II 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3465 

To amend the Older Americans Act of 1965 to define care coordination, 

include care coordination as a fully restorative service, and detail the 

care coordination functions of the Assistant Secretary, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

AUGUST 1, 2012 

Mr. KERRY 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 define care 

coordination, include care coordination as a fully restorative service, and detail the care coordination functions 

of the Assistant Secretary, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Care Coordination for 

5 Older Americans Act of 2012’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. DECLARATION OF OBJECTIVES. 

2 Section 101(4) of the Older Americans Act of 1965 

3 (42 U.S.C. 3001(4)) is amended by inserting ‘‘care coordi4 nation and’’ after ‘‘including’’. 

5 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

6 Section 102 of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 

7 U.S.C. 3002) is amended by adding at the end the fol8 lowing: 

9 ‘‘(55)(A) The term ‘care coordination’ means a 

10 person- and family-centered, assessment-based, and 

11 interdisciplinary approach to meet the needs and 

12 preferences of an older individual and a family care13 giver while enhancing the capabilities of the older in14 dividual (including the ability to self-direct services). 

15 ‘‘(B) The term ‘care coordination’ means co16 ordination that— 

17 ‘‘(i) integrates health care, long-term serv18 ices and supports, and social support services in 

19 a high-quality and cost-effective manner in 

20 which an individual’s needs, preferences, and 

21 capabilities are assessed, along with the needs 

22 and preferences of a family caregiver; 

23 ‘‘(ii) includes, as a core element, the active 

24 involvement of the older individual, the family, 

25 or a representative appointed by the older indi26 vidual or legally acting on the individual’s beVerDate Mar 15 2010 21:47 Aug 08, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3465.IS S3465

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1 half, community-based service professionals, 

2 and health care professionals providing care to 

3 the older individual, in the design and imple4 mentation of an individualized, individual-cen5 tered service and support plan, through which 

6 the services and supports will be provided in a 

7 manner free from conflicts of interest; 

8 ‘‘(iii) integrates services and interventions 

9 that are implemented, monitored, and evaluated 

10 for effectiveness using an evidence-based proc11 ess, which typically involves a designated lead 

12 care coordinator and involves feedback from the 

13 older individual; 

14 ‘‘(iv) includes activities that aim simulta15 neously at meeting individual and family needs 

16 and preferences, building on individual capabili17 ties, and improving outcomes and systems of 

18 care; 

19 ‘‘(v) includes provision of some or all of 

20 the services and activities described in clauses 

21 (i) through (iv) by trained professionals em22 ployed by or under a contract with— 

23 ‘‘(I) area agencies on aging; 

24 ‘‘(II) Aging and Disability Resource 

25 Centers; or 


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1 ‘‘(III) other service providers, includ2 ing in-home service providers; and 

3 ‘‘(vi) is not furnished to directly diagnose, 

4 treat, or cure a medical disease or condition.’’. 

5 SEC. 4. FUNCTIONS OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 

6 Section 202(a) of the Older Americans Act of 1965 

7 (42 U.S.C. 3012(a)) is amended— 

8 (1) in paragraph (27), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

9 end; 

10 (2) in paragraph (28), by striking the period 

11 and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

12 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(29)(A) encourage, provide technical assist14 ance to and share best practices with, States, area 

15 agencies on aging, Aging and Disability Resource 

16 Centers, and service providers to carry out outreach 

17 and coordinate activities with health care entities in 

18 order to assure better care coordination for individ19 uals with multiple chronic illnesses; and 

20 ‘‘(B) coordinate activities with other Federal 

21 agencies that are working to improve care coordina22 tion and developing new models and best practices.’’. 

23 SEC. 5. ORGANIZATION. 

24 Section 305(a) of the Older Americans Act of 1965 

25 (42 U.S.C. 3025(g)) is amended— 


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1 (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

2 end; 

3 (2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period and 

4 inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

5 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(4) the State agency shall promote the devel7 opment and implementation of a State system to ad8 dress the care coordination needs of older individuals 

9 with multiple chronic illnesses, and shall work with 

10 acute care providers, area agencies on aging, service 

11 providers, and Federal agencies to ensure that the 

12 system uses best practices and is evaluated on its 

13 provision of care coordination.’’. 

14 SEC. 6. AREA PLANS. 

15 Section 306(a) of the Older Americans Act of 1965 

16 (42 U.S.C. 3026(a)) is amended— 

17 (1) in paragraph (4)(B)(i)(VII) by inserting 

18 ‘‘with multiple chronic illnesses or’’ after ‘‘older indi19 viduals’’; 

20 (2) in paragraph (6)(D), by inserting ‘‘(includ21 ing acute care providers)’’ after ‘‘service providers’’; 

22 (3) in paragraph (16), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

23 end; 

24 (4) in paragraph (17) by striking the period 

25 and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 


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1 (5) by adding at the end the following: 

2 ‘‘(18) provide assurances that the area agency 

3 on aging will— 

4 ‘‘(A) identify existing (as of the date of 

5 submission of the plan) care coordination pro6 grams and systems; 

7 ‘‘(B) identify unmet community need for 

8 care coordination; 

9 ‘‘(C) facilitate the development and imple10 mentation of an area-wide system to address 

11 the care coordination needs of older individuals 

12 with multiple chronic illnesses; and 

13 ‘‘(D) work with acute care providers, serv14 ice providers, and Federal and State agencies to 

15 ensure that the system uses best practices in its 

16 provision of care coordination.’’. 

17 SEC. 7. STATE PLANS. 

18 Section 307(a) of the Older Americans Act of 1965 

19 (42 U.S.C. 3027(a)) is amended— 

20 (1) in paragraph (2)(A), by inserting ‘‘care co21 ordination,’’ after ‘‘information and assistance,’’; 

22 (2) in paragraph (17), by striking ‘‘and develop 

23 collaborative programs, where appropriate,’’ and in24 serting ‘‘, ensure care coordination, and (where ap25 propriate) develop collaborative programs,’’; 


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1 (3) in paragraph (18), in the matter preceding 

2 subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘and ensure care co3 ordination that integrates long-term care services 

4 and other care services,’’ before ‘‘for older’’; 

5 (4) in paragraph (23), by striking ‘‘with other 

6 State services’’ and inserting ‘‘with other Federal 

7 and State health care programs and services’’; and 

8 (5) by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(31) The plan shall provide assurances that 

10 the area agencies on aging in the State will facilitate 

11 the area-wide development and implementation of an 

12 area-wide system to address the care coordination 

13 needs of older individuals with multiple chronic ill14 nesses, and work with acute care providers, service 

15 providers, and other Federal and State agencies to 

16 ensure that the system uses best practices and is 

17 evaluated on its provision of care coordination.’’. 

Æ 


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