,,ii #aagth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #eji ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,march #a1 #bjba ,mr4 ,sullivan 7for himself and ,mr4 ,murphy7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to establish a program to assist ,states in establishing or enhancing community integration network infrastructure for health and social services4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,leveraging ,integrated ,networks in ,communities to ,address ,social ,needs ,act of #bjba or the ,,linc to ,address ,social ,needs ,act of #bjba4 #b4 ,program to support establishment or enhancement of ,state community integration network infrastructure 7a7 ,grant program ,the ,secretary shall award grants on a competitive basis to ,states to support such ,states1 through public-private partnerships1 to establish new or enhance existing community integration network infrastructure through authorized activities under subsection 7b74 7b7 ,authorized activities ,a ,state shall use a grant under this section to carry out activities and services to establish new or enhance existing community integration network infrastructure1 on a statewide basis through direct network operations or collaborations among multiple associated entities1 which may include such entities that operate regionally4 ,such activities and services shall include-- 7#a7 establishing a new or enhancing an existing technology platform that-- 7,a7 enables the coordination of public and private providers and payors of services for individuals in the ,state1 including services such as-- 7i7 nutritional assistance2 7ii7 housing2 7iii7 health care1 including preventive health intervention1 chronic disease management1 and behavioral health care2 7iv7 transportation2 7v7 job training2 7vi7 child development or care2 7vii7 caregiving and respite care2 7viii7 disability assistance2 and 7ix7 other services1 as determined by the ,state2 7,b7 prioritizes connectivity with1 incorporation of1 and partnership with any appropriate existing technology platforms developed by public or private organizations in the ,state for the purposes described in subparagraph 7,a72 and 7,c7 ensures that-- 7i7 reasonable measures are taken to promote connectivity among associated entities2 and 7ii7 appropriate privacy1 security1 protections are in place1 in accordance with applicable ,federal and ,state privacy laws2 7#b7 connecting associated entities for purposes of communication1 service coordination and consumer assistance1 referral and capacity management1 outcome tracking1 and related services2 7#c7 providing technical assistance and supporting associated entities in connecting and participating in the community integration network infrastructure2 7#d7 planning for and implementing actions designed to create sustainable funding models to support long-term access to community integration network infrastructure2 7#e7 designing and implementing a financial structure to make the community integration network infrastructure financially self-sustaining not later than #c years after receiving funds under this section2 and 7#f7 evaluating the use of any funds provided under this section4 7c7 ,award of grants 7#a7 ,in general ,a grant under this ,act shall be awarded under such terms and conditions as the ,secretary shall prescribe1 including the guidelines established under paragraph 7#c74 7#b7 ,minimizing administrative burden ,the ,secretary shall seek to minimize the administrative burden of such terms and conditions and ensure programmatic flexibility for unique ,state needs4 7#c7 ,guidelines ,the ,secretary shall-- 7,a7 consult relevant stakeholders regarding basic functionalities1 technical capacities1 and data standards needed for community integration network infrastructure2 and 7,b7 based on such consultations1 establish guidelines for awarding grants under this section1 including application requirements4 7d7 ,application ,a ,state desiring a grant under this section shall-- 7#a7 enter into a public-private partnership with one or more-- 7,a7 private1 nonprofit1 or philanthropic organizations2 or 7,b7 ,indian ,tribes1 ,tribal organizations1 or urban ,indian organizations within the ,state2 and 7#b7 submit to the ,secretary an application at such time1 in such manner1 and containing or accompanied by such information as the ,secretary may require1 including-- 7,a7 a description of the agency or department in the ,state government that will coordinate with and oversee the partnership established under paragraph 7#a72 7,b7 a plan for the establishment or enhancement of a community integration network infrastructure including-- 7i7 the proposed transparent and competitive process for selecting any new operational components of the community integration network infrastructure2 7ii7 the planned governance structure 7including representation of different types of associated entities7 within the community integration network infrastructure2 7iii7 proposed associated entities and services to be included in the community integration network infrastructure2 and 7iv7 a plan for accessing and linking relevant data to create community integration network infrastructure1 including a description of intended sources of data2 7,c7 assurances that the funds awarded under this section will be used solely carry out authorized activities as described in subsection 7b7 and other related activities2 7,d7 potential options1 including public-private partnerships in addition to the partnership described in paragraph 7#a71 for making the community integration network