EASE with 211 Act

The Secretary of Health and Human Services (referred to in this Act as the Secretary), shall carry out a program under which the Secretary awards grants to improve the capacity of 211 services to support individuals with developmental disabilities.

An eligible entity desiring a grant under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including a description of an advisory council that the eligible entity will establish for purposes of advising on the implementation and oversight of the eligible entity that will be supported by the grant.

An advisory council described in paragraph (1) shall be comprised of individuals selected by the eligible entity, including—

(i) individuals with developmental disabilities;

(ii) family members and caregivers of individuals with developmental disabilities;

(iii) representatives of stakeholder groups with experience administering 211 services, such as United Way Worldwide; and

(iv) representatives of other relevant stakeholder groups, including relevant nonprofit and advocacy groups such as State developmental disabilities councils, centers of excellence on developmental disabilities of institutions of higher education, protection and advocacy systems, centers for independent living, parent training and information centers, and family-to-family health information centers.

An advisory council described in paragraph (1) shall advise the eligible entity receiving the grant with respect to—

(i) developing training standards for 211 specialists;

(ii) compiling reports required under subsection (f), and policy improvement recommendations;

(iii) increasing the awareness and effectiveness of 211 services in all communities of the area served;

(iv) developing accessible resource materials and making accessibility improvements to phone, text, and other communication interfaces and systems; and

(v) other appropriate topics.

In selecting members for an advisory council described in paragraph (1), an eligible entity shall prioritize selecting members described in subparagraph (A)(i).

An eligible entity shall use amounts awarded under this section to carry out any of the following:

(1) Establishing, improving, or maintaining the 211 database of the eligible entity with respect to developmental disability resources.

(2) Hiring and training 211 specialists to assist individuals with developmental disabilities in navigating services.

(3) Developing and implementing data collection protocols ensuring that data is disaggregated by race and type of disability.

(4) Upgrading technology and data management systems to track and analyze service referrals.

(5) Conducting resource mapping to identify gaps in resources relating to developmental disabilities in the area served.

(6) Conducting accessible outreach and public awareness campaigns targeting individuals with developmental disabilities and their families and caregivers regarding the availability and use of 211 services for such individuals, families, and caregivers.

The Secretary shall establish data collection protocols for use by eligible entities in monitoring the use of 211 services by individuals with developmental disabilities, including with respect to the collection of—

(1) information on referral outcomes and barriers encountered; and

(2) disaggregated and deidentified data on race and type of disability to identify disparities in service access and quality.

The Secretary, in consultation with other applicable Federal agencies, shall—

(1) award 1 or more grants to entities, determined by the Secretary to be qualified for such grants, to establish technical assistance centers; and

(2) work in coordination with each entity carrying out such a center to provide technical assistance to recipients of awards under subsection (a) to facilitate the planning, development, and implementation of activities described in subsection (c).

Each recipient of an award under this section shall submit an annual report to the Secretary on activities carried out under this section, for the duration of the award.

Not later than 1 year after the end of the grant program under this section, the Secretary shall issue a report containing information regarding—

(1) best practices for States desiring to expand their 211 services, including how to make the services more accessible;

(2) the most common needs relating to developmental disabilities for which individuals use 211 services;

(3) how many individuals and families are assisted by the 211 service helplines;

(4) the demographics, including age, race, language, and support needs, of individuals with developmental disabilities utilizing the 211 service helpline, or on whose behalf such helpline is utilized; and

(5) best practices for establishing a resource database with resources relating to developmental disabilities.

In this section:

The term 211 service means a service providing residents with information and referrals with respect to health and human services and other provider agencies—

(A) via voice telephone, text telephone, short message service, text, internet phone, or other telecommunication methods; or

(B) by utilizing the 211 public-facing, online social service directory.

The term developmental disability has the meaning given such term in section 102 of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 15002).

The term eligible entity means—

(A) a State; or

(B) a local or regional entity, or other entity, providing a 211 service for a State.

The term State means each of the several States of the United States and the District of Columbia.

To carry out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $75,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.

The Secretary shall carry out a program under which the Secretary awards grants to eligible entities described in subsection (b), to enable the eligible entities to provide peer or family navigators to help individuals with developmental disabilities and families and caregivers providing support for such individuals to access services and resources relating to developmental disabilities. The navigators shall take a person-centered approach in providing services under this section.

An eligible entity described in this subsection shall be a State, Tribal, or local health or human services department, or a nonprofit entity that is family-led, disabled peer-led, or disabled family-staffed.

To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.

In making grants under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities that indicate in their applications an intention to provide services to underserved or underrepresented communities or to secondary schools underperforming in providing transition planning described in subsection (e)(2).

An eligible entity receiving a grant under this section—

(1) shall provide peer or family navigators to help individuals with developmental disabilities and families and caretakers providing services or support for such individuals to connect to, and access, appropriate resources and services; and

(2) may be used to coordinate with local educational agencies (as defined in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)) for purposes of transition planning with respect to individuals with developmental disabilities, such as planning for—

(A) postsecondary education and employment;

(B) housing;

(C) legal and financial matters (such as supported decisions-making and alternatives to guardianship);

(D) use of Federal benefit programs and eligibility;

(E) self-direction and self-advocacy;

(F) health and behavioral health, including home and community-based services;

(G) building and maintaining community ties and friendships;

(H) planning and visioning a life course; and

(I) disaster and emergency preparedness and safety.

An eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall, not later than 1 year after the activities carried out under the grant are completed, submit to the Secretary a report that contains data on how the grant funds were used.

In this section, the term developmental disability has the meaning given such term in section 2.

To carry out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.