Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Vaccine Transportation Access Act”.
Vaccine Transportation Access Act
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants for removing transportation barriers to accessing eligible vaccines for individuals from low-income communities, minority communities, or other communities in which transportation poses a barrier to health care access, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Grant program for vaccine access and mobility
General authority—
Awards— The Secretary shall award grants to qualified community organizations to assist in financing projects to remove transportation barriers to accessing eligible vaccines for individuals from low-income communities, minority communities, or other communities in which transportation poses a barrier to health care access.
Transfer of duties— The Secretary shall—
enter into agreements with State health agencies for purposes of carrying out the duties assigned to the Secretary under this section; and
transfer to such agencies for such purposes funds appropriated to carry out this section.
Application— A qualified community organization seeking a grant under this section shall submit to the Secretary an application that contains—
a description of the project to be funded through the grant;
an identification of all project partners and their specific role in the proposed project, including private for-profit and nonprofit entities engaged in the coordination of transportation services for the project; and
specific performance measures the qualified community organization will use to reduce cancellations or missed appointments.
Period of performance— Each grant awarded under subsection (a) shall be for a period of performance of not less than 6 months.
Use of funds— Each grant awarded under subsection (a)—
shall be used to develop, expand, and enhance access to transportation to and from sites for receipt of an eligible vaccine by individuals from low-income communities, minority communities, or other communities in which transportation poses a barrier to health care access; and
may be used to—
provide prescheduled or on-demand transportation to and from a site for administration of an eligible vaccine; or
provide first and last mile transportation services for appointments for administration of such a vaccine.
Reporting—
Grant recipients— As a condition on receipt of a grant under this section, a grantee shall agree to submit to the Secretary, not later than 6 months after the completion of the period of performance of the grant, a report containing such information as the Secretary determines necessary to evaluate performance under the grant.
Annual report to Congress— Not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter during the term of the grant program under this section, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a report containing a summary of the information received by the Secretary during the preceding year under paragraph (1).
Definitions— For purposes of this section:
Eligible vaccine— The term eligible vaccine means any immunization that—
had in effect a recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with respect to the individual involved as of October 25, 2024, including such an immunization as updated or changed after that date under a supplement to a biologics license application approved by the Food and Drug Administration; or
is recommended under evidenced-based, clinical care guidelines published by one or more United States professional medical societies.
First and last mile— The term first and last mile means, with respect to transportation services and an individual’s trip to and from a vaccine appointment—
transportation—
between the individual’s point of trip origin and a source of public transit; and
between a source of public transit and the individual’s destination; or
where no source of public transit is available, transportation between the individual’s point of trip origin and the individual’s destination.
Qualified community organization— The term qualified community organization means an organization that—
is a nonprofit organization; and
has experience in—
managing Federal grants; and
providing services to low-income or minority communities or communities that disproportionately experience disparities in health status and health care access.
Secretary— The term Secretary means the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Authorization of appropriations— There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section.
Sec. 3 Federal medical assistance percentage
Section 1905(b) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396d(b)) is amended by adding at the end the following new sentence: “Notwithstanding the first sentence of this subsection, the Federal medical assistance percentage shall be 100 per centum with respect to amounts expended for nonemergency transportation benefits provided to individuals eligible for medical assistance under this subchapter that are attributable to transportation costs incurred on or after the date of the enactment of this sentence related to providing eligible vaccines (as defined in section 2(f) of the Vaccine Transportation Access Act) to such individuals under the State plan.”.