[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3437 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 3437

 To amend the Social Security Act to authorize grants and training to 
support area agencies on aging and other community-based organizations 
in addressing social isolation among older individuals and adults with 
                             disabilities.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            December 7, 2023

 Mr. Casey (for himself and Mr. Murphy) introduced the following bill; 
     which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Social Security Act to authorize grants and training to 
support area agencies on aging and other community-based organizations 
in addressing social isolation among older individuals and adults with 
                             disabilities.

    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 ``Addressing Social Isolation and 
Loneliness in Older Adults Act of 2023'' or the ``Addressing SILO Act 
of 2023''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS AND TRAINING TO SUPPORT AREA AGENCIES ON AGING OR OTHER 
              COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS TO ADDRESS SOCIAL ISOLATION 
              AMONG OLDER INDIVIDUALS AND ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES.

    Part II of subtitle B of title XX of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1397m et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 2047. GRANTS AND TRAINING TO SUPPORT AREA AGENCIES ON AGING OR 
              OTHER COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS TO ADDRESS SOCIAL 
              ISOLATION AMONG OLDER INDIVIDUALS AND ADULTS WITH 
              DISABILITIES.

    ``(a) Grants.--The Secretary shall make grants to eligible area 
agencies on aging or other community-based organizations for the 
purpose of--
            ``(1) conducting outreach to older individuals and adults 
        with disabilities at risk for, or already experiencing, social 
        isolation or loneliness, through established screening tools or 
        other methods identified by the Secretary;
            ``(2) developing community-based interventions for the 
        purposes of mitigating loneliness or social isolation 
        (including evidence-based programs, as defined by the 
        Secretary, developed with multi-stakeholder input for the 
        purposes of promoting social connection, mitigating social 
        isolation or loneliness, or preventing social isolation or 
        loneliness) among older individuals and adults with 
        disabilities described in paragraph (1);
            ``(3) connecting such older individuals and adults with 
        disabilities with community social and clinical supports; and
            ``(4) evaluating the effect of programs developed and 
        implemented under paragraphs (2) and (3).
    ``(b) Training.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish programs 
        to provide and improve training for area agencies on aging or 
        community-based organizations with respect to addressing and 
        preventing social isolation and loneliness among older 
        individuals and adults with disabilities.
            ``(2) Prioritization authority.--For purposes of connecting 
        at-risk individuals with existing community social and clinical 
        supports, the Secretary may, in carrying out paragraph (1), 
        prioritize models that incorporate training and service 
        delivery in coordination with medical-legal partnerships.
    ``(c) Evaluation.--Not later than 3 years after the date of 
enactment of this section and every 3 years thereafter, the Secretary 
shall submit to Congress a written report that assesses the extent to 
which the programs established under this section address social 
isolation and loneliness among older individuals and adults with 
disabilities.
    ``(d) Appropriation.--Out of any money in the Treasury not 
otherwise appropriated, there is appropriated to the Secretary 
$62,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028, to remain 
available until expended, to carry out this section.
    ``(e) Coordination.--The Secretary shall coordinate with resource 
centers, grant programs, or other funding mechanisms established under 
section 411(a)(18) of the Older Americans Act (42 U.S.C. 3032(a)(18)), 
section 417(a)(1) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 3032f(a)(1)), or other 
programs as determined by the Secretary.
    ``(f) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Adult with a disability.--The term `adult with a 
        disability' means an individual with a disability as defined in 
        section 372 of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 
        3030s).
            ``(2) Area agency on aging.--The term `area agency on 
        aging' means an area agency on aging designated under section 
        305 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 3025).
            ``(3) Community-based organization.--The term `community-
        based organization' includes, except as otherwise provided by 
        the Secretary, a nonprofit community-based organization, a 
        consortium of nonprofit community-based organizations, a 
        national nonprofit organization acting as an intermediary for a 
        community-based organization, or a community-based organization 
        that has a fiscal sponsor that allows the organization to 
        function as an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of 
        the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation 
        under section 501(a) of such Code.
            ``(4) Loneliness.--The term `loneliness' means subjectively 
        feeling alone, or the discrepancy between one's desired level 
        of social connection and one's actual level of social 
        connection.
            ``(5) Older individual.--The term `older individual' has 
        the meaning given such term in section 102 of the Older 
        Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3002).
            ``(6) Social connection.--The term `social connection' 
        means the variety of ways one can connect with others socially, 
        through physical, behavioral, social-cognitive, and emotional 
        channels.
            ``(7) Social isolation.--The term `social isolation' means 
        objectively being alone, or having few relationships or 
        infrequent social contact.''.
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