zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Christopher and Dana Reeve Quality of Life for Persons with Paralysis Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to permit the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH): (1) acting through the Director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, to expand and coordinate NIH activities on paralysis research; (2) to award grants to plan, establish, improve, and provide basic operating support for Christopher Reeve Paralysis Research Consortia; (3) to educate and disseminate information and receive public comment on NIH programs and research regarding paralysis; (4) acting through the Director of the National Institute on Child Health and Human Development and the National Center for Rehabilitation Research, to expand and coordinate NIH research with implications for enhancing daily function for persons with paralysis; and (5) to make grants to plan, establish, improve, and provide basic operating support for multicenter clinical trial networks to design clinical rehabilitation intervention protocols and measures of outcomes on paralysis. Permits the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to study the health challenges associated with paralysis and other physical disabilities and carry out projects and interventions to improve the quality of life and long-term health status of individuals with such conditions. Permits the Secretary to award grants for activities related to paralysis, including to: (1) establish paralysis registries; and (2) disseminate information to the public. Allows the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) establish Paralysis Research, Education and Clinical Care Centers; and (2) award grants to medical centers of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to translate clinical findings and recommendations on paralysis into evidence-based best practices.

Date: 2007-01-12
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Home Oxygen Patient Protection Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to restore Medicare treatment of ownership of oxygen equipment that existed prior to the enactment of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. Repeals the limitation of Medicare payment to the supplier for such equipment (including portable oxygen equipment) to 36 months of continuous use.

Date: 2007-01-22
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to repeal the outpatient therapy cap.

Date: 2007-01-31
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Comprehensive Cancer Care Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of comprehensive cancer care planning services to provide individuals diagnosed with cancer a plan that details all aspects of the care to be provided. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish standards for such services.Directs the Secretary to conduct a two-year demonstration project under which Medicare payments will be made for comprehensive cancer care symptom management services furnished by an eligible entity in accordance with a described plan.Directs the Secretary to make grants to eligible entities to: (1) establish new, or expand existing, palliative care and symptom management programs for cancer patients; (2) improve the quality of graduate and postgraduate training of physicians, nurses, and other health care providers in palliative care and symptom management for such patients; and (3) improve the quality of continuing professional education provided to qualified individuals regarding palliative care and symptom management for cancer patients.Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish a program of grants for research on palliative care, symptom management, communication skills, and other end-of-life topics for such patients.

Date: 2007-02-15
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Physician Assistants Continuity of Care Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to permit a physician assistant, when delegated by a physician, to: (1) certify that inpatient psychiatric hospital services or post-hospital extended care services are required; (2) establish and review a plan for home health services; and (3) certify a terminal illness with respect to hospice care.Covers as hospice care any legally authorized services of a physician assistant performed under a physician's supervision.

Date: 2007-02-16
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Community Cancer Care Preservation Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require determination and calculation of the manufacturer's average sales price for a drug or biological on a monthly instead of a quarterly basis. Requires the payment amounts to be updated and applied by the Secretary of Health and Human Services based on the manufacturer's average sales price for the drug or biological calculated for the most recent month for which data are available. Removes prompt pay discounts from the calculation of such price. Provides for an increase in the Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) payment for chemotherapy administration services. Directs the Secretary to make an additional 2% for any drug administration services payment to physicians, taking into account pharmacy facilities management costs. Directs the Secretary to develop new CPT codes for reporting and billing of physician's services associated with pharmacy facilities management and with medical oncology treatment planning.

Date: 2007-02-27
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
American LIFE Fund for the Medical Treatment of the Uninsured Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) establish in the Treasury the Health Coverage for the Uninsured Trust Fund to provide health coverage for uninsured individuals with catastrophic illnesses and injuries; and (2) allow individual taxpayers to designate on their income tax returns a portion of any overpayment of tax to such Fund.

