H.R. 7212: Empowered at Home Act of 2008
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H.R. 7212: Empowered at Home Act of 2008
110th Congress · introduced 2008-09-28 · Health · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality.
federal
Follow this bill, step by step
- Where it came from: introduced 2008-09-28 · official record
- Who proposed it: Rep. Pallone, Frank, Jr. [D-NJ-6] · what a sponsor is
- What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
- Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
- If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.
Official title
Empowered at Home Act of 2008
Plain summary
Empowered at Home Act of 2008 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to revise the income eligibility level for home and community-based (HCBS) services for elderly and disabled individuals. Revises the income eligibility limit for the state option to provide HCBS services under a waiver. Replaces the income limit of 150% of the poverty line with a limit of 300% of the supplemental security income (SSI) benefit rate. Authorizes a state to offer HCBS services under a waiver to eligible individuals that differ in type, amount, duration, or scope from the HCBS waiver services offered to other such individuals so long as they are within the scope of services for which the Secretary has authority to approve a waiver and do not include room or board. Increases the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for the provision of HCBS waiver services under Medicaid through the state plan option. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report annually to Congress on the extent to which state Medicaid plans have adopted a state plan amendment for medical assistance for HCBS waiver services for elderly and disabled individuals. Reauthorizes Medicaid investment grants (currently called transformation grants) at increased funding and specifies additional permissible uses to facilitate the provision of HCBS and other long-term care (LTC) services. Directs the Secretary to award grants on a competitive basis to eligible states to conduct an evidence- and community-based health promotion program. Amends SSA title XIX, with respect to treatment of the income and resources of HCBS waiver services recipients who would otherwise be institutionalized, to repeal the state option, and thus require, application to such individuals of spousal impoverishment protection requirements. Directs states to elect to exclude up to six months of the average cost of nursing facility services from assets or resources for purposes of eligibility for HCBS waiver services. Directs the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, to revise certain data reporting forms and systems to ensure uniform and consistent state reporting under this Act. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on: (1) the provision of home health services under different state Medicaid plans; and (2) the extent to which states offer consumer self-direction of such services, or allow for other consumer-oriented policies with respect to them.
Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.
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If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.
A “Nay” vote
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What does this mean? (plain words)
Official text
Empowered at Home Act of 2008
Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
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Alternatives
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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes
Officials and money
Sponsor: Rep. Pallone, Frank, Jr. [D-NJ-6] · 1 cosponsors
Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.
Cosponsors on this site
Diana DeGette (D-CO)
Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Pallone, Frank, Jr. [D-NJ-6] reported raising $2.8 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.
No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.
Words on this page, explained (1)
- Securities
- Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.
Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.
Sources
- Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
- Congress.gov
- Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-110hr7212.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/110/hr>
Record fed-us-cong110-hr7212 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong110 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong110