Hatch's Traumatic Brain Injury Bill Passes Senate Unanimously

Press Release

Today, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), the President Pro Tempore and Senior Republican in the United States Senate, released the following statement after his legislation, the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Reauthorization Act of 2018, passed the Senate by unanimous consent.

"I created this program in 1996 with Ted Kennedy, and I consider it a critical piece of my public health policy legacy," said Hatch. "The federal TBI program assists Americans who have sustained a traumatic brain injury to connect with the vital services they need. It also provides for prevention research, including research that will help us determine the incidence and prevalence of TBI at a national scale. I wish to thank my colleagues in both the Senate and the House for working with me to get this done."

The Traumatic Brain Injury Program Reauthorization Act of 2018 is supported by the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) and the National Association of State Head Injury Administrators (NASHIA). Click here to read the intro release.

Background

In 1996, Senator Hatch worked with Senator Ted Kennedy on the original TBI Act to help limit the suffering, death, and long-term disability that results from TBI. The legislation marked the beginning of a multifaceted federal endeavor to address the needs of persons with TBI and their families. Today's TBI program maintains that original framework of prevention, education, access, and protection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducts projects to reduce the incidence of traumatic brain injury. Through the Administration for Community Living (ACL), the TBI State Partnership Grant Program helps states and territories to build service infrastructure and improve access to services and supports.

This bill:

Reauthorizes Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) surveillance activities and projects to reduce incidence of TBI. It also extends grants to states for TBI systems, and grants to protection and advocacy (P&A) systems, through the Administration for Community Living (ACL). ACL's TBI State Partnership Grant Program helps states increase access to rehabilitation and other services for individuals with TBI, and its TBI Coordinating Center provides technical assistance to grantees. P&As work to ensure that all individuals with TBI and their families will have accessible, available, acceptable, and appropriate services and supports.
Authorizes the National Concussion Surveillance System (NCSS) at the CDC to better estimate the incidence of TBI across the lifespan at a national level. The CDC has taken steps to develop the NCSS, which is an effort that aligns with the TBI law's intent, recommendations made by the National Academies, and proposals included in previous budget requests. The system would have the capacity to improve understanding of the full range of circumstances leading to TBI, and to track healthcare utilization and services received after a TBI.
Designates authority to the Administration for Community Living (ACL) for the state partnership grants and P&A grants. The TBI Reauthorization Act of 2014 allowed the HHS Secretary to review oversight of the TBI program and found that the federal TBI Program's goals closely align with ACL's mission. As a result, the state partnership grants and P&A components of the federal TBI Program transitioned from HRSA to ACL on October 1, 2015.

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