Date: 2007-03-07
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Taxation
Traumatic Brain Injury Act of 2008 - (Sec. 3) Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise the national program for traumatic brain injury registries to make grants for state traumatic brain injury surveillance systems or registries (currently, only for registries) to: (1) determine the incidence and prevalence of traumatic brain injury and related disability; (2) ensure the uniformity of reporting under each such system or registry; (3) link individuals with traumatic brain injury to services and supports; and (4) link such individuals with academic institutions to conduct applied research. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to report to the relevant congressional committees on activities and procedures that can be implemented by the CDC to improve the collection and dissemination of compatible epidemiological studies on the incidence and prevalence of traumatic brain injury in those who were formerly in the military. (Sec. 4) Authorizes the Secretary, acting through the Director of CDC, to conduct a study to: (1) determine the incidence of traumatic brain injury and prevalence of traumatic brain injury related disability; (2) report national trends in traumatic brain injury; (3) identify common therapeutic interventions which are used for the rehabilitation of individuals with such injuries; (4) identify interventions and therapies that can prevent or remediate the development of secondary neurologic conditions related to traumatic brain injury; and (5) develop practice guidelines for such rehabilitation. (Sec. 5) Authorizes appropriations for FY2009-FY2012 for NIH's trauma research program. (Sec. 6) Allows the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA), to make grants to states and American Indian consortia (currently, only to states) to improve access to rehabilitation and other services (currently, to health and other services) regarding traumatic brain injury. Authorizes appropriations for such grants for FY2009-FY2012. Requires the Administrator and the Commissioner of the Administration on Developmental Disabilities to coordinate the collection of data regarding protection and advocacy services. Directs the Administrator to make a grant for training and technical assistance to protection and advocacy systems, if funds permit. Authorizes appropriations for FY2009-FY2012.

Date: 2007-03-08
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Community Choice Act of 2007 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require state Medicaid plan coverage of community-based attendant services and supports for certain Medicaid-eligible individuals.Outlines requirements for: (1) an enhanced federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for ongoing activities of early coverage states that enhance and promote the use of community-based attendant services and supports; and (2) increased federal financial participation for certain expenditures incurred by the state for the provision of such services and supports. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) award grants to eligible states which have established a Consumer Task Force to assist the state in its development of real choice systems change initiatives; and (2) conduct a demonstration project for the purpose of evaluating service coordination and cost-sharing approaches with respect to the provision of community-based services and supports to dually eligible individuals.

Date: 2007-03-21
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Gulf States Medicare Rehabilitation Unit Access Act of 2007 - Provides for certification of certain rehabilitation units of general acute care hospitals affected by Hurricane Katrina for purposes of the prospective payment system under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act. Authorizes a Katrina-affected hospital, if it seeks treatment as a rehabilitation unit of any such unit that is to be reopened, to provide a written certification that the inpatient population the hospital intends the unit to serve meets certain requirements, instead of showing that the unit has treated such a population during the hospital's most recent cost reporting period in the same manner as a hospital that seeks exclusion of a new rehabilitation unit may provide such a certification.

Date: 2007-03-29
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Medicare Independent Living Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to eliminate the in-the-home restriction for Medicare coverage of mobility devices for individuals with expected long-term needs. Deems such devices to be durable medical equipment (DME) if they are used in customary settings for the purpose of normal domestic, vocational, or community activities.

Date: 2007-03-29
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Medicare Access to Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Services Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for: (1) access to outpatient occupational and physical therapy services provided incident to a physician's professional services if furnished by an educated or credentialed therapist who does not have a license; and (2) coverage of certified athletic trainer services and lymphedema therapist services under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of Medicare, including those provided in rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers.

Date: 2007-03-29
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to permit local public agencies to act as Medicaid enrollment brokers.

Date: 2007-04-19
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Medicaid Access Project through Information Technology (MAP IT) Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a two-year project to demonstrate the impact of health information technology on chronic disease management under the Medicaid program of title XIX of the Social Security Act.

