‘‘(2) MATTERS
TO
BE
INCLUDED.—The re-
search required under paragraph (1) shall include 
the following: 
‘‘(A) Research in supporting veterans with 
and without service-connected disabilities receiv-
ing home modification grants under section 
1717 or 2101 of this title. 
‘‘(B) Development of recommendations for 
falls prevention interventions for veterans with 
service-connected disabilities, including home 
modification interventions. 
‘‘(C) Research addressing medication man-
agement and polypharmacy as risk factors for 
falls prevention and developing recommenda-
tions for providers and electronic health records 
systems of the Department to monitor for vet-
erans at risk of falls based on use of certain 
medications. 
‘‘(D) Research on improvements for safe 
patient handling and mobility among veterans, 
particularly in facilities (both medical and non- 
medical) that are not spinal cord injury centers. 
‘‘(3) SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT PANEL.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary and the 
Director of the National Institute on Aging 
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shall establish a joint subject matter expert 
panel to develop recommendations as required 
under paragraph (2)(B). 
‘‘(B) MEMBERSHIP.—The subject matter 
expert panel required under subparagraph (A) 
shall be comprised of eight members, of 
which— 
‘‘(i) four shall be appointed by the 
Secretary; and 
‘‘(ii) four shall be appointed by the 
Director of the National Institute on 
Aging.’’. 
(2) ESTABLISHMENT OF JOINT SUBJECT MAT-
TER EXPERT PANEL.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs and the Director of the National 
Institute on Aging shall establish the joint subject 
matter 
expert 
panel 
required 
under 
section 
7310B(d)(3) of title 38, United States Code, as 
added by paragraph (1). 
(3) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec-
tions at the beginning of such chapter is amended 
by inserting after the item relating to section 7310A 
the following new item: 
‘‘7310B. Office of Falls Prevention.’’. 
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(b) EXPANSION
OF INTERAGENCY COORDINATING 
COMMITTEE ON HEALTHY AGING AND AGE-FRIENDLY 
COMMUNITIES.—Section 203(c) of the Older Americans 
Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3013(c)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs,’’ after ‘‘the Commissioner 
of Social Security,’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (7), in the matter preceding 
subparagraph (A)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘the Committee on Vet-
erans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives,’’ 
after ‘‘the Committee on Ways and Means of 
the House of Representatives,’’; and 
(B) by inserting ‘‘the Committee on Vet-
erans’ Affairs of the Senate,’’ after ‘‘the Com-
mittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pen-
sions of the Senate,’’. 
(c) SAFE HANDLING TRANSFER TECHNIQUES.—Not 
later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall issue or 
update directives of the Veterans Health Administration 
for facilities and providers relating to safe patient han-
dling and mobility policies at the national, Veterans Inte-
grated Service Network, and health-care system levels, 
which shall include the following: 
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(1) Requiring biennial training for providers, 
including that all providers be trained in safe patient 
handling and use of mobility aids and mobility tech-
niques. 
(2) Requiring that any medical facility where 
patients may need assistance with transfer or mobil-
ity have access to safe patient handling and mobility 
technology appropriate for the setting to enable safe 
transfer and mobilization for access to care and ac-
tivities of daily living for veterans who are paralyzed 
or who need assistance with mobility. 
(3) Requiring that all emergency settings have 
immediate access to safe patient handling and mobil-
ity technology to enable safe transfer, fall recovery, 
and repositioning. 
(d) PILOT PROGRAM ON FALLS PREVENTION INTER-
VENTIONS TIED TO RESIDENTIAL ADAPTATIONS AND AL-
TERATIONS.— 
(1) DETERMINATION.—The Secretary of Vet-
erans Affairs shall determine the feasibility and ad-
visability of carrying out a pilot program to provide 
home improvements and structural alterations to 
prevent falls for all veterans eligible for those serv-
ices under the laws administered by the Secretary. 
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(2) PLAN.—Not later than one year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
shall submit to Congress a report— 
(A) indicating the plans of the Secretary to 
carry out a pilot program to provide home im-
provements and structural alterations to pre-
vent falls for all veterans eligible for those serv-
ices under the laws administered by the Sec-
retary; or 
(B) specifying why the Secretary deter-
mined under paragraph (1) that it is not fea-
sible or advisable to carry out such a pilot pro-
gram. 
(3) REPORT
ON
LESSONS
LEARNED.—If the 
Secretary carries out the pilot program described in 
paragraph (1), not later than 180 days after the ter-
mination of the pilot program, the Chief Officer of 
Falls Prevention of the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs established under section 7310B(a)(3)(A) of 
title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection 
(a)(1), shall submit to Congress a report on lessons 
learned from the pilot program and any rec-
ommendations on extending or expanding the pilot 
program. 
(e) REPORT ON FALLS PREVENTION INITIATIVES.— 
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