Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (Section 5) - All Filers Are Required to Complete This Page

9. Check if this filing amends a previously filed version of this report

LOBBYING ACTIVITY. Select as many codes as necessary to reflect the general issue areas in which the registrant engaged in lobbying on behalf of the client during the reporting period. Using a separate page for each code, provide information as requested. Add additional page(s) as needed.

15. General issue area code BUD

16. Specific lobbying issues

President Bidens Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Budget (No bill): Proposals in the Biden Administrations FY 2025 budget proposal submitted to Congress, specifically supporting the Presidents commitment to protect the Social Security benefits that Americans have earned by opposing policies that cut benefits or privatize Social Security, supporting extending solvency by asking the highest-income Americans to pay their fair share, supporting improvements to Social Security as well as Supplemental Security Income benefits for seniors and people with disabilities. Proposals to ensure that Americans can access the benefits they have earned by supporting provisions pertaining to Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies appropriations for the Social Security Administrations (SSA) operating budget including the funding level requested by the SSA to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), supporting the Presidents funding level, restoration of Social Security statement mailings to all workers, providing sufficient funds for SSA field offices. Proposals to support funding for Older Americans Act programs. Proposals to strengthen the solvency of the Medicare Part A trust fund, expand Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS), improve nursing home accountability, including mandatory funding for State Survey and Certification inspection programs, and stable funding for State Health Insurance Assistance Programs, the Social Services Block Grant, the Community Services Block Grant, and the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

Republican Study Committee (RSC) Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Budget Proposal (No bill): Opposition to proposals in the RSC budget blueprint, representing 80 percent of the House Republican Caucus, especially provisions outlining $1.5 trillion in cuts to Social Security and $1 trillion in cuts to Medicare. The Social Security proposals include raising the full Social Security retirement age, flattening retirement benefits and eliminating auxiliary benefits for workers with average lifetime earnings of only $85,000 per year (in todays dollars), flattening and privatizing the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program (as outlined in the budget summary) and placing both the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds on budget. The proposal also suggests repealing automatic Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs) in favor of ad hoc, discretionary COLAs, and replacing the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) with an index that results in smaller COLAs. The health care policy suggestions include proposals to transform Medicare into a capped voucher program that would erode traditional Medicares guarantee of services and shift the focus to privatization via for-profit insurance plans. Medicaid funding would be deeply cut and the program carved into a series of fixed capped block grants.

Budget: House Concurrent Resolution (No resolution number) establishing the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2025 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2026 through 2034 as reported by the House Budget Committee: provision in Section 406 supporting bipartisan reform of Medicare which would likely result in benefit cuts, provisions in Section 409 making employment a requirement for Medicaid eligibility, provisions in Section 414 establishing a fiscal commission intended to cut the earned benefits of American workers and retirees.

Appropriations: Making appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025 (No bill number): Providing appropriations for the Social Security Administrations (SSA) operating budget including the funding level requested by the SSA to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), supporting restoration of the Limitation on Administrative Expenses (LAE) to 1.2 percent of total benefit payments as requested by SSA Commissioner Martin OMalley, supporting the Presidents funding level, supporting Senate efforts to ensure parity between defense and non-defense appropriations funding level increases, restoration of Social Security statement mailings to all workers, providing sufficient funds for SSA field offices, establishment of fiscal commissions to make recommendations that would likely include cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits and would be fast-tracked through Congress outside of the regular legislative process, funding for Older Americans Act programs, State Health Insurance Assistance Program funding, the Social Services Block Grant, the Community Services Block Grant, and the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

17. House(s) of Congress and Federal agencies Check if None

U.S. SENATE, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Executive Office of the President (EOP), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Treasury - Dept of, Social Security Administration (SSA), Health & Human Services - Dept of (HHS)

18. Name of each individual who acted as a lobbyist in this issue area

19. Interest of each foreign entity in the specific issues listed on line 16 above Check if None

​

LOBBYING ACTIVITY. Select as many codes as necessary to reflect the general issue areas in which the registrant engaged in lobbying on behalf of the client during the reporting period. Using a separate page for each code, provide information as requested. Add additional page(s) as needed.

15. General issue area code MMM

16. Specific lobbying issues

Medicare Observation Stays. The Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2023 (H.R. 5138 and S. 4137): Proposals to count time spent in observation status toward the three-day prior inpatient stay required under Medicare for coverage of a subsequent stay in a skilled nursing facility.

Medicare Drug Prices (No bill): Proposal to have the Biden Administration lower the price of the prostate cancer drug Xtandi through executive action by using so-called march-in rights under the Bayh-Dole Act; to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to grant eligible researchers access to drugs or biologic products for research purposes at a price no higher than the cost to the manufacturer; to block so-called Dispense-As-Written campaigns where drug manufacturers incentivize health care providers to specify a brand drug on a prescription to block generic substitution at the pharmacy.