Date: 2007-04-25
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Traumatic Brain Injury Health Enhancement and Long-Term Support Act of 2007 - (Sec. 2) Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a program to screen veterans eligible for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital, medical, and nursing home care for symptoms of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Requires the Secretary to develop and carry out a program of long-term care for post-acute TBI rehabilitation in four geographically dispersed polytrauma network sites designated by the Secretary. Makes eligible for such program veterans who: (1) served on active duty in a theater of combat operations during a period of war after the Persian Gulf War or during a period of hostilities after November 11, 1998; (2) are diagnosed with moderate to severe TBI; and (3) are unable to manage routine daily living activities without supervision or assistance. Requires a program report from the Secretary to the congressional veterans' committees. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a TBI transition office at each polytrauma network site to coordinate the provision of health care and services to veterans who suffer from moderate to severe TBI and are in need of health care and services not immediately offered by the VA; and (2) establish and maintain the Traumatic Brain Injury Veterans' Health Registry. Requires: (1) the Secretary to establish and operate up to five centers for TBI research, education, and clinical activities; (2) the establishment of a peer review panel to assess the scientific and clinical merit of proposals submitted for the designation of such centers; (3) the VA Under Secretary of Health to ensure that information produced at such centers is disseminated throughout the Veterans Health Administration (VHA); and (4) annual reports from the Secretary to the veterans' committees on the status and activities of the centers. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the Secretary to establish within the VHA the Committee on Care of Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury. Requires annual reports from the Secretary to the veterans' committees on Committee activities. (Sec. 3) Directs the Secretary to carry out a pilot program to provide veterans' readjustment counseling, related mental health services, benefits outreach, and claims assistance through the use of mobile Vet Centers. Requires: (1) the establishment of two mobile Vet Centers in each of five specified Veterans Integrated Service Network areas; and (2) a pilot program report from the Secretary to the veterans' committees. (Sec. 4) Directs the Secretary to establish the Advisory Committee on Rural Veterans to advise the Secretary with respect to the administration of VA benefits for rural veterans. Requires: (1) the Committee to report to the Secretary on each odd-numbered year through 2013 on VA programs and activities that pertain to rural veterans; and (2) the Secretary to forward each report to Congress.

Date: 2007-05-08
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Medicare Access to Complex Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to exempt complex rehabilitation products and assistive technology products from the Medicare competititve acquisition program.

Date: 2007-05-09
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Geriatric Assessment and Chronic Care Coordination Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) coverage of geriatric assessments and chronic care coordination services for eligible individuals. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct outreach activities to inform likely eligible individuals of such assessments and services. Directs the Secretary to contract for a study and report to Congress and the Secretary on: (1) the effectiveness of such coverage in improving the quality of care provided to Medicare beneficiaries with chronic conditions; and (2) the impact of such assessments and services on reducing Medicare expenditures. Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on: (1) the effectiveness of pay-for-performance programs to serve Medicare beneficiaries with multiple conditions; (2) the cost-effectiveness of chronic care coordination under Medicare; and (3) whether the quality measures used for making Medicare part B payments improve the quality of care provided to Medicare beneficiaries with multiple chronic illnesses.

Date: 2007-05-09
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Medicare Home Infusion Therapy Coverage Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare coverage of home infusion therapy and home infusion drugs. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to implement the Medicare home infusion therapy benefit in a manner that ensures that: (1) Medicare beneficiaries have timely and appropriate access to infusion therapy in their homes; and (2) there is rapid and seamless coordination between drug coverage under Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) and home infusion therapy services coverage under Medicare part B (Supplemental Security Income).

Date: 2007-06-05
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Qualified Long-term Care Fairness Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax deduction from gross income for the cost of long-term care services and long-term care insurance contracts.

