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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6388 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6388
To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through
the Administration for Community Living, to carry out a grant program
for States to provide telephone reassurance services to certain older
adults and to other adults with disabilities, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 13, 2023
Mr. Molinaro (for himself, Mrs. Dingell, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Davis of
North Carolina, and Ms. Lee of Nevada) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through
the Administration for Community Living, to carry out a grant program
for States to provide telephone reassurance services to certain older
adults and to other adults with disabilities, 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 ``Friendly Calls for Our Seniors Act
of 2023''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) According to the National Academies of Sciences,
Engineering, and Medicine report, Social Isolation and
Loneliness in Older Adults, more than one-third of adults aged
45 and older feel lonely, and nearly one-fourth of adults aged
65 and older, are considered to be socially isolated.
(2) According to a recent report released by Dr. Vivek
Murthy, the Surgeon General of the United States, ``lacking
social connection can increase the risk of premature death as
much as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day''.
(3) According to a 2017 study conducted by AARP, a lack of
social contact among older adults is associated with an
estimated $6,700,000,000 in additional Federal spending
annually.
(4) Seniors and individuals with disabilities in rural
communities face additional challenges, including inadequate
access to health care, a lack of community events or activities
for the aged, limited transportation and shopping options, and
higher rates of poverty.
SEC. 3. TELEPHONE ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment of Program.--
(1) Establishement of program.--The Secretary of Health and
Human Services (in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary''),
acting through and with funds available to the Administration
for Community Living, shall establish and carry out a program
to make grants to States to provide telephone reassurance
services to older adults, and to other adults with
disabilities, who are at risk of social isolation or
loneliness, and do not have supportive assistance.
(2) Reservation of funds.--
(A) Amount allowed.--Not more than 1 percent of the
amount appropriated to carry out this Act in any fiscal
year may be reserved by the Secretary to carry out this
Act.
(B) First use of funds reserved.--Funds reserved
under subparagraph (A) shall first be used to conduct
comprehensive, high-quality evaluations of the programs
carried out with grants made under this Act.
(b) Applications for Grant.--To be eligible to receive a grant
under subsection (a), a State shall submit to the Secretary an
application in such form, and containing such information and
assurances, as the Secretary may require, including--
(1) assurances that such State will--
(A) provide telephone reassurance services to
adults described in such subsection who live in rural
or medically underserved communities,
(B) at the option of such State, use such grant for
data analysis, targeted consumer outreach, improvements
to data or technology infrastructure, and impact
evaluations, and
(C) submit to the Secretary an annual report that
excludes personally identifiable information and that
identifies--
(i) how such grant was expended to assist
such adults and evaluates the overall impact of
such funds, and
(ii) how such State will work with public
and private partners to identify and recruit
participants for the telephone reassurance
program, including local referral partners and
services, for further assistance needed for
eligible individuals during phone calls, and
(2) a report detailing the information described in
paragraph (1), with a particular emphasis on how such State
will conduct appropriate follow-up or voluntary referrals
(excluding personally identifiable information) to assurance
calls for such circumstances deemed necessary by the Secretary.
(c) Voluntary Referral Services.--Voluntary referral services
pursuant to grants awarded under this section may include services
provided by the local area agency of aging, nutrition home nutrition
services under the Older Americans Act of 1965, mental health care
resources, and other relevant services for such individuals. Except for
situations in which an individual shows signs of imminent risk of
suicide and or requires immediate medical attention, all such referrals
shall be made on a voluntary compliance basis.
(d) Evaluation.--The Secretary may reserve not more than 1 percent
of each grant awarded under this section for the purpose of conducting
a comprehensive, high-quality evaluation of the services provided
pursuant to grants awarded under this section, including methods or
technology used to make such calls and input data.
(e) Use of Funds.--The grant notice shall clarify that funds may be
used for data analysis, dissemination materials to increase awareness
of such services, improvements to data or technology infrastructure,
and impact evaluations.
(f) Report.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall submit to the
appropriate committees of the Congress an annual report that
summarizes the information, received under subsection (b) from
participating States and includes--
(A) how many adults were served, how often calls
were placed and answered, how many voluntary referrals
made or connected to other services as needed, and a
qualitative review on the substance of such calls and
overall satisfaction from such adults, and
(B) such additional relevant information the
Secretary deems appropriate.
(2) Exception for personally identifiable information.--The
report under paragraph (1) shall not include any personally
identifiable information.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of this Act--
(1) the term ``adult'' means an individual more that 18
years of age,
(2) the term ``disability'' has the meaning given it in
section 3 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42
U.S.C. 12102),
(3) the term ``older adult'' means an individual 60 years
of age or older, and
(4) the term ``telephone reassurance services'' means
regular and weekly telephone calls placed by volunteers, or
employed staff, to older adults, and adults with disabilities,
who are at risk of social isolation or loneliness, and do not
have supportive assistance.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for each of the
fiscal years 2025, 2026, and 2027.
SEC. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE.
This Act shall take effect October 1, 2024.
<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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