,i #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ajae ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,march #f1 #bjac ,mr4 ,pascrell 7for himself and ,mr4 ,kinzinger of ,illinois7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,ways and ,means ,a ,,bill ,to require the ,commissioner of ,social ,security to revise the medical and evaluation criteria for determining disability in a person diagnosed with ,huntington's ,disease and to waive the #bd-month waiting period for ,medicare eligibility for individuals disabled by ,huntington's ,disease4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,huntington's ,disease ,parity ,act of #bjac4 #b4 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,huntington's ,disease is a progressive degenerative neurological disease that causes total physical and mental deterioration4 ,in the ,united ,states1 approximately #cj1jjj individuals are affected by ,huntington's ,disease1 along with another #bjj1jjj individuals who are genetically at risk4 ,there is no effective treatment in terms of halting or slowing the progression of the disease4 7#b7 ,clinical indicators of ,huntington's ,disease include-- 7,a7 loss of ability to control bodily movements2 7,b7 loss of ability to think or act quickly1 inability to learn new material1 and loss of memory2 and 7,c7 behavioral or psychological problems1 including personality changes1 irritability1 mood swings1 anxiety1 obsessive-compulsive behavior1 inability to concentrate1 decreased motivation1 and severe depression4 7#c7 ,adult-onset ,huntington's ,disease typically results in the development of symptoms in individuals between #cj and #ej years of age4 ,late-onset ,huntington's ,disease is characterized by development of symptoms after #ej years of age and is usually associated with a milder course of the disease4 ,juvenile ,huntington's ,disease affects individuals who have yet to attain #ai years of age and progresses at a more rapid rate4 7#d7 ,because of the incapacitating nature of ,huntington's ,disease1 individuals living with this illness1 including those in the early stages of the disease1 are unable to retain employment4 ,as a result1 many such individuals rely solely on ,social ,security ,disability ,insurance4 7#e7 ,despite significant advances in medicine and a greater understanding of ,huntington's ,disease1 the ,social ,security ,administration has not comprehensively revised its rules for the medical evaluation of neurological disabilities since #aihe4 ,the designation of this disease by the ,social ,security ,administration as ,huntington's ,chorea is both outdated and medically inaccurate1 as this term fails to recognize the behavioral and cognitive impact of ,huntington's ,disease1 while also providing an incomplete characterization of the full spectrum of ,huntington's ,disease for purposes of ,social ,security ,disability ,insurance and the ,medicare program4 7#f7 ,after qualifying for ,social ,security ,disability ,insurance1 individuals with ,huntington's ,disease must wait another #bd months before receiving benefits under the ,medicare program1 despite the fact that such individuals often become incapacitated before reaching the age-eligibility requirement under the ,medicare program of #fe years of age4 7#g7 ,in #bjjj1 the ,centers for ,medicaid ,medicare ,services waived the #bd-month waiting period requirement for people disabled by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 7,,als71 a degenerative neurological condition that is similar to ,huntington's ,disease4 7#h7 ,in light of the outdated ,social ,security ,disability ,insurance guidelines for ,huntington's ,disease and the significant cognitive1 behavioral1 and physical incapacitation faced by individuals with this disease1 there is an urgent need for a revision of the medical and evaluation criteria used by the ,social ,security ,administration in determining whether such individuals are disabled1 as well as removal of the #bd-month waiting period for coverage under the ,medicare program for such individuals1 similar to the existing exemption for individuals who have been diagnosed with ,,als4 #c4 ,revision of medical and evaluation criteria for evaluating disability caused by adult-onset and juvenile ,huntington's ,disease 7a7 ,in general ,for purposes of determinations of cognitive1 behavioral1 and physical disability under titles ,,ii and ,,xvi of the ,social ,security ,act1 the ,commissioner of ,social ,security1 in consultation with the ,national ,institute of ,neurological ,disorders and ,stroke1 the ,national ,institutes of ,health1 and other relevant organizations with medical expertise relating to ,adult-,onset and ,juvenile ,huntington's ,disease1 shall1 not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act-- 7#a7 amend section #aa4jj of part ,a of the ,listing of ,impairments 7relating to neurological impairments of adults7 by-- 7,a7 providing medical and evaluation criteria for ,huntington's ,disease2 and 7,b7 striking ,huntington's ,chorea each place it appears2 7#b7 amend section #ab4jj of part ,a of the ,listing of ,impairments 7relating to mental disorders of adults7 by providing medical and evaluation criteria for ,huntington's ,disease2 7#c7 amend section #aaa4jj of part ,b of the ,listing of ,impairments 7relating to neurological impairments of children7 by providing medical and evaluation criteria for ,juvenile ,huntington's ,disease2 and 7#d7 amend section #aab4jj of part ,b of the ,listing of ,impairments 7relating to mental disorders of children7 by providing medical and evaluation criteria for ,juvenile ,huntington's ,disease4 7b7 ,listing of ,impairments ,for purposes of this section1 the term ,listing of ,impairments means appendix #a to subpart ,p of part #djd of title #bj of the ,code of ,federal ,regulations4 #d4 ,waiver of #bd-month waiting period for coverage under ,medicare program for individuals diagnosed with ,huntington's ,disease 7a7 ,in ,general ,section #bbf7;h7 of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #dbf7;h77 is amended1 in the matter preceding paragraph 7#a71 by inserting or ,huntington's ,disease 7,,hd7 after amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 7,,als74 7b7 ,effective ,date ,the amendment made by subsection 7a7 shall apply to benefits under title ,,xviii of the ,social ,security ,act with respect to items and services furnished in months beginning after the date of the enactment of this ,act4