Date: 2007-06-06
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Taxation
Wounded Heroes' Bill of Rights Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to provide prompt emergency cash assistance to a member of the Armed Forces or veteran who, on or after September 11, 2001, was or is severely injured while serving on active duty (to be known as a Wounded Hero) and, due to such injury, is undergoing significant financial difficulty. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide a business tax credit for employers hiring Wounded Heroes. Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to provide increased protections under such Act for Wounded Heroes and persons in military service. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Secretary) to ensure the provision of sufficient services to meet the needs of Wounded Heroes without regard to residential geographic location with respect to the following: (1) adult day health care; (2) home health care; (3) respite care; (4) home-based primary care; (5) hospice; and (6) such other noninstitutional extended care services as appropriate. Directs the Secretary to operate and maintain a program in caregiver education, training, and certification for family members of Wounded Heroes. Authorizes the Secretary to contract with non-Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities to furnish care to a Wounded Hero, under certain conditions. Establishes: (1) in the VA an Office for Wounded Heroes Advocate; (2) in the Executive Office of the President an Office for Wounded Heroes; and (3) the Wounded Heroes Independent Review Board. Requires the Board to, among other things, review VA or other federal agency determinations with respect to the scope and intensity of benefits, especially health care or vocational rehabilitation, provided to Wounded Heroes.

Date: 2007-06-25
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Medicare Long-Term Care Patient Safety and Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to define "long-term care hospital" and establish new patient criteria for long-term care hospital prospective payments. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to approve under Medicare distinct part inpatient rehabilitation hospital units in long-term care hospitals, if rehabilitation services are not included within a major diagnostic category. Directs the Secretary to: (1) report to the appropriate congressional committees recommendations on the promulgation of national long-term care hospital facility and patient criteria; and (2), after rulemaking, implement them. Amends SSA title XI to require a peer review organization to review on a hospital-specific basis the medical necessity of admissions to, and continued stay at, long-term care hospitals of Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) patients. Directs the Secretary, with certain exceptions, to impose a temporary moratorium on the Medicare certification of new long-term care hospitals (and satellite facilities). Directs the Secretary not to apply the 25% patient threshold payment adjustment to freestanding and grandfathered long-term hospitals. States that payments to an applicable long-term care hospital or satellite facility, located in a rural area or co-located with an urban single or MSA dominant hospital, shall not be subject to any payment adjustment if no more than 75% percent of its Medicare discharges are admitted from a co-located hospital. Provides that payment to an applicable long-term care hospital or satellite facility co-located with another hospital shall not be subject to such payment adjustments, if no more than 50% of its Medicare discharges are admitted from a co-located hospital. Prohibits the Secretary from applying certain proposed amendments to the short-stay outlier payment policy for certain long-term care hospitals. Prohibits the Secretary from making a certain one-time prospective adjustment to long-term care hospital prospective payment rates. Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on appropriate quality measures for Medicare patients receiving care in long-term care hospitals.

Date: 2007-07-17
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Long-Term Care Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an exclusion from gross income of distributions from individual retirement accounts and other employee benefit plans used to pay long-term care insurance premiums.

Date: 2007-07-18
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Taxation
Veteran's Choice in Nursing Home Care Act - Allows the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to enter into agreements with non-Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) nursing homes of the veteran's choice to provide nursing home care to veterans eligible for such care through the VA. Requires the: (1) Secretary to pay the non-VA facility for the provision of such care, with payment limits; and (2) veteran who requests such care to assume responsibility for costs that exceeds the VA limits.

Date: 2007-07-19
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Long-Term Care Affordability and Security Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) include long-term care insurance as a benefit under tax-exempt employee benefit cafeteria plans and flexible spending arrangements; and (2) make certain consumer protections applicable to long-term care insurance.

Date: 2007-08-03
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Taxation
Northwest Florida Veterans Health Care Improvement Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Secretary) to enter into a sharing agreement with the Secretary of Defense with respect to joint Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)-Department of Defense (DOD) use of the inpatient medical facility at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Requires the Secretary to construct a joint VA-DOD outpatient medical facility at such Base.

