I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3713 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to support geriatrics education 
and training to address the elder care workforce shortage, promote inter-
disciplinary team-based care, educate and engage family caregivers, and 
improve the quality of care delivered to older adults, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 8, 2017 
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY (for herself, Ms. MATSUI, and Mr. MCKINLEY) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to support geriatrics 
education and training to address the elder care work-
force shortage, promote interdisciplinary team-based 
care, educate and engage family caregivers, and improve 
the quality of care delivered to older adults, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Geriatrics Workforce 
and Caregiver Enhancement Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. EDUCATION AND TRAINING RELATING TO GERI-
ATRICS. 
Section 753 of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 294c) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 753. EDUCATION AND TRAINING RELATING TO GERI-
ATRICS. 
‘‘(a) GERIATRICS WORKFORCE ENHANCEMENT PRO-
GRAM.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award 
grants under this subsection to entities described in 
paragraph (1), (3), or (4) of section 799B, section 
801(2), or section 865(d), or other health profes-
sions schools or programs approved by the Sec-
retary, for the establishment or operation of geri-
atric workforce enhancement programs that meet 
the requirements of paragraph (2). 
‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—A geriatrics workforce 
enhancement program meets the requirements of 
this paragraph if such program supports the devel-
opment of a health care workforce that maximizes 
patient and family engagement and improves health 
outcomes for older adults by integrating geriatrics 
with primary care and other appropriate specialties. 
Special emphasis should be placed on providing the 
primary care workforce with the knowledge and 
skills to care for older adults and collaborating with 
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community partners to address gaps in health care 
for older adults through individual, system, commu-
nity, and population level changes. Areas of pro-
grammatic focus may include the following: 
‘‘(A) Transforming clinical training envi-
ronments to integrated geriatrics and primary 
care delivery systems to ensure trainees are well 
prepared to practice in and lead in such sys-
tems. 
‘‘(B) Developing providers who can assess 
and address the needs and preferences of older 
adults and their families and caregivers at the 
individual, community, and population levels. 
‘‘(C) Creating and delivering community- 
based programs that will provide older adults 
and their families and caregivers with the 
knowledge and skills to improve health out-
comes and the quality of care for such adults. 
‘‘(D) Providing Alzheimer’s disease and re-
lated dementias (ADRD) education to the fami-
lies and caregivers of older adults, direct care 
workers, health professions students, faculty, 
and providers. 
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‘‘(3) DURATION.—The Secretary shall award 
grants under paragraph (1) for a period not to ex-
ceed five years. 
‘‘(4) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a 
grant under paragraph (1), an entity described in 
such paragraph shall submit to the Secretary an ap-
plication at such time, in such manner, and con-
taining such information as the Secretary may re-
quire. 
‘‘(5) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under 
paragraph (1), the Secretary— 
‘‘(A) shall ensure an equitable geographic 
distribution of grant recipients; 
‘‘(B) shall give priority to— 
‘‘(i) programs with the goal of improv-
ing and providing comprehensive coordi-
nated care of older adults, including med-
ical, dental, and psychosocial needs; 
‘‘(ii) programs that support the train-
ing and retraining of faculty, preceptors, 
primary care providers, and providers in 
other specialties to increase their knowl-
edge of geriatrics and gerontology; 
‘‘(iii) programs that provide clinical 
experiences across care settings, including 
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ambulatory care, hospitals, post-acute care, 
nursing homes, federally qualified health 
centers, and home and community-based 
services; 
‘‘(iv) programs that emphasize edu-
cation and engagement of family caregivers 
on disease self-management, medication 
management, and stress reduction strate-
gies; 
‘‘(v) programs that provide training to 
the health care workforce on disease self- 
management, 
motivational 
interviewing, 
medication management, and stress reduc-
tion strategies; 
‘‘(vi) programs that provide training 
to the health care workforce on social de-
terminants of health in order to better ad-
dress the geriatric health care needs of di-
verse populations; and 
‘‘(vii) programs that integrate geri-
atrics competencies and interprofessional 
collaborative practice into health care edu-
cation and training curricula for residents, 
fellows, and students; and 
‘‘(C) may give priority to— 
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‘‘(i) programs that substantially ben-
efit rural or underserved populations of 
older adults; 
‘‘(ii) programs that integrate behav-
ioral health competencies into primary care 
practice, especially with respect to elder 
abuse, pain management, and advance care 
planning; or 
‘‘(iii) programs that offer short-term 
intensive courses (referred to in this clause 
as a ‘fellowship’) that focus on geriatrics, 
gerontology, chronic care management, and 
long-term care that provide supplemental 
training for faculty members in medical 
schools 
and 
other 
health 
professions 
schools or graduate programs in psy-
chology, pharmacy, nursing, social work, 
dentistry, public health, allied health, or 
other health disciplines, as approved by the 
Secretary. Such a fellowship shall be open 
to current faculty, and appropriately 
credentialed volunteer faculty and practi-
tioners, to upgrade their knowledge and 
clinical skills for the care of older adults, 
and adults with functional and cognitive 
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limitations and to enhance their inter-
disciplinary teaching skills. 
