Skip to main content
S 434 111th Congress Senate

Empowered at Home Act of 2009

Official title: A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to improve the State plan amendment option for providing home and community-based services under the Medicaid program, and for other purposes.

Introduced: February 13, 2009 See on congress.gov
Health AgingCongressional oversightDisability and paralysisHealth care costs and insurance
More subjectsShow fewer subjects
Health information and medical recordsHealth programs administration and fundingHealth promotion and preventive careHome and outpatient careLong-term, rehabilitative, and terminal careMedicaidSales and excise taxes
This bill died when the 111th Congress ended
It never became law before the 111th Congress (2009–2010) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Feb 13, 2009
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Feb 13, 2009
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S2323-2324)
Feb 13, 2009
Introduced in Senate
 Ask about this bill AI · grounded in the bill text

Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.

AI answers can be imperfect; always confirm against the full bill text.

 Latest action February 13, 2009

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Empowered at Home Act of 2009 - 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.

Gives states the option to provide HCBS services under a waiver to eligible individuals whose income does not exceed 300% of the supplemental security income (SSI) benefit rate.

Gives states the option to provide HCBS waiver services to individuals for whom such services are likely to prevent, delay, or decrease the likelihood of an individual's need for institutionalized care.

Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award assistance grants to states electing to provide HCBS waiver services under Medicaid through the state plan amendment option.

Reauthorizes Medicaid 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 the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) a tax deduction for premiums on qualified LTC insurance contracts; and (2) a tax credit for certain caregivers taking care of individuals with LTC needs.

Revises requirements for the model regulation and model Act concerning LTC insurance consumer protections and the excise tax for failing to meet requirements for such protections.

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 for (thus requiring) application to such individuals of spousal impoverishment protection requirements.

Allows states to elect to exclude up to six months of the average cost of nursing facility services from an individual's 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.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 434: Empowered at Home Act of 2009. 111th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/111-S-434/
MLA
"S. 434: Empowered at Home Act of 2009." 111th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/111-S-434/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 434, 111th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/111-S-434/.
Markdown link
[S. 434: Empowered at Home Act of 2009](https://openamerica.io/bill/111-S-434/)
Report a problem