Title: Lifespan Respite Care Reauthorization Act of 2017
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Lifespan Respite Care Reauthorization Act of 2017
This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to extend lifespan respite care programs (services for family caregivers of children and adults with special needs) through FY2022.
Each state agency awarded a grant or cooperative agreement for lifespan respite care must collect, maintain, and report to the Department of Health and Human Services data and records to enable monitoring and evaluation of the lifespan programs and activities.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2535 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2535

To amend title XXIX of the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the 
      program under such title relating to lifespan respite care.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 18, 2017

  Mr. Langevin (for himself and Mr. Harper) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title XXIX of the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the 
      program under such title relating to lifespan respite care.

    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 ``Lifespan Respite Care 
Reauthorization Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) There are an estimated 43,000,000 family caregivers 
        nationwide that provide care for loved ones with chronic, 
        disabling health conditions across the lifespan.
            (2) The economic value of uncompensated family caregiving 
        to the United States economy was estimated at $470,000,000,000 
        in 2013, more than total Medicaid spending of $449,000,000,000, 
        including both Federal and State contributions for medical and 
        long-term care in the same year.
            (3) While caring for the aging population remains a growing 
        concern, more than half of care recipients are under age 75, 
        and almost one-third are under age 50.
            (4) Respite provides temporary relief to caregivers from 
        the ongoing responsibility of caring for individuals of all 
        ages with special needs.
            (5) Respite care is one of the most commonly requested 
        caregiver support services.
            (6) Respite has been shown to provide family caregivers 
        with the relief necessary to maintain their own health, balance 
        work and family, bolster family stability, keep marriages 
        intact, and avoid or delay more costly nursing home or foster 
        care placements.
            (7) Delaying nursing home, institutional, or foster care 
        placement of just one individual for several months can save 
        Medicaid, child welfare, or other government programs tens of 
        thousands of dollars.
            (8) The Lifespan Respite Care Act of 2006 was originally 
        enacted to improve the delivery and quality of respite care 
        services available to families across all age and disability 
        groups by establishing coordinated lifespan respite systems.
            (9) Thirty-five States and the District of Columbia have 
        received grants under the Lifespan Respite Care Act of 2006 to 
        improve the availability and quality of respite services across 
        the lifespan.
            (10) For the Nation's wounded servicemembers and veterans 
        with traumatic brain injuries and other conditions, respite 
        systems could be an integral lifeline for families in their new 
        roles as lifelong family caregivers.
            (11) The Department of Veterans Affairs and Congress have 
        both acknowledged the unique challenges facing caregivers of 
        returning servicemembers and veterans, as well as the need for 
        increased caregiver services.
            (12) The increased utilization of, and costs to, long-term 
        care systems requires the continued development of coordinated 
        family support services like lifespan respite care.

SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION OF LIFESPAN RESPITE CARE PROGRAM.

    (a) Data Collection and Reporting.--Section 2904 of the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290ii-3) is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 2904. DATA COLLECTION AND REPORTING.

    ``Each eligible State agency awarded a grant or cooperative 
agreement under section 2902 shall collect, maintain, and report such 
data and records at such times, in such form, and in such manner as the 
Secretary may require to enable the Secretary--
            ``(1) to monitor State administration of programs and 
        activities funded pursuant to such grant or cooperative 
        agreement; and
            ``(2) to evaluate, and to compare effectiveness on a State-
        by-State basis, of programs and activities funded pursuant to 
        section 2902.''.
    (b) Funding.--Section 2905 of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 300ii-4) is amended by striking ``to carry out this title'' and 
all that follows and inserting ``to carry out this title $15,000,000 
for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2022.''.
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