Date: 2007-09-06
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Long-Term Care Tax Reduction Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income distributions from an individual retirement account and other tax-exempt retirement plans used to pay long-term care insurance premiums.

Date: 2007-09-10
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Taxation
James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health the World Trade Center Health Program (WTC program) to provide medical monitoring and treatment benefits to: (1) eligible emergency responders and recovery and cleanup workers who responded to the New York City terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001; and (2) residents and other building occupants and area workers who were directly impacted and adversely affected by such attacks. Requires the WTC program administrator to: (1) establish the WTC Health Program Steering Committee and the WTC Health Program Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee; (2) institute a program that provides education and outreach on the existence and availability of services under the WTC program; and (3) provide for the uniform collection of data related to WTC-related health conditions.Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish similar programs with respect to the terrorist attack at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.Requires the administrator to conduct or support research on: (1) physical and mental health conditions that may be related to the September 11 terrorist attacks; and (2) diagnosing and treating WTC-related health conditions.Requires the administrator to extend and expand arrangements with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to provide for the World Trade Center Health Registry. Authorizes the administrator to make grants to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to address mental health needs relating to the terrorist attacks.Amends the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act to provide, under certain circumstances, for an extension of time for filing claims under the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund of 2001.

Date: 2007-09-17
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Long Term Care Quality Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require skilled nursing facilities to separately report expenditures for wages and benefits for nursing staff (by staff level, breaking out (at a minimum) registered nurses, licensed professional nurses, and certified nurse assistants).

Date: 2007-10-09
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Home Health Care Access Protection Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to the prospective payment system (PPS) for home health services and adjustments to it for case mix changes.Prohibits any adjustment in the PPS for payment in 2008. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, for any adjustment in a subsequent year, to evaluate changes in case mix using standards developed consistent with specified processes, taking certain criteria into account.Directs the Secretary to convene a Technical Advisory Group to advise on the development of such standards.Prohibits the Secretary from taking any action to implement or otherwise carry out provisions in the final rule published on August 29, 2007, that propose to make a case mix adjustment to the standardized payment amounts under the PPS to account for changes in coding that were not related to an underlying change in patient health status. Directs the Secretary to republish any rates specified in such rule to take into account the application of such prohibition.

Date: 2007-10-17
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Mental Health Improvements Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to ensure the provision of specified substance use disorder treatment services at each Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center and community-based outpatient clinic. Requires the Secretary to ensure that treatment for a substance use disorder and a comorbid mental health disorder is provided concurrently by a team of experienced clinicians. Requires the Secretary to: (1) carry out a program of enhanced care and treatment for veterans with substance use disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); and (2) establish at least six national centers of excellence on PTSD and substance use disorders. Requires a report on residential mental health care facilities of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Pays tribute to Justin Bailey. Requires a: (1) pilot program on peer outreach and support services, readjustment counseling services, and other mental health services for veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom; (2) program of research into comorbid PTSD and substance use disorder; and (3) pilot program on the provision of readjustment and transition assistance to veterans and their families in cooperation with Vet Centers.

Date: 2007-11-01
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Long-term Care Quality and Modernization Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Service to conduct a demonstration program requiring a state to establish a process for joint training and education of surveyors and providers for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and nursing facilities at least annually. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) and title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to allow resumption of nursing aid training programs in SNFs after correction of deficiencies. Authorizes the Secretary to exclude from the Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) for SNFs: (1) certain (high cost and low probability) cancer treatment drugs, including antineoplastic drugs, antiemitics, and supportive medications; (2) all ambulance services, including those furnished to an individual in conjunction with renal dialysis services; and (3) other appropriate items and services. Authorizes a physician, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist to certify under Medicare that a prescribed series of blood glucose tests are medically required. Provides for: (1) counting of observation days in application of the Medicare post-hospital requirement for coverage of SNF care; (2) extension of the exceptions process for Medicare therapy caps; and (3) expansion of telehealth services to SNFs. Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on developing management alternatives to the Medicare payment cap for physical therapy, speech-language pathology, and occupational therapy services. Amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) authorize the Secretary to make grants to, and contract with, physical therapy programs for projects to recruit and retain faculty and students, develop curriculum, and support the distribution of physical therapy practitioners in underserved areas; and (2) repeal the limitation to nonprofit entities only in the assignment of nurses under the nursing loan repayment program to private entities. Requires the Secretary to establish a national nursing database to predict future nursing shortages. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish the Long Term Care Quality Advisory Commission; and (2) make grants for five demonstration projects to implement and evaluate methods for improving the quality of health care in long-term care settings. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to set a 15-year recovery period for qualified long-term care improvement property.

