[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3534 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3534

To provide for the expansion of Federal programs to prevent and manage 
                  vision loss, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

           September 22 (legislative day, September 17), 2008

Mr. Dodd (for himself and Mr. Voinovich) introduced the following bill; 
     which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide for the expansion of Federal programs to prevent and manage 
                  vision loss, 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 ``Vision Preservation Act of 2008''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds as follows:
            (1) An estimated 80 million Americans have a potentially 
        blinding eye disease, and more than 19.1 million Americans 
        report trouble seeing, even with eye glasses or contacts. At 
        least 1.1 million Americans are legally blind, and 200,000 
        Americans experience profound vision loss. Refractive errors 
        affect approximately one third of persons 40 years or older in 
        the United States. Visual impairment is one of the 10 more 
        frequent causes of disability in the United States.
            (2) While it is believed that half of all blindness can be 
        prevented, the number of Americans who are blind or visually 
        impaired is expected to double by 2030.
            (3) Vision loss can, especially without appropriate 
        rehabilitation and skills training, significantly impact an 
        individual's ability to conduct activities of daily living, as 
        well as developmental learning, communicating, working, health, 
        and quality of life.
            (4) One in twenty preschoolers experience visual impairment 
        which, if unaddressed, can affect learning ability, 
        personality, and adjustment in school.
            (5) It is estimated that blindness and visual impairment 
        cost the Federal Government more than $4 billion annually in 
        benefits and lost taxable income, and cost the United States 
        economy approximately $51.4 billion annually in direct medical 
        costs, direct nonmedical costs, and indirect costs such as lost 
        productivity and wages.
            (6) Vision rehabilitation helps people with vision loss to 
        live safely and independently at home and in the community, 
        reduce medication errors, cook and perform other daily 
        activities reliably, and avoid accidents which may lead to 
        injury or even the onset of additional disabilities, especially 
        among older persons living with vision loss.
            (7) Recognizing that the Nation requires a public health 
        approach to visual impairment, the Department of Health and 
        Human Services dedicated a portion of its Healthy People 2010 
        initiative to vision. The initiative set out as a goal the 
        improvement of the Nation's visual health through prevention, 
        early detection, treatment, and rehabilitation.
            (8) Greater efforts must be made at the Federal, State, and 
        local levels to increase awareness of vision loss and its 
        causes, its impact, the importance of early diagnosis, 
        treatment, and rehabilitation, and effective prevention 
        strategies.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of the Congress that the 
Nation must have a full-scale integrated public health strategy to 
comprehensively address vision loss and its causes that, at a minimum, 
includes the following:
            (1) Communication and education.
            (2) Surveillance, epidemiology, and prevention research.
            (3) Programs, policies, and systems change.

SEC. 3. VISION LOSS PREVENTION.

    Part B of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 243 
et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 317S the following:

``SEC. 317T. PREVENTIVE HEALTH MEASURES WITH RESPECT TO VISION LOSS.

    ``(a) Communication and Education.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the 
        Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Health 
        Resources and Services Administration, and the National 
        Institutes of Health, shall expand and intensify programs to 
        increase awareness of vision problems, including awareness of--
                    ``(A) the impact of vision problems; and
                    ``(B) the importance of early diagnosis, 
                management, and effective prevention and rehabilitation 
                strategies.
            ``(2) Activities.--In carrying out this subsection, the 
        Secretary may--
                    ``(A) conduct public service announcements and 
                education campaigns;
                    ``(B) enter into partnerships with eye-health 
                professional organizations and other vision-related 
                organizations;
                    ``(C) conduct community disease prevention 
                campaigns;
                    ``(D) conduct testing, evaluation, and model 
                training for vision screeners based on scientific 
                studies; and
                    ``(E) evaluate strategies to reduce barriers to 
                access to treatment by optometrists and 
                ophthalmologists.
            ``(3) Evaluation.--In carrying out this subsection, the 
        Secretary shall--
                    ``(A) establish appropriate measurements for public 
                awareness of vision problems;
                    ``(B) establish appropriate measurements to 
                determine the effectiveness of existing campaigns to 
                increase awareness of vision problems;
                    ``(C) establish quantitative benchmarks for 
                determining the effectiveness of activities carried out 
                under this subsection; and
                    ``(D) not later than 12 months after the date of 
                the enactment of this section, submit a report to the 
                Congress on the results achieved through such 
                activities.
    ``(b) Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Health Services Research.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall expand and intensify 
        activities to establish a solid scientific base of knowledge on 
        the prevention, control, and rehabilitation of vision problems 
        and related disabilities.
            ``(2) Activities.--In carrying out this subsection, the 
        Secretary may--
                    ``(A) create a national ongoing surveillance 
                system;
                    ``(B) identify and test screening modalities;
                    ``(C) evaluate strategies to reduce barriers to 
                access to treatment by optometrists, ophthalmologists, 
                and other vision rehabilitation professionals;
                    ``(D) evaluate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness 
                of current and future interventions and community 
                strategies;
                    ``(E) update and improve knowledge about the true 
                costs of vision problems and related disabilities; and
                    ``(F) require the Surgeon General to assess the 
                state of vision care and vision rehabilitation in the 
                United States.
    ``(c) Programs, Policies, and Systems.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall expand and intensify 
        research within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
        on the prevention and management of vision loss.
            ``(2) Activities.--In carrying out this subsection, the 
        Secretary may--
                    ``(A) build partnerships with voluntary health 
                organizations, nonprofit vision rehabilitation 
                agencies, Federal, State, and local public health 
                agencies, eye-health professional organizations, and 
                organizations with an interest in vision issues;
                    ``(B) work with health care systems to better 
                address vision problems and associated disabilities; 
                and
                    ``(C) award grants for community outreach regarding 
                vision loss to health care institutions and national 
                vision organizations with broad community presence.''.

