[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2677 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2677

 To amend the Older Americans Act of 1965 to address social isolation 
                and loneliness, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 23, 2019

   Ms. Smith introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Older Americans Act of 1965 to address social isolation 
                and loneliness, 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 ``Older Americans Social Isolation and 
Loneliness Prevention Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Social isolation and loneliness are growing problems 
        for older individuals. According to the AARP Foundation, 35 
        percent of individuals aged 45 and older feel lonely. According 
        to the University of Michigan, for individuals aged 50 through 
        80, 34 percent feel a lack of companionship and 27 percent feel 
        isolated from others.
            (2) Social isolation and loneliness are health risks for 
        older individuals. According to researchers at Brigham Young 
        University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 
        older individuals who are less socially connected than other 
        older individuals are at a risk of increased mortality 
        comparable with the risks of smoking, obesity, or air 
        pollution. Social isolation and loneliness leads to negative 
        mental and physical health outcomes, including increased 
        premature death rates of up to 50 percent.
            (3) Social isolation and loneliness among older individuals 
        have economic consequences for the United States. According to 
        the AARP Foundation, Stanford, and Harvard, spending under the 
        Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act 
        (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.) is $134 more per month for each 
        socially isolated older individual than for each older 
        individual that is not socially isolated.
            (4) To inform and support building resources and 
        infrastructure to address social isolation and loneliness among 
        older individuals, experts recommend a coordinated, broadly 
        focused national campaign to raise public awareness of the 
        prevalence of social isolation and loneliness as a public 
        health issue through research and evaluation of efforts 
        addressing social isolation and loneliness.
            (5) The Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3001 et 
        seq.) is a clear vehicle that offers an opportunity to begin a 
        national campaign to raise awareness of social isolation and 
        loneliness among older individuals as a public health issue and 
        help determine how programs under that Act are addressing or 
        can potentially address social isolation and loneliness and 
        strengthen the aging network's response to the problem of 
        social isolation and loneliness among older individuals.

SEC. 3. ADDRESSING SOCIAL ISOLATION AND LONELINESS FOR OLDER 
              INDIVIDUALS.

    (a) Support for Screening for Social Isolation and Loneliness.--
Section 102(14) of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3002(14)) 
is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (K), by striking ``; and'' and 
        inserting a semicolon;
            (2) by redesignating subparagraph (L) as subparagraph (M); 
        and
            (3) by inserting after subparagraph (K) the following:
                    ``(L) screening for the prevention of social 
                isolation and loneliness and coordination of supportive 
                services and health care to address social isolation 
                and loneliness; and''.
    (b) Increased Focus of Assistant Secretary on Social Isolation and 
Loneliness.--Section 202(a) of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 
U.S.C. 3012(a)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (30), by striking ``; and'' and inserting 
        a semicolon;
            (2) in paragraph (31), by striking the period and inserting 
        ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(32) develop objectives, priorities, and a long-term plan 
        for supporting State and local efforts involving education 
        about, prevention of, detection of, and response to social 
        isolation and loneliness among older individuals.''.
    (c) Advisory Council on Social Isolation and Loneliness.--Section 
202 of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3012) is amended by 
adding at the end the following:
    ``(h)(1) The Assistant Secretary shall convene an advisory council 
on social isolation and loneliness--
            ``(A) to review and evaluate efforts to address social 
        isolation and loneliness among older individuals; and
            ``(B) to identify challenges, solutions, and best practices 
        related to such efforts.
    ``(2) The Assistant Secretary shall--
            ``(A) select as members of the advisory council convened 
        under paragraph (1) individuals who are aging network 
        stakeholders; and
            ``(B) select such members in a manner to ensure geographic 
        diversity of the members.
    ``(3) The advisory council convened under paragraph (1) shall--
            ``(A) in carrying out activities under subparagraphs (A) 
        and (B) of such paragraph, ensure consideration of consumer-
        directed care models; and
            ``(B) submit a report to Congress on the findings of the 
        council with respect to such activities.
    ``(4) The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not 
apply to the advisory council convened under paragraph (1).''.
    (d) Supportive Services and Senior Centers.--Section 321(a) of the 
Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3030d(a)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (8), by striking ``behavioral health 
        screening'' and inserting ``behavioral health screening, 
        screening for social isolation and loneliness,'';
            (2) in paragraph (24), by striking ``; and'' and inserting 
        a semicolon;
            (3) by redesignating paragraph (25) as paragraph (26); and
            (4) by inserting after paragraph (24) the following:
            ``(25) services that promote or support social 
        connectedness and reduce social isolation and loneliness; 
        and''.
    (e) Support for Public Awareness of Social Isolation and 
Loneliness.--Section 411(a) of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 
U.S.C. 3032(a)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (13), by striking ``; and'' and inserting 
        a semicolon;
            (2) by redesignating paragraph (14) as paragraph (15); and
            (3) by inserting after paragraph (13) the following:
            ``(14) projects that address social isolation and 
        loneliness among older individuals; and''.

SEC. 4. BEST PRACTICES FOR HOME- AND COMMUNITY-BASED OMBUDSMEN.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Assistant Secretary for Aging shall issue a report 
updating the best practices for home- and community-based ombudsmen 
that were included in the report entitled ``Best Practices for Home and 
Community-Based Ombudsmen'', issued by the National Direct Service 
Workforce Resource Center of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 
Services and prepared by the Research and Training Center at the 
University of Minnesota and The Lewin Group (January 2013).
    (b) Requirements.--The report required under subsection (a) shall 
include--
            (1) a comprehensive review of different approaches 
        undertaken by long-term care ombudsman programs providing 
        advocacy to individuals receiving home- and community-based 
        services;
            (2) identification of elements or strategies for effective 
        advocacy to individuals receiving home- and community-based 
        services;
            (3) analysis of the strengths and challenges of practices 
        of States with home- and community-based ombudsmen; and
            (4) recommendations for providing effective advocacy to 
        individuals receiving home- and community-based services.
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