,,ii #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #ffh ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,february #bj1 #bjbe,mr4 ,king 7for himself and ,mr4 ,rounds7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to amend title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 to establish the ,office of ,falls ,prevention of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,supporting ,access to ,falls ,education and ,prevention and ,strengthening ,training ,efforts and ,promoting ,safety ,initiatives for ,veterans ,act of #bjbe or the ,,safe ,,steps for ,veterans ,act of #bjbe4 #b4 ,establishment of ,office of ,falls ,prevention of ,department of ,veterans ,affairs 7a7 ,establishment of office 7#a7 ,in general ,subchapter ,i of chapter #gc of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by inserting after section #gcaj;,a the following new section3 #gcaj;,b4 ,office of ,falls ,prevention 7a7 ,office 7#a7 ,establishment and operation ,the ,under ,secretary for ,health shall establish and operate in the ,veterans ,health ,administration the ,office of ,falls ,prevention 7in this section referred to as the ,office74 7#b7 ,location of office ,the ,office shall be located at the ,central ,office of the ,department4 7#c7 ,leadership 7,a7 ,head ,the head of the ,office is the ,chief ,officer of ,falls ,prevention 7in this section referred to as the ,chief ,officer74 7,b7 ,reporting ,the ,chief ,officer shall report to the ,under ,secretary for ,health4 7#d7 ,staffing and support ,the ,under ,secretary for ,health shall provide the ,office with such staff and other support as may be necessary for the ,office to carry out effectively the functions of the ,office under this section4 7#e7 ,reorganization ,the ,under ,secretary for ,health may reorganize existing offices within the ,veterans ,health ,administration as of the date of the enactment of this section in order to avoid duplication with the functions of the ,office4 7b7 ,functions ,the functions of the ,office include the following3 7#a7 ,to provide a central office for monitoring and encouraging the activities of the ,veterans ,health ,administration with respect to the provision1 evaluation1 and improvement of health care services relating to falls prevention provided to veterans by the ,department1 with the goal of averting costly health care utilization while decreasing the incidence of falls4 7#b7 ,to develop and implement standards of care for the provision by the ,department of health care services relating to falls prevention4 7#c7 ,to monitor and identify deficiencies in standards of care for the provision of health care services relating to falls prevention1 to provide technical assistance to medical facilities of the ,department1 to provide technical assistance to programs of the ,department that support veterans in their own homes1 to address and remedy deficiencies of such facilities and programs1 and to perform oversight of implementation of such standards of care4 7#d7 ,to monitor and identify deficiencies in standards of care for the provision of health care services relating to falls prevention through the community pursuant to this title and to provide recommendations to the appropriate office to address and remedy any deficiencies4 7#e7 ,to oversee distribution of resources and information related to falls prevention for veterans under this title4 7#f7 ,to promote the expansion and improvement of clinical1 research1 and educational activities of the ,veterans ,health ,administration with respect to health care services relating to falls prevention1 including research activities on falls prevention conducted between the ,office of ,research and ,development of the ,department and the ,national ,institute on ,aging4 7#g7 ,to promote the development or expansion of rigorous quality assessment or improvement processes designed to prevent falls1 including through coordination and collaboration with offices within the ,department determined appropriate by the ,secretary4 7#h7 ,to coordinate home modification and adaptation programs administered by the ,under ,secretary for ,benefits under chapter #ba of this title and the ,under ,secretary for ,health under section #agag7;a77#b7 of this title4 7#i7 ,to carry out such other duties as the ,under ,secretary for ,health may require4 7c7 ,public education campaign ,the ,chief ,officer shall-- 7#a7 oversee and support a national education campaign that-- 7,a7 is directed principally to veterans determined to be at risk for falls1 their families1 and their health care providers2 and 7,b7 focuses on-- 7i7 reducing falls1 falls with major injury1 and repeat falls for veterans receiving care under the laws administered by the ,secretary2 and 7ii7 increasing awareness of available benefits1 grants1 devices1 or services provided by the ,department that would aid veterans in reducing falls and preventing repeat falls2 and 7#b7 award grants or contracts to qualified organizations for the purpose of supporting local education campaigns focusing