I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 6072 

To establish a program to assist States in establishing or enhancing 

community integration network infrastructure for health and social services. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 23, 2021 

Mr. KILDEE (for himself, Mrs. WALORSKI, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, and Mr. 

HUDSON) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on 

Agriculture, Financial Services, Transportation and Infrastructure, and 

Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 

Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 

the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To establish a program to assist States in establishing or 

enhancing community integration network infrastructure 

for health and social services. 

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 ‘‘Leveraging Integrated 

5 Networks in Communities To Address Social Needs Act 

6 of 2021’’ or the ‘‘LINC To Address Social Needs Act of 

7 2021’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PROGRAM TO SUPPORT ESTABLISHMENT OR EN2 HANCEMENT OF STATE COMMUNITY INTE3 GRATION NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE. 

4 (a) GRANT PROGRAM.—The Secretary shall award 

5 grants on a competitive basis to States to support such 

6 States, through public-private partnerships, to establish 

7 new or enhance existing community integration network 

8 infrastructure through authorized activities under sub9 section (b). 

10 (b) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—A State, acting 

11 through the public-private partnership entered into under 

12 subsection (d)(1), shall use a grant under this section to 

13 carry out activities and services to establish new or en14 hance existing community integration network infrastruc15 ture, on a statewide basis through direct network oper16 ations or collaborations among multiple associated enti17 ties, which may include such entities that operate region18 ally. Such activities and services shall include— 

19 (1) establishing a new or enhancing an existing 

20 interoperable technology network that— 

21 (A) enables the coordination of public and 

22 private providers and payors of services for in23 dividuals in the State, including services such 

24 as— 

25 (i) nutritional assistance; 

26 (ii) housing; 


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1 (iii) health care, including telehealth 

2 services (including through audio-only serv3 ices), preventive health intervention, chron4 ic disease management, and behavioral 

5 health care; 

6 (iv) transportation; 

7 (v) job training; 

8 (vi) child development or care; 

9 (vii) caregiving and respite care; 

10 (viii) disability assistance; 

11 (ix) independent living services or 

12 independent living core services; 

13 (x) care coordination; 

14 (xi) domestic violence screening; and 

15 (xii) other services, as determined by 

16 the State; 

17 (B) prioritizes— 

18 (i) partnerships for the use of tech19 nology that align with the guidelines estab20 lished under subsection (c)(3); and 

21 (ii) connectivity with appropriate ex22 isting technology networks developed by 

23 public or private organizations in the State 

24 that comply with, as applicable, standards 

25 adopted by the Secretary under section 


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1 3004 of the Public Health Service Act (42 

2 U.S.C. 300jj–14), for the purposes de3 scribed in subparagraph (A), and 

4 (C) ensures that— 

5 (i) reasonable measures are taken to 

6 promote connectivity and interoperable ex7 change among associated entities; 

8 (ii) appropriate privacy and security 

9 protections are in place, in accordance with 

10 applicable Federal and State privacy laws; 

11 and 

12 (iii) appropriate accessibility measures 

13 are in place, in accordance with applicable 

14 Federal and State law, including the 

15 Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 

16 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.) and section 508 

17 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 

18 U.S.C. 794(d)); 

19 (2) connecting associated entities for purposes 

20 of communication, service coordination and con21 sumer assistance, referral and capacity management, 

22 outcome tracking, interoperability, eligibility deter23 mination, and related services; 

24 (3) providing technical assistance and sup25 porting associated entities in connecting and particiVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:27 Dec 07, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6072.IH H6072

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1 pating in the community integration network infra2 structure; 

3 (4) planning for and implementing actions de4 signed to create sustainable funding models to sup5 port long-term access to community integration net6 work infrastructure; 

7 (5) designing and implementing a financial 

8 structure to make the community integration net9 work infrastructure financially self-sustaining not 

10 later than 4 years after receiving funds under this 

11 section; and 

12 (6) evaluating the use of any funds provided 

13 under this section. 

14 (c) AWARD OF GRANTS.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—A grant under this Act shall 

16 be awarded under such terms and conditions as the 

17 Secretary shall prescribe, including the guidelines es18 tablished under paragraph (3) and, as determined 

19 feasible and appropriate by the Secretary, that the 

20 State shall utilize, where available, health informa21 tion technology systems and products that meet 

22 standards and implementation specifications adopted 

23 under section 3004 of the Public Health Service Act 

24 (42 U.S.C. 300jj–14). 


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1 (2) MINIMIZING ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN.— 

2 The Secretary shall seek to minimize the administra3 tive burden of such terms and conditions and ensure 

4 programmatic flexibility for unique State needs. 

5 (3) GUIDELINES.—The Secretary shall— 

6 (A) consult relevant stakeholders, including 

7 community-based organizations, regarding basic 

8 functionalities, technical capacities, and data 

9 standards needed for interoperable community 

10 integration network infrastructure and the dis11 tinct governance and management 

12 functionalities of the associated social care de13 livery system; and 

14 (B) based on such consultations, establish 

15 guidelines for awarding grants under this sec16 tion, including application requirements. 

