To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish the Office of Falls Prevention of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMs. Budzinski (for herself, Ms. Lois Frankel of Florida, Mrs. …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill creates an Office of Falls Prevention within the Department of Veterans Affairs to reduce falls among veterans, particularly elderly and disabled veterans. It establishes new requirements for falls risk assessments and prevention services in VA nursing homes, launches a national education campaign, and funds research into evidence-based fall prevention programs.
Who Benefits and How
Veterans, especially elderly veterans and those with disabilities, benefit from enhanced falls prevention services, including mandatory risk assessments by licensed physical or occupational therapists. Veterans eligible for home modification grants may receive improvements to make their homes safer. Healthcare research organizations, including the National Institute on Aging, benefit from new collaborative research funding. Physical therapists and occupational therapists gain expanded roles in VA falls prevention programs.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Department of Veterans Affairs must establish and staff a new office, develop new standards of care, and implement training requirements for providers. VA medical facilities face new compliance requirements for safe patient handling equipment and biennial training programs. Taxpayers bear the cost of the new office, research initiatives, education campaigns, and potential pilot programs for home modifications.
Key Provisions
- Creates the Office of Falls Prevention within the Veterans Health Administration, headed by a Chief Officer who reports to the Under Secretary for Health
- Requires VA nursing homes to provide falls risk assessments and prevention services by licensed physical or occupational therapists for veterans who have fallen or are at risk
- Establishes a national education campaign targeting at-risk veterans and their families about fall prevention resources
- Mandates biennial safe patient handling training for VA providers and requires mobility technology in VA medical facilities
- Directs research collaboration between VA and the National Institute on Aging on falls prevention, including a joint expert panel for recommendations
- Requires a feasibility study on expanding home modification programs to prevent veteran falls
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
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