This legislation, titled the "Linking Seniors to Needed Legal Services Act of 2025," amends Title XX of the Social Security Act to establish a new grant program. The program aims to provide incentives for States to develop and sustain structural competency in health and human services by supporting evidence-based approaches that create or improve real-time linkages between health and social services and legal assistance for vulnerable elders . Key provisions include grants for establishing and supporting medical-legal partnerships , which integrate lawyers and social workers into healthcare or social service settings. These partnerships can operate in various locations, such as solo provider practices in underserved areas, federally qualified health centers, certain hospitals, or minority-serving institutions. The bill also supports the development or expansion of legal hotlines to help identify older adults who could benefit from these legal services. States receiving grants must submit biannual reports assessing the effectiveness of their activities, including referral rates and resolution times. The Secretary is mandated to evaluate these activities and report to Congress every four years. The bill appropriates $125,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2029 to fund these initiatives, ensuring that the support supplements, rather than supplants, existing funding.
Linking Seniors to Needed Legal Services Act of 2024
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Linking Seniors to Needed Legal Services Act of 2025
USA119th CongressHR-6728| House
| Updated: 12/15/2025
This legislation, titled the "Linking Seniors to Needed Legal Services Act of 2025," amends Title XX of the Social Security Act to establish a new grant program. The program aims to provide incentives for States to develop and sustain structural competency in health and human services by supporting evidence-based approaches that create or improve real-time linkages between health and social services and legal assistance for vulnerable elders . Key provisions include grants for establishing and supporting medical-legal partnerships , which integrate lawyers and social workers into healthcare or social service settings. These partnerships can operate in various locations, such as solo provider practices in underserved areas, federally qualified health centers, certain hospitals, or minority-serving institutions. The bill also supports the development or expansion of legal hotlines to help identify older adults who could benefit from these legal services. States receiving grants must submit biannual reports assessing the effectiveness of their activities, including referral rates and resolution times. The Secretary is mandated to evaluate these activities and report to Congress every four years. The bill appropriates $125,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2029 to fund these initiatives, ensuring that the support supplements, rather than supplants, existing funding.