Medicare Drug Costs. The Pharmaceutical Research Transparency Act of 2023 (S. 1476 and H.R. 3160): Proposal to amend the Public Health Service Act and the Security Exchange Act to require pharmaceutical manufacturers to report their costs related to clinical trials and research and development.

Medicare Drug Savings. The Seniors Securing Access to Vital and Essential Prescription Drugs Act (H.R. 2893): Proposals to discount the treatment of eligible retirement plans in determining the eligibility of individuals for premium and cost sharing subsidies under Part D of the Medicare program. (No bills): Proposals to eliminate the Medicare Part D low-income subsidy programs asset test and raise the income eligibility levels to 200 percent of the federal poverty level.

Medicare Prescription Drugs. Drug Costs. Inflation Reduction Act (Public Law No: 117-169): Proposal to allow Medicare to negotiate prices with drug makers, cap prices at inflation in Part B and D, cap beneficiary out-of-pocket costs in Part D, eliminate cost-sharing for vaccines, eliminate cost-sharing in the catastrophic phase of Part D, and to raise the income threshold for the Low-Income Subsidy program offering assistance in paying for drugs.

Medicare Prescription Drugs. The Affordable Pricing for Taxpayer-Funded Prescription Drugs Act of 2023 (H.R. 3093): Proposals to require companies that receive federal funding for research (or a license of the rights to a patent or regulatory test data) for a biomedical product or service to agree to set reasonable prices for the resulting biomedical product or service and authorize to determine a reasonable price based on a formula that ensures the U.S. price for the product or service is not more than the median price for the product or service in Canada and six other reference countries.

Medicare Prescription Drugs. (No bill): A regulatory proposal encouraging the Secretaries of the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Commerce to exercise march in rights that would aim to better control the pricing of prescription drugs.

Medicare Prescription Drugs. (No bill): An HHS regulatory proposal to ensure robust negotiation rules and processes that aim to curtail the cost of certain prescription drugs, as authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act.

Medicare Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) Program. (No bill): Proposal to increase funding for LIS outreach and enrollment, so that low-income beneficiaries can more readily access needed medications at prices they can afford.

Medicare Reform. The Assuring Medicares Promise Act (H.R. 34) and The Medicare and Social Security Fair Share Act (S. 1174 and H.R. 4535): Proposals to close the loophole for wealthy individuals who bypass paying net investment income tax (NIIT) and directing the revenue to the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, which pays for Medicare Part A that covers inpatient care in hospitals, and to the Social Security Trust Funds.

Medicare Dental Coverage. The Medicare Dental Benefit Act (S. 2012 and H.R. 4146): Proposal to add a dental benefit to Medicare.

Medicare Hearing Coverage. The Medicare Hearing Aid Coverage Act of 2021 (H.R. 244): Proposal to expand Medicare coverage to include hearing aids and services for seniors under Medicare Part B.

Medicare call center (No bill): Proposal to address the poor working conditions of the call center workers employed by Maximus, a federal contractor with the Department of Health and Humans Services/Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services) HHS/CMS.

Public Health Emergency (No bill): Proposals to ensure the transition out of the public health emergency doesnt create enrollment or coverage gaps for Medicare eligible individuals.

Medicare Advantage (MA). (No bill): Proposals to create transparency around Medicare Advantage plans using prior authorization and supplemental benefits that are not offered under traditional Medicare.

Medicare Advantage. (No bill): Proposals to apply a higher coding adjustment factor to fully account for intensive upcoding by MA plans and to exclude certain information for MA risk adjustment scores and payments; to use two years of traditional Medicare and MA diagnostic data for calculating MA risk-adjusted payments; and to promulgate more fundamental changes to the Hierarchical Condition Category (HCC) risk adjustment model.

Medicare Privatization (No bill): Proposals to create reimbursement policies in traditional Medicare that mimic those used by private health insurance plans.

Medicaid Home And Community-Based Services. The HCBS Access Act (H.R. 1493 and S. 762): Proposals to make home and community-based services (HCBS) a mandatory benefit within Medicaid, and to ensure eligible older adults and people with disabilities have the option to choose between home care and institutional care.

Caregiving. The Alleviating Barriers to Caregiving Act (H.R. 8018 and S. 3109): Proposal to require the Secretaries of HHS and SSA to review and streamline enrollment in coverage and benefits for family caregivers in Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP and Social Security.

Medicare and Medicaid Nursing Homes. The Nursing Home Disclosure Act (H.R. 177): Proposal to direct HHS to establish a national registry of medical directors.

Medicare, Medicaid Nursing Homes. The Protecting Americas Seniors Access to Care Act (H.R. 7513 and S. 3410): Proposal to prohibit the HHS Secretary from promulgating national staffing standards in nursing homes.

