Legislation will ensure Medicare coverage for clinical social workers providing critical mental health services to older Americans
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1) and Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY-20) introduced the Expanding Seniors Access to Mental Health Services Act, bipartisan, bicameral legislation to improve access to mental health care for America’s seniors. This bill ensures that licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs) can fully participate in the Medicare program, expanding the mental health provider network for millions of older Americans—particularly those in skilled nursing facilities and underserved areas.
The legislation removes outdated restrictions that currently prevent clinical social workers from offering essential Health and Behavior Assessment and Intervention (HBAI) services and providing care in nursing homes, despite being trained and licensed to do so. These changes will enable seniors to receive more timely, tailored, and accessible mental health support.
The bill is co-led in the Senate by U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-WY) and Chris Coons (D-DE).
“Our seniors deserve access to the full range of care they’ve earned,” said Fitzpatrick. “This legislation is a direct response to what I’ve heard across our community: that mental health care is essential, and access is too often out of reach. By lifting outdated barriers, we’re expanding the workforce, unlocking critical services in nursing homes, and making sure no senior falls through the cracks. I’ll keep fighting for bipartisan solutions that treat mental health care as health care—because that’s exactly what it is.”
“As with any health care service, mental and behavioral health services should be readily available to all who need it,” Tonko said. “Supporting and expanding access to clinical social workers is a critical part of delivering patients comprehensive, compassionate care. I’m proud to support this commonsense, bipartisan legislation that lifts barriers preventing seniors from receiving the care they deserve.”
“The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) applauds Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick and Paul Tonko for introducing the bipartisan Expanding Seniors Access to Mental Health Services Act,” said NASW CEO Anthony Estreet, PhD, MBA, LCSW-C. “Medicare beneficiaries residing in skilled nursing facilities cannot currently receive the mental health services they need due to an outdated barrier limiting access to services provided by independent clinical social workers (CSWs). Passage of this legislation will represent a significant step forward by removing this obstacle, thereby permitting beneficiaries to avoid interruptions in services or receive them for the first time from an CSW. This legislation will also ensure that all beneficiaries are able to receive services used by CSWs to identify and address the cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and social factors that are important to effective treatment or management of physical health problems that are unrelated to mental illness. NASW thanks Representatives Fitzpatrick and Tonko for their leadership in introducing this vital legislation in the House of Representatives.”
"On behalf of the NASW Pennsylvania Chapter, I want to extend my sincere appreciation to Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick for introducing the Expanding Seniors Access to Mental Health Services Act. with Rep. Paul Tonko. The Commonwealth’s older adults and people with disabilities are currently not adequately provided with qualified mental health care services. Social workers are one of the nation’s largest mental health workforces but are unable to treat those in skilled nursing facilities because of outdated Medicare rules. We are grateful to Rep. Fitzpatrick for his leadership in bringing those rules in line with current needs, said NASW Pennsylvania Chapter Executive Director, Johanna Byrd, ACSW, IOM, CAE.
“NASW-New York is pleased to support Representatives Paul Tonko and Brian Fitzpatrick in their introduction of the Expanding Seniors Access to Mental Health Services Act. This important legislation represents a critical step toward ensuring that older adults in skilled nursing facilities receive the comprehensive mental and behavioral health care they deserve,” said NASW-New York Executive Director Shakira Kennedy, PhD, LMSW. “By allowing clinical social workers to bill in skilled nursing facilities and provide Health Behavior Assessment and Intervention services through Medicare, this bill recognizes the essential role social workers play in meeting the complex needs of one of our most vulnerable populations. We applaud Representatives Tonko and Fitzpatrick for their bipartisan leadership and look forward to supporting this bill as it advances.”
The Expanding Seniors Access to Mental Health Services Act ensures clinical social workers can:
- Deliver psychosocial services to Medicare beneficiaries in skilled nursing facilities.
- Provide the full range of HBAI services—currently limited by Medicare regulations—within their scope of practice.
This legislation is endorsed by leading mental health and aging advocacy organizations, including the National Association of Social Workers, and reflects growing bipartisan momentum to meet the rising mental health needs of America’s aging population.
“As a doctor, I know how vital it is for seniors to have access to mental health services,” said Senator Barrasso. “In particular, for those living in rural communities, finding a mental health provider is challenging. This is why I am proud to support bipartisan solutions that help more patients get the care they need.”
“Increasing access to clinical social workers improves seniors’ mental health and gives them hope no matter where they live,” said Senator Coons. “Unfortunately, outdated Medicare rules prevent too many older Americans from receiving support from social workers in skilled nursing facilities. The bipartisan Expanding Seniors Access to Mental Health Services Act fixes these rules and expands Medicare coverage to allow social workers to provide the best care to seniors when they need it most.”
The Expanding Seniors Access to Mental Health Services Act ensures clinical social workers can provide psychosocial services to patients in nursing homes, and the full range of Health and Behavior Assessment and Intervention (HBAI) services within their scope of practice.
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