Date: 2007-11-06
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Medicare Part D Long-Term Care Patient Protection Act of 2007 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide a long-term care pharmacy benefit under Medicare part D. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a process for the immediate enrollment of part D eligible individuals in a prescription drug plan upon the individual's establishment as a resident of a long-term care facility. Eliminates part D cost-sharing for certain non-institutionalized full-benefit dual eligible individuals.

Date: 2007-12-13
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Cancer and Terminal Illness Patient Health Care Act of 2007- Amends the Internal Revenue Code to waive the employee portion of the Social Security tax for any period in which a taxpayer has been certified by a physician as having cancer or a terminal illness or is the primary caregiver for a spouse, parent, or child with cancer or a terminal disease. Reduces by 50 percent the rates of tax levied on a self-employed individual for old age, survivors and disability insurance and hospital insurance if a physician has certified that such individual has a terminal disease or cancer throughout the taxable year or is the primary caregiver for a spouse, parent, or child with a terminal disease or cancer.

Date: 2007-12-13
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Taxation
Military Pain Care Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretaries of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and Health and Human Services and the Surgeon General of the United States to develop and implement a pain care initiative in all military health care facilities. Requires the initiative to ensure that all active and retired military personnel and dependents receiving treatment in military health care facilities: (1) are assessed for pain at the time of admission or initial treatment, and periodically thereafter, using a professionally recognized pain assessment tool or process; and (2) receive appropriate pain care consistent with recognized means for assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and management of acute and chronic pain, including, as appropriate, access to specialty pain management services. Requires: (1) Department of Defense (DOD) contracts for medical care for military retirees, dependents, and survivors to include the provision of appropriate care for the treatment of pain; and (2) a Comptroller General study on the adequacy of pain care in DOD health care facilities, services, and programs.

Date: 2008-02-14
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Long-Term Care and Retirement Security Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow a tax deduction from gross income for long-term care insurance premiums; (2) include long-term care insurance in employee benefit cafeteria plans and flexible spending arrangements; (3) allow a tax credit for certain long-term care costs; and (4) set forth certain consumer protections for long-term care insurance contracts.

Date: 2008-03-06
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Taxation
Advance Directive Promotion Act of 2008 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require a service provider, Medicare+Choice organization, or prepaid or eligible organization to include the content of an advanced directive in a prominent part of an individual's current medical record. Requires a service provider to give effect to a valid advance directive executed outside the state in which such directive is presented to the same extent as such provider would give effect to a valid advance directive executed under the law of the state in which it is presented. Requires an initial preventative physical examination to include an end-of-life planning consultation. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, to operate a clearinghouse and a 24-hour toll free telephone hotline in order to provide consumer information about advance directives, end-of-life decisionmaking, and available end-of-life and hospice care services. Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary, directly or through grants to public or nonprofit private entities, to conduct a national public education campaign to increase awareness of advance directive planning.

Date: 2008-04-03
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Elderly Care Tax Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt recipients of home care services under federally-assisted state or local government home care programs for the elderly or disabled from payment of employment taxes for amounts paid to service providers. Imposes liability for payment of such taxes on the fiscal administrators of such programs.