on reducing falls1 falls with major injury1 and repeat falls for veterans receiving care under the laws administered by the ,secretary4 7d7 ,research on falls prevention programs for veteran populations 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,chief ,officer shall work with the ,office of ,research and ,development of the ,department and the ,national ,institute on ,aging to develop research for evidence-based falls prevention programs that will benefit veterans1 including-- 7,a7 programs that overlap with the priorities of the ,department2 7,b7 programs that may focus on or be of particular benefit to veterans2 and 7,c7 programs that may include participants with multiple comorbidities4 7#b7 ,matters ,to be included ,the research required under paragraph 7#a7 shall include the following3 7,a7 ,research in supporting veterans with and without service-connected disabilities receiving home modification grants under section #agag or #baja of this title4 7,b7 ,development of recommendations for falls prevention interventions for veterans with service-connected disabilities1 including home modification interventions4 7,c7 ,research addressing medication management and polypharmacy as risk factors for falls prevention and developing recommendations for providers and electronic health records systems of the ,department to monitor for veterans at risk of falls based on use of certain medications4 7,d7 ,research on improvements for safe patient handling and mobility among veterans1 particularly in facilities 7both medical and non-medical7 that are not spinal cord injury centers4 7#c7 ,subject matter expert panel 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary and the ,director of the ,national ,institute on ,aging shall establish a joint subject matter expert panel to develop recommendations as required under paragraph 7#b77;,b74 7,b7 ,membership ,the subject matter expert panel required under subparagraph 7,a7 shall be comprised of eight members1 of which-- 7i7 four shall be appointed by the ,secretary2 and 7ii7 four shall be appointed by the ,director of the ,national ,institute on ,aging4 4 7#b7 ,establishment of joint subject matter expert panel ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs and the ,director of the ,national ,institute on ,aging shall establish the joint subject matter expert panel required under section #gcaj;,b7d77#c7 of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 as added by paragraph 7#a74 7#c7 ,clerical amendment ,the table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section #gcaj;,a the following new item3 #gcaj;,b4 ,office of ,falls ,prevention4 4 7b7 ,expansion of ,interagency ,coordinating ,committee on ,healthy ,aging and ,age-,friendly ,communities ,section #bjc7;c7 of the ,older ,americans ,act of #aife 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cjac7;c77 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#b71 by inserting the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs1 after the ,commissioner of ,social ,security12 and 7#b7 in paragraph 7#g71 in the matter preceding subparagraph 7,a7-- 7,a7 by inserting the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives1 after the ,committee on ,ways and ,means of the ,house of ,representatives12 and 7,b7 by inserting the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs of the ,senate1 after the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions of the ,senate14 7c7 ,safe handling transfer techniques ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall issue or update directives of the ,veterans ,health ,administration for facilities and providers relating to safe patient handling and mobility policies at the national1 ,veterans ,integrated ,service ,network1 and health-care system levels1 which shall include the following3 7#a7 ,requiring biennial training for providers1 including that all providers be trained in safe patient handling and use of mobility aids and mobility techniques4 7#b7 ,requiring that any medical facility where patients may need assistance with transfer or mobility have access to safe patient handling and mobility technology appropriate for the setting to enable safe transfer and mobilization for access to care and activities of daily living for veterans who are paralyzed or who need assistance with mobility4 7#c7 ,requiring that all emergency settings have immediate access to safe patient handling and mobility technology to enable safe transfer1 fall recovery1 and repositioning4 7d7 ,pilot program on falls prevention interventions tied to residential adaptations and alterations 7#a7 ,determination ,the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall determine the feasibility and advisability of carrying out a pilot program to provide home improvements and structural alterations to prevent falls for all veterans eligible for those services under the laws administered by the ,secretary4 7#b7 ,plan ,not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall submit to ,congress a report-- 7,a7 