Expanding Seniors Access to Mental Health Services Act

This bill helps people on Medicare get better access to mental health care from clinical social workers, including those living in skilled nursing facilities. It lets Medicare pay clinical social workers directly for their services in these facilities, instead of bundling their work into the home’s overall payment, which can make it harder for patients to see them . It also allows clinical social workers to offer the full range of services they are trained to provide, including health and behavior assessment and intervention, using specific medical billing codes already in use .

Starting January 1, 2026, these changes take effect for Medicare-covered services .

• Who is affected: People with Medicare, especially those in skilled nursing facilities; clinical social workers who treat them .
• What changes: Direct payment for social worker services in nursing facilities, and coverage of the full set of clinical social worker services, including health and behavior services identified by current codes .
• When: Applies to services on or after January 1, 2026 .