Date: 2008-04-03
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Taxation
Medicare Home Health Flexibility Act of 2008 - Permits a home health agency to determine the most appropriate skilled service to make the initial assessment visit for an individual who: (1) is eligible for home health services under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act; but (2) does not require skilled nursing care as long as that skilled service is included as part of the plan of care for such services. Permits an occupational therapist to make the initial assessment visit in such a case if occupational therapy is included in such plan in the initial physician referral in conjunction with physical therapy or speech language pathology services.

Date: 2008-04-03
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Amends the federal judicial code to provide for the direct payment of attorney fees to the attorney representing a prevailing party in civil actions involving Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income Claims under titles II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) and XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act. Declares that such fees shall not be subject to offset due to a claim of the United States against the prevailing party.

Date: 2008-04-17
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Law
Healthy Firefighters Act - Directs the United States Fire Administration to: (1) contract with a locally based medical research university to conduct long-term medical health monitoring of firefighters who responded to emergencies in a federally declared disaster area; and (2) provide for the treatment of such firefighters who suffer health-related conditions as a result of responding to such emergencies. Requires such monitoring to include: (1) monitoring of pulmonary illness, neurological damage, and cardiovascular damage; and (2) exposure documentation.

Date: 2008-05-21
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Labor and employment
Veterans Pain Care Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop and implement a comprehensive policy on the management of pain experienced by veterans, including department-wide management of acute and chronic pain, the standard of care, the consistent application of pain assessments, health care personnel education and training, and education for veterans and their families.

Date: 2008-05-21
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for a geographic adjustment in the Medicare hospice payment cap, increasing the work geographic index to 1.00 for any locality for which such index is less than 1.00.Requires hospice programs to report comprehensive data on hospice care.

Date: 2008-05-22
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Tax Relief for Long-Term Care Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for long-term care insurance premiums and for care provided by a caregiver to a family member or dependent with long-term care needs who resides with such caregiver. Phases in a maximum credit amount of $3,000 between 2009 and 2013. Reduces such credit amount for a taxpayer whose adjusted gross income exceeds $75,000 ($150,000 in the case of a joint return).

Date: 2008-06-11
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Taxation
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.

Date: 2008-06-12
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Helping Housing, Awareness, and Navigation Demonstration Services for Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders Act of 2008 or the Helping HANDS for Autism Act of 2008 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS Secretary), in coordination with the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD Secretary) and the Secretary of Education, to establish a demonstration program to award grants to eligible entities to develop an autism navigator program to create a more efficient, effective, coordinated use of the health, housing, education, and social service systems for individuals with an autism spectrum disorder. Requires: (1) an eligible entity that receives a grant to develop an autism navigator program that will recruit, employ, train, assign, and supervise autism navigators; and (2) the HHS Secretary to provide for evaluations to determine the effects of navigator services.Directs the HHS Secretary, in coordination with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to: (1) develop, demonstrate, and disseminate a standard curriculum for training first responders in assisting individuals with autism and other cognitive behavioral disabilities and their families during emergencies; and (2) award grants to states and local governments to train first responders in providing assistance to such individuals in emergency situations.Requires the HUD Secretary to convene a task force to establish a housing demonstration grant program to award grants to entities to provide a program aimed at providing individualized housing and services to adults with an autism spectrum disorder.

Date: 2008-06-17
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Veterans' Health Care Policy Enhancement Act of 2008 - (Sec. 2) Prohibits the collection by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of copayments or other fees for hospital or nursing home care in the case of catastrophically disabled veterans. (Sec. 3) Repeals a current requirement that, in order for a family member of a non-service-connected disabled veteran to be eligible for counseling services, the counseling must be essential to permit the discharge of the veteran from the hospital. (Sec. 4) Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) develop and implement a comprehensive policy on the management of pain experienced by veterans enrolled for VA health care services; (2) periodically revise the policy; and (3) report annually through FY2018 to the congressional veterans' committees on policy implementation. (Sec. 5) Requires the Secretary, within five years after the enactment of this Act, to establish up to seven consolidated patient accounting centers for conducting industry-modeled regionalized VA billing and collection activities. (Sec. 6) Repeals a provision of the Veterans' Benefits and Services Act of 1988 requiring written informed consent for HIV testing among veterans.

