Summer roundup: Congress moves on legislation important to occupational therapy
This summer, multiple pieces of legislation supported by AOTA moved forward in Congress. Committees in both the House and Senate advanced legislation on the provision of OT mental health services under Medicare, reducing burden for state licensure compacts, prior authorization under Medicare Advantage, special education at the Department of Education, and federal research funding. Here's a rundown of where things stood at the start of the Congressional summer recess.
OT mental health language included in House LHHS funding bill: The House Appropriations Committee passed the FY2027 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) funding bill. The bill includes report language directing the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to improve education and outreach on Medicare coverage of OT services for mental health and substance use disorder treatment. The language tracks the OT Mental Health Parity Act (H.R. 4037/S. 2847), which the Mental Health Liaison Group endorsed last year. Because the underlying bill doesn't change existing laws or create a new Medicare benefit, AOTA worked with congressional offices on a new strategy to get the language into the funding bill in lieu of passing the stand alone bill. The language still has to survive in other versions of the FY2027 funding bill, including negotiations with the Senate.
SHARE Act clears House committee (H.R. 2332): On June 25, the House Education and Workforce Committee voted 33-0 to advance the States Handling Access to Reciprocity for Employment (SHARE) Act. AOTA originally helped introduce the bill, which makes a technical fix to existing law so state licensing entities can share confirmation that a criminal background check has been completed with the interstate compact commission. Currently, states must set up their own partnerships with law enforcement and the FBI to run background checks for compact applicants, a requirement that has slowed some states' participation in the OT Licensure Compact and other compacts. The bill still needs a vote in the full House and Senate.
House committees pass Medicare Advantage prior authorization bill (H.R. 3514): On July 27, the House Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce Committees passed the Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act on a bipartisan basis. The bill would require Medicare Advantage plans to resolve standard prior authorization requests within seven days and urgent requests within 72 hours, move to an electronic prior authorization process, and publicly report prior authorization statistics. MA plans covered 54 percent of Medicare beneficiaries and received 53 million prior authorization requests in 2024. AOTA and partners have released a policy framework on prior authorization reform. The bill awaits further action in the full House and Senate.
Senate HELP Committee advances bill to protect special education administration (S. 5046): On July 30, the Senate HELP Committee voted 13-9 to advance S. 5046; the bill would reverse and prohibit the Department of Education's use of interagency agreements to shift administration of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Office of Postsecondary Education, and the office of Indian Education to other executive branch departments. AOTA's federal affairs team worked with the Senators Kaine's and HELP Committee staff on the bill's text and strategy.
Senate budget resolution would delay OMB research funding rule: On August 8, the Senate passed a budget resolution provision that would block the Office of Management and Budget from finalizing proposed changes to the Uniform Guidance for federal assistance until no sooner than December 11. OMB had targeted an October 1 implementation date, despite nearly 500,000 public comments, an estimated 95 percent in opposition. AOTA submitted comments opposing changes that would tighten political oversight, restrict allowable costs, and codify recent executive orders. The changes would affect funding across federal agencies, including NIH and NIDILRR. The House still has to approve the provision.
Taken together, the five bills show occupational therapy issues getting sustained, bipartisan attention across multiple committees this summer — though each still has many more steps before becoming law. You can use the AOTA Legislative Action Center to write Congress on these and other issues. The more co-sponsors these bills have, the more chance they have of being signed into law, let’s build those lists of supporters!