HCAOA CEO’s Day on Capitol Hill – Policy Priorities & Advocacy

Last Wednesday, HCAOA CEO Jason Lee spent the day on Capitol Hill meeting with the Republican staff of the House Veterans Affairs Committee chaired by Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL), Rep. Julia Brownley's (D-CA) staff, Rep. Adrian Smith's (R-NE) staff, and the Democratic staff of the Senate Special Committee on Aging chaired by Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA).

​During the meeting with the Veterans Affairs Committee Republican staff, HCAOA emphasized the need to enact key pieces of legislation into law, such as the Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act, which was passed by the House last year, and the Veterans’ HEALTH Act. The Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act permits Veterans Affairs (VA) to spend 100% of the cost of institutionalized care on home care (it currently is limited to 65%). The Veterans’ HEALTH Act expands the timely filing for VA claims from 180 days to 365 days. The group also urged the committee to ensure state VA departments adhere to the fee schedule.

HCAOA thanked Rep. Brownley for introducing the Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act. Now that the bill has been passed in the House, HCAOA is urging the Senate to follow suit. HCAOA is aware that a package of veterans-related bills, including the Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act, could be introduced in the Senate, but that remains to be seen. The group also shared its concerns about the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed 80/20 rule regarding wages and administrative costs. The group summarized its presentation during HCAOA’s meeting with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) earlier in the week regarding the 80/20 rule (summarized in a separate newsletter article).

During the meeting with Rep. Smith’s staff, HCAOA thanked the Congressman for introducing the Homecare for Seniors Act, which permits tax-exempt distributions from health savings accounts (HSAs) to be used for qualified home care. The bill was referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means and is still awaiting action. The group also shared HCAOA’s concerns about the CMS 80/20 rule during this meeting.

The group discussed the Credit for Caring Act, which would create a $5,000 nonrefundable tax credit during the meeting with the staff of the Special Committee on Aging. The group also discussed bills sponsored by Sen. Casey, such as the Better Care Better Jobs Act, which establishes programs and provides funds for state Medicaid programs to improve home and community-based services (HCBS), and the HCBS Relief Act that temporarily increases the applicable Federal Medical Assistance Percentage under Medicaid for certain approved home and community-based services that are provided during FY2024-2025. The group also shared HCAOA’s concerns about the CMS 80/20 rule.

HCAOA will continue to meet with Members of Congress and key Committees to give a voice to its members and promote its public policy priorities.