and quality of life.
(10) Community organizations serving Holocaust survivors
report that approximately two-thirds of Holocaust survivors
live alone, and living alone is a risk factor for
hospitalization and nursing home admission, poverty, falls,
depression, poor nutrition, social isolation and loneliness
which have been associated with poor health outcomes and an
increased risk of death.
(11) According to Findings from the National Jewish
Population Survey 2000-01, more than half of all Holocaust
survivors who immigrated to the United States from the former
Soviet Union after 1965 have annual incomes beneath the Federal
poverty threshold and constitute an extremely vulnerable at-
risk population in the United States.
(12) Community organizations serving Holocaust survivors
report that transportation is vital to help Holocaust survivors
attend medical appointments, shop and purchase necessary items,
visit family and friends, and participate in cultural,
recreational, or social events, such as congregate meals or
religious services.
(13) As the general population of older adults increases
and public or philanthropic resources remain constant,
providers serving older adults including Holocaust survivors
need additional capacity to cover the needed services.
(14) The Administration for Community Living in the
Department of Health and Human Services serves as the Federal
agency responsible for increasing access to community supports,
while focusing attention and resources on the unique needs of
older Americans and people with disabilities across the
lifespan.
(15) The mission of the Administration for Community Living
is to maximize the independence, well-being, and health of
older adults, people with disabilities, and their families and
caregivers.
(16) Many social service agencies that receive funding
under the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.)
for home-delivered or congregate meals serve diverse seniors
with specialized dietary needs based on religious, cultural, or
ethnic requirements, and the necessary special meals often cost
more than nonspecial meals.
TITLE I--RESPONDING TO THE NEEDS OF HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS
Subtitle A--Definition, Grants, and Other Programs
SEC. 101. DEFINITION.
Section 102 of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3002) is
amended--
(1) in paragraph (24)--
(A) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``and'';
(B) in subparagraph (C)(ii), by striking the period
at the end and inserting ``; and''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(D) status as a Holocaust survivor.'';
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (26) through (54) as
paragraphs (27) through (55); and
(3) by inserting after paragraph (25) the following:
``(26) The term `Holocaust survivor' means an individual
who--
``(A)(i) lived in a country between 1933 and 1945
under a Nazi regime, under Nazi occupation, or under
the control of Nazi collaborators; or
``(ii) fled from a country between 1933 and 1945
under a Nazi regime, under Nazi occupation, or under
the control of Nazi collaborators;
``(B) was persecuted between 1933 and 1945 on the
basis of race, religion, physical or mental disability,
sexual orientation, political affiliation, ethnicity,
or other basis; and
``(C) was a member of a group that was persecuted
by the Nazis.''.
SEC. 102. ORGANIZATION.
Section 305(a) of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C.
3025(a)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1)(E), by inserting ``older individuals
who are Holocaust survivors,'' after ``proficiency,'' each
place it appears; and
(2) in paragraph (2)(E), by inserting ``older individuals
who are Holocaust survivors,'' after ``proficiency,''.
SEC. 103. AREA PLANS.
Section 306 of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3026) is
amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``older
individuals who are Holocaust survivors,'' after
``proficiency,'' each place it appears;
(B) in paragraph (4)--
(i) in subparagraph (A)--
(I) in clause (i)(I)(bb), by
inserting ``older individuals who are
Holocaust survivors,'' after
``proficiency,''; and
(II) in clause (ii), by inserting
``older individuals who are Holocaust
survivors,'' after ``proficiency,''
each place it appears;
(ii) in subparagraph (B)(i)--
(I) in subclause (VI), by striking
``and'' at the end; and
(II) by inserting after subclause
(VII) the following:
``(VIII) older individuals who are
Holocaust survivors; and''; and
(iii) in subparagraph (B)(ii), by striking
``subclauses (I) through (VI)'' and inserting
``subclauses (I) through (VIII)''; and
(C) in paragraph (7)(B)(iii), by inserting ``, in
particular, older individuals who are Holocaust
survivors,'' after ``placement''; and
(2) in subsection (b)(2)(B), by inserting ``older
individuals who are Holocaust survivors,'' after ``areas,''.
