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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Introduced July 29, 2025 by Timothy Michael Kaine · Last progress July 29, 2025
Amends subsection (h)(5) of 42 U.S.C. 3058g to revise wording to refer to "each type of representative" and to add consideration specific to unpaid volunteers about the degree to which they perform activities requiring specialized training, with a goal of reducing unnecessary training requirements for prospective unpaid volunteers.
Amends Section 201(d)(2)(A) of the Older Americans Act (42 U.S.C. 3011(d)(2)(A)) by inserting additional text into the second sentence.
Makes the Office of Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs update and periodically review its model training standards for ombudsman representatives, with special direction to reassess training expectations for unpaid volunteers to reduce unnecessary burdens. Directs the Assistant Secretary for Aging to seek a contract with the National Academies to study State Long-Term Care Ombudsman programs, assessing effectiveness, challenges, improvements, and the recommended staff-to-bed ratio, and to publish a report within one year of the contract. The bill focuses on refining training policy for ombudsman representatives, clarifying the Office's leadership role in the Older Americans Act text, and commissioning an independent, evidence-based review of state ombudsman program operations and staffing guidance.
Amend Section 712 of the Older Americans Act (42 U.S.C. 3058g), subsection (h)(5), by changing the phrase "the representatives" to "each type of representative."
Add a new subparagraph to subsection (h)(5) directing that, with respect to representatives of the Office who are unpaid volunteers, the Office should take into consideration the degree to which each type of unpaid volunteer performs activities requiring specialized training, with a goal of reducing unnecessary training requirements for prospective unpaid volunteers.
Add a new subsection (k)(1) "Training requirements for unpaid volunteers": the Director of the Office of Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs must review and, as necessary, update the model standards described in subsection (h)(5) on a regular basis to tailor those standards to the individualized training needs of each type of representative of the Office, including each type of unpaid volunteer.
Add a new subsection (k)(2) directing that in carrying out subsection (k)(1) the Director shall take into consideration the degree to which each type of representative performs activities that require specialized training, with a goal of reducing unnecessary training requirements for unpaid volunteers.
Amend Section 201(d)(2)(A) of the Older Americans Act of 1965 by modifying the second sentence to insert additional text after a specified point. The excerpt does not include the actual text to be inserted.
Who is affected and how:
Unpaid and paid ombudsman representatives (including volunteers): The bill directs a re-examination of training expectations with the explicit goal of reducing unnecessary training burdens for unpaid volunteers; volunteers may face streamlined or differentiated training requirements based on updated model standards.
State Long-Term Care Ombudsman programs and State Governments: States that run ombudsman programs use the federal model standards as guidance; updated model standards and the National Academies' study may prompt states to revise their own training policies, staffing practices, and program guidance. The bill does not itself mandate state-level training changes but increases federal guidance and evidence to inform state decisions.
Older adults living in long-term care facilities and their families/caregivers: Potential indirect benefits include better-targeted ombudsman training, improved program effectiveness from study recommendations, and possibly increased volunteer engagement if training burdens are reduced. That could improve resident advocacy and oversight.
Federal agencies and staff (Administration for Community Living/Assistant Secretary for Aging; Office of Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs): Will need to carry out regular model-standard reviews, implement statutory edits, and pursue contracting with the National Academies; administrative resources will be required for these activities.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine: Would be asked to perform and publicly release a comprehensive study within one year of contract initiation; this creates a short, defined timeline and deliverables.
Administrative and budgetary effects:
The bill does not specify funding; contracting the National Academies will require funds, likely from existing agency budgets or future appropriations. The absence of specified appropriations means actual implementation could depend on available resources.
The changes are primarily guidance, review, and evaluation-focused; they do not impose clear new regulatory requirements or penalties on states and therefore are unlikely to create major unfunded state obligations. However, states may choose to alter training programs in response to revised federal model standards, which could have modest administrative or training costs.
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Introduced in Senate