SEC. 4. EXPANSION OF VISION PROGRAMS UNDER THE MATERNAL AND CHILD 
              HEALTH SERVICE BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM.

    Section 501(a)(3) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 701(a)(3)) 
is amended--
            (1) by striking ``and'' at the end of subparagraph (E);
            (2) by striking the period at the end of subparagraph (F) 
        and inserting ``, and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(G) introduce core performance measures on eye 
                health by incorporating vision screening and 
                examination standards into State programs under this 
                title, based on scientific studies.''.

SEC. 5. PREVENTION AND TREATMENT FOR UNDERSERVED, MINORITY, AND OTHER 
              POPULATIONS.

    (a) Expansion and Intensification of Vision Programs.--The 
Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this section referred to as 
the ``Secretary'') shall expand and intensify programs targeted to 
prevent vision loss, treat eye and vision conditions, and rehabilitate 
people of all ages who are blind or partially sighted in underserved 
and minority communities, including the following:
            (1) Vision care services at community health centers 
        receiving assistance under section 330 of the Public Health 
        Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254b).
            (2) Vision rehabilitation programs at vision rehabilitation 
        agencies, eye clinics, and hospitals.
    (b) Voluntary Guidelines for Vision Screening.--The Secretary, in 
consultation with eye-health professional organizations and other 
vision-related organizations, shall develop voluntary guidelines to 
ensure the quality of vision screening and appropriate referral for 
comprehensive eye examinations and subsequent vision rehabilitation 
services.

SEC. 6. VISION REHABILITATION PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT GRANTS.

    (a) Authority.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this 
section referred to as the ``Secretary'') may make grants to eligible 
institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations for the 
purpose of activities described in subsection (b) relating to vision 
rehabilitation professional development.
    (b) Use of Funds.--The Secretary may not make a grant to an 
institution of higher education or a nonprofit organization under this 
section unless the institution or organization agrees to use the grant 
for the following:
            (1) Developing and offering preparatory and continuing 
        education training opportunities (incorporating state-of-the-
        art approaches, technologies, and therapies to meet the unique 
        needs of older adults with vision loss) in--
                    (A) geriatrics among vision rehabilitation 
                professionals, including professionals in the vision 
                rehabilitation therapy, orientation and mobility, and 
                low vision therapy fields; and
                    (B) vision rehabilitation among occupational 
                therapists and others in related rehabilitation and 
                health disciplines.
            (2) Conducting, and disseminating the findings and 
        conclusions of, research on the effectiveness of preparatory 
        and continuing education training under paragraph (1).
            (3) Developing and disseminating interdisciplinary course 
        curricula for use in the preparation of new professionals in 
        vision rehabilitation, occupational therapy, and related 
        rehabilitation and health disciplines.
            (4) Educating physicians, nurses, and other health care 
        providers about the value of vision rehabilitation, to increase 
        appropriate referral by such professionals for the full range 
        of vision rehabilitation services available to older 
        individuals with vision loss.
    (c) Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this 
section, an entity shall be a university, academic medical center, 
national or regional nonprofit organization, community rehabilitation 
provider, or allied health education program, or a consortium of such 
entities, that--
            (1) offers or coordinates education or training activities 
        among professionals described in subsection (b)(1); or
            (2) agrees to use the grant to expand its capacity to 
        coordinate such activities.
    (d) Distribution of Grants.--In awarding grants under this section, 
the Secretary shall ensure that grantees offer or coordinate training 
for current and emerging professionals--
            (1) from a variety of geographic regions and a range of 
        different types and sizes of settings and facilities, including 
        settings and facilities located in rural, urban, and suburban 
        areas; and
            (2) serving a variety of populations of older individuals 
        with vision loss, including racial and ethnic minorities, low-
        income individuals, and other underserved populations.
    (e) Application.--To seek a grant under this section, an entity 
shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such 
manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
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