ACCESS Act
Bill: H.R.596 | Sponsor: Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. (D-IL)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Advancing Connectivity during the Coronavirus to Ensure Support for Seniors Act or the ACCESS Act
This bill provides funding to increase access to telehealth services and virtual visits in skilled and other nursing facilities during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) emergency. The bill designates the funding as emergency spending, which is exempt from discretionary spending limits.
Specifically, the bill provides additional funding for FY2021, to remain available through FY2022, to the Telehealth Resource Center Program to address barriers to telehealth faced by skilled and other nursing facilities. The Office for the Advancement of Telehealth within the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy in the Health Resources and Services Administration manages this program.
In addition, the bill provides funding for FY2021, to remain available through one month after the emergency period ends, to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for grants to nursing facilities to support virtual visits for residents during the COVID-19 emergency. HHS must develop relevant guidance for these grants within 15 days. HHS must also coordinate with the Federal Communications Commission to ensure grantees have access to telecommunications and broadband services.

To increase the ability of nursing facilities to access telehealth 
  services and obtain technologies to allow virtual visits during the 
public health emergency relating to an outbreak of coronavirus disease 
                2019 (COVID-19), 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 ``Advancing Connectivity during the 
Coronavirus to Ensure Support for Seniors Act'' or the ``ACCESS Act''.

                  TITLE I--SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS

SEC. 101. SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS.

    The following sums are hereby appropriated, out of any money in the 
Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the fiscal year ending 
September 30, 2021, and for other purposes, namely:

                DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

              Health Resources and Services Administration

                              rural health

    For an additional amount for the Telehealth Resource Center of the 
Federal Office of Rural Health Policy of the Office for the Advancement 
of Telehealth, to provide assistance with respect to technical, legal, 
regulatory service delivery or other related barriers to the 
development of telehealth technologies for skilled nursing facilities 
(as defined in section 1819 of the Social Security Act) and nursing 
facilities (as defined in section 1919 of such Act), $50,000,000 to 
remain available through September 30, 2022.

      TITLE II--INCREASED ACCESS TO TELEHEALTH SERVICES AND OTHER 
                              TECHNOLOGIES

SEC. 201. DEFINITIONS.

    In this title:
            (1) COVID-19 public health emergency period.--The term 
        ``COVID-19 public health emergency period'' means the portion 
        of the emergency period defined in paragraph (1)(B) of section 
        1135(g) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b-5(g)) 
        beginning on or after the date of the enactment of this Act.
            (2) Nursing facility.--The term ``nursing facility'' has 
        the meaning given that term in section 1919(a) of the Social 
        Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396r(a)).
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Health and Human Services.
            (4) Skilled nursing facility.--The term ``skilled nursing 
        facility'' has the meaning given that term in section 1819(a) 
        of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395i-3(a)).
            (5) State.--The term ``State'' has the meaning given such 
        term for purposes of title XIX of the Social Security Act (42 
        U.S.C. 1396 et seq.).

SEC. 202. AUTHORITY TO AWARD GRANTS TO NURSING FACILITIES FOR 
              SUPPORTING VIRTUAL VISITS DURING THE COVID-19 PUBLIC 
              HEALTH EMERGENCY.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall award grants directly to 
skilled nursing facilities and nursing facilities in accordance with 
this section to support virtual visits by family members and other 
individuals for residents of such facilities during the COVID-19 public 
health emergency period.
    (b) Coordination.--The Secretary shall coordinate with the Federal 
Communications Commission to ensure that all facilities awarded a grant 
under this section are able to carry out the purposes described in 
subsection (d), including through the provision of telecommunications 
and broadband services necessary to support virtual visits described in 
subsection (a).
    (c) Application Requirements.--A facility seeking a grant under 
this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, 
in such form and manner, and containing such information as the 
Secretary shall require.
    (d) Use of Funds.--A facility awarded a grant under this section 
may only use the funds for expenditures attributable to obtaining and 
using--
            (1) technologies to support virtual visits described in 
        subsection (a); and
            (2) any other items or services (including staffing costs) 
        necessary to carry out such visits.
    (e) Limitations.--
            (1) Termination of authority.--The Secretary shall not 
        award any grants under this section after the end of the COVID-
        19 public health emergency period.
            (2) Supplement, not supplant.--Federal funds paid to a 
        skilled nursing facility or a nursing facility pursuant to this 
        section must be used to supplement, but not supplant, any other 
        Federal, State, or local funds available to the facility that 
        may be used for a purpose specified in subsection (d).
    (f) Guidance.--Not later than 15 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall, after consultation with 
appropriate skilled nursing facility and nursing home resident advocate 
stakeholders, issue guidance on steps facilities awarded grants under 
this section shall take to ensure residents of such facilities have 
access to virtual visitation during the COVID-19 public health 
emergency period and how such access shall be facilitated by such 
facilities. Such guidance shall include options for how such facilities 
will ensure notification of residents and resident representatives of 
such virtual visitation access and facilitation, address how adequate 
support will be provided to residents to facilitate virtual visitation, 
address how facilities will ensure or enable installation and access to 
a device purchased for the use or benefit of individual or multiple 
facility residents, and address operational issues and avoid 
unnecessary barriers to timely deployment of virtual visitation.
    (g) Report.--Not later than 30 days after the end of the COVID-19 
public health emergency period, the Secretary shall submit a report to 
Congress on the grants awarded under this section.
    (h) Appropriation.--There are appropriated to the Secretary for 
fiscal year 2021, from any funds in the Treasury not otherwise 
appropriated, such sums as are necessary to carry out this section, to 
remain available through the last day of the month following the month 
in which the COVID-19 public health emergency period ends.

                        TITLE III--MISCELLANEOUS

SEC. 301. EMERGENCY DESIGNATION.

    (a) In General.--The amounts provided by this Act are designated as 
an emergency requirement pursuant to section 4(g) of the Statutory Pay-
As-You-Go Act of 2010 (2 U.S.C. 933(g)).
    (b) Designation in Senate.--In the Senate, this Act is designated 
as an emergency requirement pursuant to section 4112(a) of H. Con. Res. 
71 (115th Congress), the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal 
year 2018.
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