Expanding Seniors Access to Mental Health Services Act

This legislation seeks to enhance access to crucial mental health services for individuals covered by Medicare. It achieves this by making two significant changes to the Social Security Act, specifically targeting the provision and coverage of clinical social worker services. Firstly, the bill proposes to exclude clinical social worker services from the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Prospective Payment System , allowing for separate coverage and potentially improving access within these facilities. Secondly, it broadens the definition of covered clinical social worker services under Medicare. This expansion includes services for health and behavior assessment and intervention, identified by specific HCPCS codes, thereby increasing the range of mental health support available to beneficiaries, with these changes taking effect on January 1, 2026.