SEC. 104. STATE PLANS.
Section 307(a) of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C.
3027(a)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (4), by inserting ``older individuals who
are Holocaust survivors,'' after ``proficiency,'';
(2) in paragraph (16)--
(A) in subparagraph (A)--
(i) in clause (v), by striking ``and'' at
the end; and
(ii) by adding at the end the following:
``(vii) older individuals who are Holocaust
survivors; and''; and
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``clauses (i)
through (vi)'' and inserting ``clauses (i) through
(vii)''; and
(3) in paragraph (28)(B)(ii), by inserting ``older
individuals who are Holocaust survivors,'' after ``areas,''.
SEC. 105. CONSUMER CONTRIBUTIONS.
Section 315 of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3030c-2)
is amended--
(1) in subsection (c)(2), by inserting ``older individuals
who are Holocaust survivors,'' after ``proficiency,''; and
(2) in subsection (d), by inserting ``older individuals who
are Holocaust survivors,'' after ``proficiency,''.
SEC. 106. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.
Section 373(c)(2)(A) of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C.
3030s-1(c)(2)(A)) is amended by striking ``individuals'') inserting
``individuals and older individuals who are Holocaust survivors)''.
SEC. 107. PREVENTION OF ELDER ABUSE, NEGLECT, AND EXPLOITATION.
Section 721(b)(12) of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C.
3058i(b)(12)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``or'' at the end;
(2) in subparagraph (C), by striking the period at the end
and inserting ``; or''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(D) older individuals who are Holocaust
survivors.''.
Subtitle B--Functions Within Administration for Community Living To
Assist Holocaust Survivors
SEC. 111. DESIGNATION OF INDIVIDUAL WITHIN THE ADMINISTRATION.
The Administrator for Community Living is authorized to designate
within the Administration for Community Living a person who has
specialized training, background, or experience with Holocaust survivor
issues to have responsibility for implementing services for older
individuals who are Holocaust survivors.
SEC. 112. ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS.
The Administrator for Community Living, with assistance from the
individual designated under section 111, shall prepare and submit to
Congress an annual report on the status and needs, including the
priority areas of concern, of older individuals (as defined in section
102 of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3002)) who are
Holocaust survivors.
TITLE II--NUTRITION SERVICES FOR ALL OLDER INDIVIDUALS
SEC. 201. NUTRITION SERVICES.
(a) In General.--Section 339(2) of the Older Americans Act of 1065
(42 U.S.C. 3030g-21(2)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (A), by amending clause (iii) to read
as follows:
``(iii) to the maximum extent practicable,
are adjusted and appropriately funded to meet
any special health-related or other dietary
needs of program participants, including needs
based on religious, cultural, or ethnic
requirements,'';
(2) in subparagraph (J), by striking ``, and'' and
inserting a comma;
(3) in subparagraph (K), by striking the period and
inserting ``, and''; and
(4) by adding at the end the following:
``(L) encourages and educates individuals who
distribute nutrition services under subpart 2 to engage
in conversation with homebound older individuals and to
be aware of the warning signs of medical emergencies,
injury or abuse in order to reduce isolation and
promote well-being.''.
(b) Study of Nutrition Projects.--Section 317(a)(2) of the Older
Americans Act Amendments of 2006 (Public Law 109-365) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``; and'' and
inserting a semicolon;
(2) in subparagraph (C), by striking the period at the end
and inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(D) an analysis of service providers' abilities
to obtain viable contracts for special foods necessary
to meet a religious requirement, required dietary need,
or ethnic consideration.''.
TITLE III--TRANSPORTATION
SEC. 301. TRANSPORTATION SERVICES AND RESOURCES.
Section 411(a) of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C.
3032(a)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraph (13) as paragraph (14);
(2) in paragraph (12), by striking ``; and'' and inserting
a semicolon; and
(3) by inserting after paragraph (12) the following:
``(13) supporting programs that enable the mobility and
self-sufficiency of older individuals with the greatest
economic need and older individuals with the greatest social
need by providing transportation services and resources; and''.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Llama 3.2 · runs locally in your browser
Ask anything about this bill. The AI reads the full text to answer.
Enter to send · Shift+Enter for new line