[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6646 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6646

 To amend the Older Americans Act of 1965 to authorize services to be 
provided to individuals with Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder 
 with neurological and organic brain dysfunction who have not attained 
                            60 years of age.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 31, 2018

Miss Rice of New York introduced the following bill; which was referred 
            to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Older Americans Act of 1965 to authorize services to be 
provided to individuals with Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder 
 with neurological and organic brain dysfunction who have not attained 
                            60 years of age.

    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 ``Younger-Onset Alzheimer's Disease 
Parity Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) When Alzheimer's disease occurs in someone under the 
        age of 65, it is known as younger-onset (or early-onset) 
        Alzheimer's disease.
            (2) About 5 percent of Americans with Alzheimer's disease, 
        or approximately 250,000 people, are living with younger-onset 
        Alzheimer's disease.
            (3) Individuals with younger-onset Alzheimer's disease 
        primarily show symptoms of the disease beginning in their 50s, 
        but some show signs of the disease as early as their 30s or 
        40s.
            (4) For most individuals with younger-onset Alzheimer's 
        disease, the symptoms will closely mirror those of other forms 
        of Alzheimer's disease.
            (5) Those with younger-onset Alzheimer's disease may have 
        difficulty obtaining an accurate diagnosis because health care 
        providers don't generally look for Alzheimer's disease in 
        younger people. Symptoms are often incorrectly attributed to 
        stress, or there may be conflicting diagnoses from different 
        health care professionals.
            (6) Those with younger-onset Alzheimer's disease may worry 
        about work, retirement, and financial issues. Their condition 
        may lead them to voluntarily quit their job, or their employers 
        may fire them before a diagnosis. This premature loss of work 
        does not trigger the employment disability accommodations that 
        a diagnosed individual would receive.
            (7) Those with younger-onset Alzheimer's disease will 
        suffer from higher levels of stigma because Alzheimer's disease 
        is more often associated with older adults. This often 
        adversely impacts family, personal, and professional 
        relationships.
            (8) Those with younger-onset Alzheimer's disease are often 
        supporting young children who are living in the home. Many 
        times these children also serve as caregivers.
            (9) Those with younger-onset Alzheimer's disease may have a 
        working spouse who has to decide between continuing to work to 
        support the household or leaving the working world to be the 
        primary caregiver of their loved one living with Alzheimer's 
        disease.
            (10) The Older Americans Act of 1965, enacted in 1965, 
        authorizes the provision of essential services to Americans age 
        60 or over, with particular attention given to those 
        individuals with low incomes or disabilities.
            (11) Services provided under the Act include Alzheimer's 
        disease education, meal delivery, family caregiver support, and 
        supportive services such as home care, adult day care, and 
        transportation.
            (12) These services are particularly helpful for those with 
        a degenerative disease such as Alzheimer's disease in which 
        sufferers ultimately require assistance with basic daily tasks.
            (13) These services also provide vital assistance, support, 
        and respite to family caregivers and help to maintain the 
        independence of the individual living with younger-onset 
        Alzheimer's disease.
            (14) The Older Americans Act 1965 uniquely authorizes 
        services that can assist individuals with younger-onset 
        Alzheimer's disease and their families.

SEC. 3. PARITY FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH YOUNGER-ONSET ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE.

    Section 102(40) of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 
3002(40)) is amended by inserting before the period at the end the 
following:
        ``and includes an individual with Alzheimer's disease or a 
        related disorder with neurological and organic brain 
        dysfunction who has not attained 60 years of age''.
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