infrastructure financially self-sustaining not later than #c years after receiving funds under this section2 and 7,e7 a description of the objectives and outcome goals of developing the community integration network infrastructure1 including-- 7i7 one or more health outcomes2 7ii7 one or more other important social outcomes2 7iii7 improved access to health care or social services2 and 7iv7 how progress toward the outcomes described in subparagraphs 7,a71 7,b71 and 7,c7 will be measured through internal performance metrics4 7e7 ,separate tribal infrastructure ,nothing in this section shall preclude ,indian ,tribes1 ,tribal organizations1 or urban ,indian organizations from establishing a community integration network infrastructure that is separate from any other public-private partnership receiving funding under this section4 7f7 ,authorization of appropriations 7#a7 ,in general ,there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section #aej1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbb4 7#b7 ,administration ,of the amounts appropriated pursuant to paragraph 7#a71 up to #e1jjj1jjj may be used for administrative expenses4 7#c7 ,duration of availability ,amounts appropriated pursuant to paragraph 7#a7 shall remain available until the date that is #e years after the date of enactment of this ,act4 7g7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,associated entities ,the term associated entities means any-- 7,a7 community-based organization that accepts referrals from health care organizations and that provides services such as-- 7i7 nutritional assistance2 7ii7 housing2 7iii7 health care1 including preventive health intervention1 chronic disease management1 and behavioral health care2 7iv7 transportation2 7v7 job training2 7vi7 child development or care2 7vii7 caregiving and respite care2 and 7viii7 disability assistance2 7,b7 public1 or nonprofit or for-profit1 private health care provider organization2 7,c7 public or private funded payor of health care services1 including home- or community-based services2 7,d7 ,state1 local1 territorial1 or ,tribal health and social services agency2 7,e7 ,state public housing authority or housing finance agency2 7,f7 public health information exchange or public health information network1 as defined by the ,secretary2 or 7,g7 other similar entity1 as designated by the ,state4 7#b7 ,community integration network infrastructure ,the term community integration network infrastructure means infrastructure1 existing on statewide basis with direct network operations or through collaborations among multiple associated entities1 used to enable the coordination1 alignment1 and connection1 of associated entities in a ,state1 including such entities that operate regionally1 for purposes of communication1 service coordination1 and referral management of services1 with respect to services such as-- 7,a7 nutritional assistance2 7,b7 housing2 7,c7 health care1 including preventive health intervention1 chronic disease management1 and behavioral health care2 7,d7 transportation2 7,e7 job training2 7,f7 child development or care2 7,g7 caregiving and respite care2 7,h7 disability assistance2 and 7,i7 other similar services1 as designated by the ,state4 7#c7 ,indian tribe and tribal organization ,the terms ,indian ,tribe and ,tribal organization have the meanings given to the terms #8,indian tribe' and #8tribal organization' in section #d of the ,indian ,self-,determination and ,education ,assistance ,act 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #ecjd74 7#d7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary refers to the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services4 7#e7 ,state ,the term ,state means a ,state1 territory1 or the ,district of ,columbia4 7#f7 ,urban indian organization ,the term urban ,indian organization has the meaning given to the term in section #d of the ,indian ,health ,care ,improvement ,act 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #afjc74 #c4 ,evaluation1 report1 and recommendations 7a7 ,evaluation ,the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall conduct an evaluation that-- 7#a7 measures the overall impact of the community integration network infrastructure established or enhanced using funds received under section #b1 with respect to-- 7,a7 changes in individual and population health outcomes2 7,b7 changes in access to health care or social services2 7,c7 the degree of data sharing using the community integration network infrastructure established or enhanced using funds received under section #b2 7,d7 the effectiveness of service coordination2 7,e7 the cost-effectiveness of the provision of services2 7,f7 any results or anticipated results on overall health and social services spending2 7,g7 patient and consumer satisfaction with service coordination process and services received2 and 7,h7 any other relevant factors2 and 7#b7 describes how the funds received under section #b were used4 7b7 ,report and recommendations ,not later than #d years after the date the first grant under this ,act is awarded1 the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall-- 7#a7 7,a7 submit a report on the evaluation conducted under subsection 7a7 to ,congress2 and 7,b7 make such report publicly available2 and 7#b7 based on the evaluation conducted under subsection 7a71 make recommendations to ,states and ,indian ,tribes1 ,tribal organizations1 or urban ,indian organizations1 on how to improve and sustain community integration network infrastructure established or enhanced using funds received under section #b4