17 (d) APPLICATION.—A State desiring a grant under 

18 this section shall— 

19 (1) enter into a public-private partnership with 

20 one or more— 

21 (A) private, nonprofit, or philanthropic or22 ganizations, including such organizations in 

23 rural areas, centers for independent living, area 

24 agencies on aging, and Aging and Disability 

25 Resource Centers; or 


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1 (B) Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, or 

2 urban Indian organizations within the State; 

3 and 

4 (2) submit to the Secretary an application at 

5 such time, in such manner, and containing or ac6 companied by such information as the Secretary may 

7 require, including— 

8 (A) a description of the agency or depart9 ment in the State government that will coordi10 nate with and oversee the partnership estab11 lished under paragraph (1); 

12 (B) a plan for the establishment or en13 hancement of a community integration network 

14 infrastructure including— 

15 (i) the proposed transparent and com16 petitive process for selecting any new oper17 ational components of the community inte18 gration network infrastructure; 

19 (ii) the planned governance structure 

20 (in accordance with subsection (f)) within 

21 the community integration network infra22 structure; 

23 (iii) proposed associated entities and 

24 services to be included in the community 

25 integration network infrastructure; 


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1 (iv) accessing and electronically link2 ing, as feasible, relevant data to create 

3 community integration network infrastruc4 ture, including a description of intended 

5 sources of data; and 

6 (v) the use of standards and imple7 mentation specifications developed by na8 tional standards organizations, as feasible, 

9 and coordination with such organizations 

10 overall; 

11 (C) assurances that the funds awarded 

12 under this section will be used solely to carry 

13 out authorized activities as described in sub14 section (b) and other related activities; 

15 (D) potential options, including public-pri16 vate partnerships in addition to the partnership 

17 described in paragraph (1), for making the 

18 community integration network infrastructure 

19 financially self-sustaining not later than 4 years 

20 after receiving funds under this section; and 

21 (E) a description of the objectives and out22 come goals of developing the community inte23 gration network infrastructure, including— 

24 (i) one or more health outcomes; 


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1 (ii) one or more other important social 

2 outcomes; 

3 (iii) improved access to health care or 

4 social services; and 

5 (iv) how progress toward the outcomes 

6 described in clauses (i), (ii), and (iii) will 

7 be measured through internal performance 

8 metrics. 

9 (e) SEPARATE TRIBAL INFRASTRUCTURE.—Nothing 

10 in this section shall preclude Indian Tribes, Tribal organi11 zations, or urban Indian organizations from establishing 

12 a community integration network infrastructure that is 

13 separate from any other public-private partnership receiv14 ing funding under this section, provided that such infra15 structure is interoperable with the community integration 

16 network infrastructure of each applicable State that re17 ceives a grant under subsection (a). 

18 (f) PLANNED GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE OF COMMU19 NITY INTEGRATION NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE.—Com20 munity integration network infrastructure established or 

21 enhanced using a grant under subsection (a) shall have 

22 a planned governance structure that is based on a shared 

23 governance model providing collaborative representation 

24 for different types of associated entities, including associ25 ated entities that provide social services. 


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1 (g) EVALUATION.—The Secretary may conduct an 

2 evaluation of grants awarded under this section, including 

3 regarding activities and services to establish new or en4 hance existing community integration network infrastruc5 ture and the operations of such community integration 

6 network infrastructure. 

7 (h) FEDERAL MATCHES.—Grant funds made avail8 able to States under subsection (a) shall be deemed a non9 Federal source for purposes of any requirement for match10 ing Federal funds with non-Federal funds, including the 

11 requirement applicable to State expenditures on tech12 nology that are reimbursable under section 1903(a) of the 

13 Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396b(a)). 

14 (i) ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS.—No State re15 ceiving a grant under this section shall be required to in16 corporate electronic health records into the State’s com17 munity integration network infrastructure supported by 

18 such grant. 

19 (j) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.— 

21 (A) TOTAL AMOUNT.—To carry out this 

22 section (other than subsection (g)), there is au23 thorized to be appropriated $150,000,000 for 

24 the period of fiscal years 2022 to 2026. 


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1 (B) ADMINISTRATION.—Of the amounts 

2 appropriated pursuant to subparagraph (A), up 

3 to $10,000,000 may be used for administrative 

4 expenses. 

5 (2) EVALUATION.—There is authorized to be 

6 appropriated such sums as may be necessary to 

7 carry out subsection (g) for fiscal year 2022. 

8 (3) DURATION OF AVAILABILITY.—Amounts ap9 propriated under this subsection shall remain avail10 able until the date that is 5 years after the date of 

11 enactment of this Act. 

12 (k) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

13 (1) AGING AND DISABILITY RESOURCE CEN14 TER.—The term ‘‘Aging and Disability Resource 

15 Center’’ has the meaning given such term in section 

16 102 of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 

17 3002). 

18 (2) AREA AGENCY ON AGING.—The term ‘‘area 

19 agency on aging’’ has the meaning given such term 

20 in section 102 of the Older Americans Act of 1965 

21 (42 U.S.C. 3002). 