indicating the plans of the ,secretary to carry out a pilot program to provide home improvements and structural alterations to prevent falls for all veterans eligible for those services under the laws administered by the ,secretary2 or 7,b7 specifying why the ,secretary determined under paragraph 7#a7 that it is not feasible or advisable to carry out such a pilot program4 7#c7 ,report on lessons learned ,if the ,secretary carries out the pilot program described in paragraph 7#a71 not later than #ahj days after the termination of the pilot program1 the ,chief ,officer of ,falls ,prevention of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs established under section #gcaj;,b7a77#c77;,a7 of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 as added by subsection 7a77#a71 shall submit to ,congress a report on lessons learned from the pilot program and any recommendations on extending or expanding the pilot program4 7e7 ,report on falls prevention initiatives 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 or one year after the appointment of the ,chief ,officer of ,falls ,prevention of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs established under section #gcaj;,b7a77#c77;,a7 of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 as added by subsection 7a77#a71 whichever occurs first1 the ,chief ,officer1 or the ,under ,secretary for ,health of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs if a ,chief ,officer has not yet been appointed1 shall submit to ,congress a report on falls prevention initiatives within the ,department4 7#b7 ,elements ,the report required by paragraph 7#a7 shall evaluate1 for the three-year period preceding the date of the enactment of this ,act-- 7,a7 screening procedures at facilities of the ,veterans ,health ,administration for risk of falls and the prevalence of resulting falls prevention interventions2 7,b7 the use by the ,department of electronic health record documentation for risk of falls among veterans2 7,c7 the number of home modification grants provided under either the ,home ,improvements and ,structural ,alterations ,program of the ,department under section #agag of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 or the ,specially ,adapted ,housing ,program of the ,department under section #baja of such title2 7,d7 the extent to which grants provided under the programs specified under subparagraph 7,c7 prevent falls among veterans and any recommendations with respect to such programs in the case of falls among veterans that were not prevented2 7,e7 for veterans eligible for the ,home ,improvements and ,structural ,alterations ,program of the ,department under section #agag of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 pursuant to subsection 7a77#b77;,b7 of such section1 the number of home modification grants provided to each veteran in receipt of such a grant2 7,f7 the types of providers that have conducted medical assessments leading to a recommendation for a home modification tied to medical necessity1 and any recommendations for legislative or administrative action to expand the list of providers eligible to conduct medical assessments leading to a recommendation for a home modification2 7,g7 home evaluation processes that are conducted in connection with awards made under the programs specified under subparagraph 7,c7 and any recommendations for improving the evaluation and review process2 7,h7 reporting programs and software of the ,department used to capture incidences of falls in care sites of the ,veterans ,health ,administration and other veterans' settings2 7,i7 limitations on uptake and use of current prevention1 screening1 and intervention programs designed to address falls prevention2 and 7,j7 recommendations for the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs to work with the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 or other entities determined appropriate by the ,secretary1 to better capture data on falls by a veteran occurring in the home or in the community4 #c4 ,establishment of falls assessment and fall prevention service requirements for veterans 7a7 ,required nursing home care ,section #agaj;,a of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by striking subsection 7d7 and inserting the following3 7d7 ,in the case of an individual determined by a physician to have fallen or to have been at risk of falling during the previous one-year period1 the ,secretary shall ensure that a licensed physical therapist or a licensed occupational therapist conducts a falls risk assessment for the individual and provides fall prevention services during the stay of the individual in the nursing home4 7e7 ,the provisions of subsection 7a7 shall terminate on ,september #cj1 #bjbh4 4 7b7 ,extended care services ,section #agaj;,b7a7 of such title is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph3 7#g7 ,the conduct of an annual falls risk assessment and the provision of fall prevention services by a licensed physical therapist or licensed occupational therapist4 4