<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><BillSummaries>
    <item congress="119" measure-type="s" measure-number="668" measure-id="id119s668" originChamber="SENATE" orig-publish-date="2025-02-20" update-date="2025-04-08">
        <title>SAFE STEPS for Veterans Act of 2025</title>
        <summary summary-id="id119s668v00" currentChamber="SENATE" update-date="2025-04-08">
            <action-date>2025-02-20</action-date>
            <action-desc>Introduced in Senate</action-desc>
            <summary-text><![CDATA[<p><strong>Supporting Access to Falls Education and Prevention and Strengthening Training Efforts and Promoting Safety Initiatives for Veterans Act of 2025 or the SAFE STEPS for Veterans Act of 2025</strong></p><p>This bill addresses certain mobility and aging care and services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).</p><p>First, the bill requires the establishment and operation of the Office of Falls Prevention within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) for purposes of providing, evaluating, and improving VA health care services related to falls prevention.</p><p>Among other duties, the office must oversee and support a national education campaign for veterans, their families, and health care providers that focuses on reducing falls and increases awareness of available benefits or services provided by the VA to reduce falls.</p><p>The bill also expands membership of the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Healthy Aging and Age-Friendly Communities by including the VA.</p><p>The VA must issue or update directives of the VHA for facilities and providers relating to safe patient handling and mobility policies.</p><p>Additionally, the VA must determine the feasibility and advisability of implementing a pilot program to provide home improvements and structural alterations to prevent falls for veterans who are eligible for such services under VA laws.</p><p>Finally, the bill requires the VA to ensure certain veterans receive a falls risk assessment from a licensed physical therapist or occupational therapist.</p>]]></summary-text>
        </summary>
    </item>
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        <dc:language>EN</dc:language>
        <dc:rights>Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.</dc:rights>
        <dc:contributor>Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress</dc:contributor>
        <dc:description>This file contains bill summaries for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.</dc:description>
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</BillSummaries>