22 (3) ASSOCIATED ENTITIES.—The term ‘‘associ23 ated entities’’ means any— 

24 (A) community-based organization that 

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1 cepts referrals from, or provides referrals to, 

2 health care organizations, or that provides serv3 ices such as— 

4 (i) nutritional assistance; 

5 (ii) housing; 

6 (iii) health care, including telehealth 

7 services (including through audio-only serv8 ices), preventive health intervention, chron9 ic disease management, and behavioral 

10 health care; 

11 (iv) transportation; 

12 (v) job training; 

13 (vi) child development or care; 

14 (vii) caregiving and respite care; 

15 (viii) disability assistance; 

16 (ix) independent living services or 

17 independent living core services; 

18 (x) care coordination; and 

19 (xi) domestic violence screening; 

20 (B) public, or nonprofit or for-profit, pri21 vate health care provider organization; 

22 (C) public or private funded payor of 

23 health care services, including home- or commu24 nity-based services; 


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1 (D) State, local, territorial, or Tribal 

2 health and social services agency; 

3 (E) State public housing authority or 

4 housing finance agency; 

5 (F) public health information exchange or 

6 public health information network, as defined 

7 by the Secretary; or 

8 (G) other similar entity, as designated by 

9 the State. 

10 (4) CENTER FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING.—The 

11 term ‘‘center for independent living’’ has the mean12 ing given to such term in section 702 of the Reha13 bilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 796a). 

14 (5) COMMUNITY INTEGRATION NETWORK IN15 FRASTRUCTURE.—The term ‘‘community integration 

16 network infrastructure’’ means infrastructure, exist17 ing on statewide basis with direct network oper18 ations or through collaborations among multiple as19 sociated entities, used to enable the coordination, 

20 alignment, and connection, of associated entities in 

21 a State, including such entities that operate region22 ally, for purposes of communication, service coordi23 nation, interoperable information exchange across 

24 health care and community-based organizations, and 


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1 referral management of services, with respect to 

2 services such as— 

3 (A) nutritional assistance; 

4 (B) housing; 

5 (C) health care, including telehealth serv6 ices (including through audio-only services), 

7 preventive health intervention, chronic disease 

8 management, and behavioral health care; 

9 (D) transportation; 

10 (E) job training; 

11 (F) child development or care; 

12 (G) caregiving and respite care; 

13 (H) disability assistance; 

14 (I) independent living services or inde15 pendent living core services; 

16 (J) care coordination; and 

17 (K) other similar services, as designated by 

18 the State. 

19 (6) INDIAN TRIBE AND TRIBAL ORGANIZA20 TION.—The terms ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ and ‘‘Tribal orga21 nization’’ have the meanings given to the terms ‘In22 dian tribe’ and ‘tribal organization’ in section 4 of 

23 the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assist24 ance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 


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1 (7) INDEPENDENT LIVING SERVICES; INDE2 PENDENT LIVING CORE SERVICES.—The terms 

3 ‘‘independent living services’’ and ‘‘independent liv4 ing core services’’ have the meanings given to such 

5 terms in section 7 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 

6 (29 U.S.C. 705). 

7 (8) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ refers 

8 to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 

9 (9) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means a State, 

10 territory, or the District of Columbia. 

11 (10) URBAN INDIAN ORGANIZATION.—The term 

12 ‘‘urban Indian organization’’ has the meaning given 

13 to the term in section 4 of the Indian Health Care 

14 Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1603). 

15 SEC. 3. EVALUATION, REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS. 

16 (a) EVALUATION.—The Comptroller General of the 

17 United States shall conduct an evaluation that— 

18 (1) measures the overall impact of the commu19 nity integration network infrastructure established 

20 or enhanced using funds received under section 2, 

21 with respect to— 

22 (A) changes in individual and population 

23 health outcomes; 

24 (B) changes in access to health care or so25 cial services; 


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1 (C) the degree of data sharing using the 

2 community integration network infrastructure 

3 established or enhanced using funds received 

4 under section 2; 

5 (D) the effectiveness of service coordina6 tion; 

7 (E) the cost-effectiveness of the provision 

8 of services; 

9 (F) any results or anticipated results on 

10 overall health and social services spending; 

11 (G) patient and consumer satisfaction with 

12 service coordination process and services re13 ceived; 

14 (H) the degree of sustainability of the 

15 community integration network infrastructure; 

16 and 

17 (I) any other relevant factors; and 

18 (2) describes how the funds received under sec19 tion 2 were used. 

20 (b) REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS.—Not later 

21 than 5 years after the date the first grant under this Act 

22 is awarded, the Comptroller General of the United States 

23 shall— 

24 (1)(A) submit a report on the evaluation con25 ducted under subsection (a) to Congress; and 


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1 (B) make such report publicly available; and 

2 (2) based on the evaluation conducted under 

3 subsection (a), make recommendations to States and 

4 Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, or urban Indian 

5 organizations, on how to improve and sustain com6 munity integration network infrastructure estab7 lished or enhanced using funds received under sec8 tion 2. 

Æ 


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