“We
view this as a critical step toward the inclusion of comprehensive
elder justice legislation, including urgently needed nursing home
reforms, in the next emergency funding package,” said Bob Blancato,
National Coordinator of the Elder Justice Coalition. “We recognize that
the pandemic has had an especially harsh impact on older residents of
nursing homes and that it has created new opportunities for older adults
to be scammed. This should compel us to action.”
The bill as introduced has important features, including a number previously endorsed by the Coalition:
- The
reauthorization of key provisions of the Elder Justice Act, including
funding for adult protective services, long-term care ombudsman
programs, and elder abuse forensic centers, and the addition of the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administrator to the federal
Elder Justice Coordinating Council;
- Provisions
from the bipartisan Promoting Alzheimer's Awareness to Prevent Elder
Abuse Act which would ensure that the Department of Justice’s elder
abuse training materials take into account individuals with Alzheimer’s
disease and related dementias;
- A
review of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Nursing
Home Compare site and the CMS nursing home Five-Star Quality Rating
System to ensure that the information it contains is up-to-date and
accurately reflects the quality of facilities; and
- The
creation of “strike teams” to assist nursing homes with performing
medical examinations, conducting COVID-19 testing, and implementing of
quarantine, isolation, or disinfection procedures.
Blancato
also noted, “We recognize that for any bill to pass, it must be
bipartisan. Our Coalition and other advocates are working to achieve
that in both the Senate and the House. Elder justice in Congress has
always been a bipartisan issue. This is not the time for that to change.
The need to protect older Americans from all forms of abuse and neglect
is not an issue of ideology, but rather one of ideals.”
Blancato
added, “Chairman Grassley has displayed important leadership in elder
justice, especially during the pandemic. His April 17 letter to CMS
resulted in their immediate decision to mandate nursing homes and other
long-term care facilities to report all cases of COVID-19 to the federal
government. The introduction of this bill is but another example of his
leadership.”
Sen. Grassley was joined by Sens. Steve Daines (R-MT) and Martha McSally (R-AZ) in introducing the bill.
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