‘‘(6) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In 
addition to any other funding available to carry out 
this subsection, there is authorized to be appro-
priated $45,800,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 
through 2023 for purposes of carrying out this sub-
section. 
‘‘(b) GERIATRIC ACADEMIC CAREER AWARDS.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—The Sec-
retary shall establish a program to provide Geriatric 
Academic Career Awards to eligible entities applying 
on behalf of eligible individuals to promote the ca-
reer development of such individuals as academic 
geriatricians or other academic geriatrics health pro-
fessionals. 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBILITY.— 
‘‘(A) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—For purposes of 
this subsection, the term ‘eligible entity’ 
means— 
‘‘(i) an entity described in paragraph 
(1), (3), or (4) of section 295p or section 
296(2); or 
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‘‘(ii) an accredited health professions 
school or graduate program approved by 
the Secretary. 
‘‘(B) ELIGIBLE
INDIVIDUAL.—For pur-
poses of this subsection, the term ‘eligible indi-
vidual’ means an individual who— 
‘‘(i) is board certified or board eligible 
in internal medicine, family practice, psy-
chiatry, or licensed dentistry, or has com-
pleted any required training in a discipline 
and is employed in an accredited health 
professions school or graduate program 
that is approved by the Secretary; or 
‘‘(ii) has completed an approved fel-
lowship program in geriatrics or geron-
tology, or has completed specialty training 
in geriatrics or gerontology as required by 
the discipline and any additional geriatrics 
or gerontology training as required by the 
Secretary; and 
‘‘(iii) has a junior (non-tenured) fac-
ulty appointment at an accredited school of 
allopathic medicine, osteopathic medicine, 
nursing, social work, psychology, dentistry, 
pharmacy, or other allied health disciplines 
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teaching and developing skills in interdiscipli-
nary education in geriatrics. 
‘‘(4) REQUIREMENTS.—In awarding grants 
under this section, the Secretary— 
‘‘(A) shall give priority to eligible entities 
that apply on behalf of eligible individuals who 
are on the faculty of institutions that integrate 
geriatrics education, training, and best prac-
tices into academic program criteria; 
‘‘(B) may give priority to eligible entities 
that operate a geriatrics workforce enhance-
ment program under subsection (a); 
‘‘(C) shall ensure that grants are equitably 
distributed among rural or underserved popu-
lations of older adults across the various geo-
graphical regions of the United States; 
‘‘(D) shall pay particular attention to geri-
atrics healthcare workforce needs among under-
served populations and rural areas; and 
‘‘(E) may not require an eligible individual, 
or an eligible entity applying on behalf of an eli-
gible individual, to be a recipient of a grant or 
contract under section 753(a) or 750 of title 
VII of the Public Health Service Act. 
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‘‘(5) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.—An eligible 
entity receiving an award under paragraph (1) on 
behalf of an eligible individual shall provide assur-
ances to the Secretary that funds provided to such 
individual under this subsection will be used only to 
supplement, not to supplant, the amount of Federal, 
State, and local funds otherwise expended by such 
individual. 
‘‘(6) AMOUNT AND DURATION.— 
‘‘(A) AMOUNT.—The amount of an award 
under this subsection for eligible individuals 
who are physicians shall equal $75,000 for fis-
cal year 1998, adjusted for subsequent fiscal 
years to reflect the increase in the Consumer 
Price Index. The Secretary shall determine the 
amount of an award under this subsection for 
individuals who are not physicians. 
‘‘(B) DURATION.—The Secretary shall 
make awards under paragraph (1) for a period 
not to exceed five years. 
‘‘(C) PAYMENT
TO
INSTITUTION.—The 
Secretary shall make payments to institutions 
which include schools of medicine, osteopathic 
medicine, nursing, social work, psychology, den-
tistry, and pharmacy, or other allied health dis-
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cipline in an accredited health professions 
school or graduate program that is approved by 
the Secretary. 
‘‘(7) SERVICE REQUIREMENT.—An eligible indi-
vidual on whose behalf an application was submitted 
and approved under paragraph (3)(A) shall provide 
training in clinical geriatrics or gerontology, includ-
ing the training of interdisciplinary teams of health 
care professionals. 
‘‘(8) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There is authorized to be appropriated $5,200,000 
for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2023 for pur-
poses of carrying out this subsection.’’. 
Æ 
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