Definition: In this task, you are given text for US Congressional and California state bills, your task is to generate a summary for this bill.
Input: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ''Huntington's Disease Parity Act of
2008''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Huntington's Disease is a progressive degenerative
neurological disease that causes total physical and mental
deterioration over a 12 to 15 year period. It affects 30,000
patients and 200,000 individuals are genetically ''at risk'' in
the United States.
(2) Huntington's Disease has a triad of clinical features,
including motor abnormalities, dementia, and disorders of mood
and perception. While movement disorders are most commonly
associated with Huntington's Disease, early symptoms are often
emotional and psychiatric. This may include personality
changes, irritability, mood swings, depression, obsessive-
compulsive behavior, inability to concentrate, and decreased
motivation.
(3) Because of its incapacitating nature, people with
Huntington's disease, including those in the early stages of
the disease, are unable to retain employment. As a result, many
people with Huntington's Disease rely solely on Social Security
Disability Income.
(4) Despite significant advances in medicine and greater
understanding of disability, the Social Security Administration
has not comprehensively revised its rules for the medical
evaluation of neurological disabilities since 1985.
(5) Because people with Huntington's Disease are frequently
not employed, many families have lost their employer-provided
health insurance benefits. As a result, many people with
Huntington's Disease do not receive necessary treatment during
the early stages of the disease.
(6) In 2000, the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services
waived the 24-month waiting period requirement for people
disabled by ALS (amyotropic lateral sclerosis), a degenerative
neurological condition similar to Huntington's Disease.

SEC. 3. REVISION OF THE MEDICAL CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING DISABILITY
CAUSED BY ADULT-ONSET HUNTINGTON'S DISEASE.

The Commissioner of Social Security shall revise the regulations
prescribed by the Commissioner set forth as Appendix 1 to subpart P of
part 404 of title 20 of the Code of Federal Regulations (relating to
the listing of impairments, published by the Social Security
Administration as ''Disability Evaluation Under Social Security'', and
commonly referred to as the ''Blue Book''), as follows:
(1) The Commissioner shall insert after 11.00G the
following:
''H. Huntington's Disease. Huntington's Disease is an inherited
neuropsychiatric disorder that is progressive and terminates in death
of the affected person. Recovery or remission never occurs. Treatment
is ineffective in terms of halting or slowing the progression of the
disease. The usual age of adult onset is between the ages of 30 and 50,
although the age of adult onset may be younger or older. Incapacitation
occurs relatively early in the course of this debilitating illness with
progression to total disability and dependency for all activities of
daily living. There are three characteristic clinical features: (1)
loss of ability to control bodily movements; (2) loss of ability to
think and act quickly, to learn new material and to remember, and (3)
apathy, personality changes, irritability, mood swings, depression,
anxiety, inability to concentrate, decreased motivation, obsessive-
compulsive disorder, and severe depression. Individuals with
Huntingon's Disease also exhibit poor social judgment and may be
irritable and aggressive. Inability to work is due to a combination of
cognitive disturbance, behavioral or mood changes, poor coordination of
voluntary movements, and the presence of involuntary movements.
Individuals with Huntingon's Disease, even in the relatively early
stages, have particular difficulty with decision-making, multi-tasking,
and performing under time pressure or with the stress of interpersonal
interactions. The course of the disease varies among individuals and
families. The cognitive and behavioral problems may become debilitating
before disorganization of motor functions. For other individuals, the
motor dysfunction may appear first.''.
(2) The Commissioner shall insert after 11.14 the
following:
''11.15 Huntington's Disease. With:
''A. disorganization of motor function as described in
11.04B; or
''B. chronic brain syndrome. Evaluate under 12.02, 12.04,
and 12.06.''.
(3) The Commissioner shall remove the reference in 11.17 to
''Huntington's Chorea''.

SEC. 4. REVISION OF THE MEDICAL CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING DISABILITY
CAUSED BY JUVENILE HUNTINGTON'S DISEASE.

The Commissioner of Social Security shall revise further the
regulations described in section 3 as follows:
(1) The Commissioner shall insert after 111.00E the
following:
''F. Juvenile Huntington's Disease. While there is no symptom or group
of symptoms that are absolutely required for the diagnosis of juvenile
Huntington's Disease, most affected children offer several of the
following features at the time that the diagnosis is made: motor
dysfunction, characterized by rigidity and dystonia, seizures,
declining cognitive function, behavioral or psychiatric problems such
as depression, aggressiveness and impulsiveness, irritability, mood
swings, and obsessions. Huntington's Disease is a hereditary disorder
and individuals with very early onset of Huntington's Disease are far
more likely to have an affected father than an affected mother.''.
(2) The Commissioner shall insert after 111.09 the
following:
''111.10. Junvenile Huntington's Disease. With:
''A. Motor dysfunction. Evaluate under 111.06; or
''B. Behavioral or psychiatric problems. Evaluate under
112.02, 112.06, and 112.08.''.

SEC. 5. ELIMINATION OF 24-MONTH MEDICARE DISABILITY WAITING PERIOD IN
CASES OF INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABLING HUNTINGTON'S DISEASE.

(a) In General.--Section 226(h) of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 426(h)) is amended, in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by
inserting ''or Huntington's Disease'' after ''amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis (ALS)''.
(b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall
apply to benefits under title XVIII of the Social Security Act with
respect to items and services furnished in months beginning after the
date of the enactment of this Act.
Output:
Huntington's Disease Parity Act of 2008 - Directs the Commissioner of Social Security to revise the medical criteria for evaluating disability caused by adult-onset and juvenile Huntington's Disease.

Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 24-month waiting period for Medicare eligibility for individuals disabled by Huntington's Disease.