Sponsors (2)
This is not an official government website.
Copyright © 2026 PLEJ LC. All rights reserved.
Creates a new HHS grant program to fund and test linkages between health/social services and legal services for vulnerable older adults, including support for medical-legal partnerships and legal hotlines. The Secretary of HHS must set up the program within two years, oversee evaluations and reporting, and will receive $125 million per year for FY2026–FY2029 to run the program, with grant rules requiring funds to supplement—not replace—other public funds.
The bill funds and studies medical-legal partnerships to help older Americans resolve social barriers to health—improving outcomes and building local capacity—but requires federal spending and adds compliance and coordination burdens that could strain smaller providers and existing clinical resources.
Seniors and other older adults gain funded access to integrated legal assistance tied to health and social services, helping resolve housing, benefits, guardianship, and other nonmedical barriers to care.
Area agencies on aging, community organizations, and nonprofits receive dedicated federal funding ($125M/year for FY2026–2029) to build capacity for medical-legal partnerships and legal‑health linkages.
Integrating legal professionals into care teams can accelerate resolution of social-determinant problems (e.g., housing, benefits) and likely improve patient outcomes and reduce downstream health harms for people served by hospitals and long-term care providers.
States, grantees, and local providers will face added administrative and compliance burdens (reporting, matching/supplement-not-supplant rules) that may require extra staff time and nonfederal funds.
Taxpayers will incur $125M per year in federal spending for four years to fund the program.
Coordination and compliance requirements risk diverting limited clinical and administrative resources away from direct patient care if medical-legal partnerships are not well integrated.
Introduced December 15, 2025 by Eugene Simon Vindman · Last progress December 15, 2025