Date: 2008-07-09
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Caregiver Tax Relief Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow caregivers of family members or dependents with long-term care needs a refundable income-based tax credit of $2,500 for each such family member or dependent.

Date: 2008-07-09
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Taxation
Timley Due Process for the Disabled Act of 2008 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to direct the Commissioner of Social Security to: (1) establish time frames, within specified limits, to ensure timely disability determinations; and (2) establish a program for the monitoring of disability determinations in reconsideration.

Date: 2008-07-14
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Social welfare
James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2008 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health the World Trade Center Health Program (WTC program) to provide medical monitoring and treatment benefits to: (1) eligible emergency responders and recovery and cleanup workers who responded to the World Trade Center terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001; and (2) residents and other building occupants and area workers who were directly impacted and adversely affected by such attacks. Provides for cost-sharing with workers' compensation and health insurance plans, but not with eligible individuals.Requires the WTC program administrator to: (1) implement a quality assurance program; (2) review the program's health care expenditures to detect fraudulent or duplicate billing and payment for inappropriate services; (3) establish the WTC Health Program Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee; (4) establish the WTC Responders Steering Committee and the WTC Community Program Steering Committee; (5) institute a program that provides education and outreach on the existence and availability of services under the WTC program; and (6) provide for the uniform collection of data related to WTC-related health conditions.Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish similar programs with respect to the terrorist attack at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.Requires the administrator to conduct or support research on physical and mental health conditions that may be related to the September 11 terrorist attacks.Requires the administrator to extend and expand arrangements with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to provide for the World Trade Center Health Registry. Authorizes the administrator to make grants to the Department to address mental health needs relating to the terrorist attacks.Amends the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act to provide, under certain circumstances, for an extension of time for filing claims under the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund of 2001.

Date: 2008-07-24
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Caring Family Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow individual taxpayers an income-based tax credit for providing care to family members and dependents with long-term care needs. Allows a $3,000 tax credit for each family member or dependent (not exceeding two in any taxable year) who has reached age 60 and for whom the taxpayer provides long-term care services.

Date: 2008-07-30
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Taxation
Veterans Physical Therapy Services Improvement Act of 2008 - Establishes in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): (1) the position of Director of Physical Therapy Service; and (2) degree and license requirements for appointment to a physical therapist position. Establishes the Department of Veterans Affairs Geriatric, Amputee, Polytrauma, and Rehabilitation Research Fellowships Program to assist in the recruitment of qualified physical therapists for VHA positions specializing in the areas of geriatrics, amputee rehabilitation, polytrauma care, and rehabilitation research.

Date: 2008-08-01
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act of 2008 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise conditions of and limitations on payment for home health care services. Allows payment for home health services to Medicare beneficiaries by: (1) a nurse practitioner; (2) a clinical nurse specialist working in collaboration with a physician in accordance with state law; (3) a certified nurse-midwife; or (4) a physician assistant under a physician's supervision.

Date: 2008-08-01
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Medicare Hospice Protection Act of 2008 - Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services from phasing out or eliminating the budget neutrality adjustment factor in the Medicare hospice wage index before October 1, 2009. Directs the Secretary to recompute and apply the final Medicare hospice wage index for FY2009 as if there had been no reduction in the budget neutrality adjustment factor.

Date: 2008-09-11
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)
Subject: Health
Elder Caregiver Support and Information Enhancement Act of 2008 - Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to authorize additional FY2009-FY2011 appropriations for the family caregiver support program. Authorizes additional FY2009-FY2011 appropriations for the National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information.

Date: 2008-09-23
Topic: Health (Long-term Care)