Medicare, Medicaid Nursing Homes. (H.J. Res. 139 and S.J. Res. 91): Proposal to use the Congressional Review Act to disapprove the HHS Secretarys final rule promulgating national staffing standards in nursing homes

Medicare, Medicaid Nursing Homes, Assisted Living and Other Long Term Care Services and Supports (LTSS) Settings. The Long-Term Care Workforce Support Act (H.R. 7994 and S. 4120): Proposal to increase the number of direct care professionals, including in rural communities; pathways to enter and be supported in the workforce for women, people of color, and people with disabilities; and to improve compensation for direct care professionals to reduce vacancies and turnover.

Medicare and Medicaid Nursing Home Ownership. (No bill): A proposed final HHS regulation for comprehensive ownership disclosure in the nursing home sector issued on November 17th, 2023. Rule calls for strengthened cost reporting requirements, together with ongoing national analyses and monitoring of the performance of the nursing home sector that uses ownership, staffing, cost report data and inspection data.

Medicare and Medicaid Nursing Home Staffing. (No bill): Final regulations establishing national staffing standards in nursing homes that would safeguard the health and safety of all elderly and disabled residents.

Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS). (No bill): Proposal to request that CMS collect standardized LTSS expenditure data annually from every state and across all LTSS programs and for disaggregation of expenditure data by the delivery system and demographic characteristics in order to identify disparities in access and use of LTSS and help states and CMS deploy targeted strategies to meet the needs of older adults and people with disabilities.

17. House(s) of Congress and Federal agencies Check if None

U.S. SENATE, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services - Dept of (HHS), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Administration on Aging, Executive Office of the President (EOP), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Commerce - Dept of (DOC)

18. Name of each individual who acted as a lobbyist in this issue area

19. Interest of each foreign entity in the specific issues listed on line 16 above Check if None

​

LOBBYING ACTIVITY. Select as many codes as necessary to reflect the general issue areas in which the registrant engaged in lobbying on behalf of the client during the reporting period. Using a separate page for each code, provide information as requested. Add additional page(s) as needed.

15. General issue area code RET

16. Specific lobbying issues

Older Americans Act Reauthorization. (No bill): Proposals to reauthorize the Older Americans Act (OAA) of 1965 and to increase the authorization of appropriations for OAA programs, which is the major federal discretionary funding source for home and community-based services for older adults and their caregivers. Programs supported through the OAA include home-delivered and congregate nutrition services, in-home supportive services, transportation, caregiver support, community service employment, health and wellness programs, the long-term care ombudsman program, services to prevent the abuse, neglect, and exploitation of older adults, and other supportive services.

Social Security Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA). The Fair COLA for Seniors Act (H.R. 716) and the Social Security Cost of Living Increase Act (H.R. 1688): Proposals to adopt the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E) for the purpose of determining COLAs for Social Security beneficiaries; the Boosting Benefits and COLAs for Seniors Act (S. 3974): Proposal to calculate COLAs using the current Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) or the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E), whichever is greater.

Social Security Expansion. The Social Security 2100 Act (H.R. 4583 and S. 2280): Proposals to improve benefits and to strengthen Social Security's financing by altering the payroll tax cap, among other changes. The Social Security Expansion Act (S. 393 and H.R. 1046): Proposals to enhance Social Security benefits and ensure the long-term solvency of the Social Security program. The Strengthening Social Security Act (H.R. 3261): Legislation to extend the solvency of the Social Security Trust Funds and improve benefits; The Safeguarding American Families & Expanding Social Security Act (No bill): Various provisions updating and modernizing Social Security benefits and extending solvency of the Social Security Trust Funds. The Protecting and Preserving Social Security Act (No bill): Proposals to adopt the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E) for the purpose of determining COLAs for Social Security beneficiaries and to ensure the long-term solvency of the Social Security program by altering the payroll tax cap. The Protecting Our Widows and Widowers in Retirement Act (H.R. 3926): Proposals to improve benefits for widows and widowers in two-income households; the Surviving Widow(er) Income Fair Treatment Act (SWIFT Act) (S. 2741): Proposal to increase survivors benefits for disabled widows, widowers, and surviving divorced spouses.

Social Security Funding. The Medicare and Social Security Fair Share Act (H.R. 4535 and S. 1174): Legislation to close the loophole for wealthy individuals who bypass paying the net investment income tax (NIIT) and directing the revenue to the Social Security Trust Funds and to the Hospital Insurance Fund, which pays for Medicare Part A that covers inpatient care in hospitals.

Social Security Privatization and Benefit Cuts. (No bill): Proposals to borrow funds to invest in the stock market, to raise the Social Security retirement age and to cut Social Security benefits for future retirees promoted by Senator Bill Cassidy and Senator Angus King.

Caregiver Social Security Credits. The Social Security Caregiver Credits Act (S. 1211 and H.R. 3729): Proposal to provide Social Security wage credits for individuals who reduce their participation in the workforce or leave the workforce to provide care to specified family members and relatives.

Social Security Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision. The Social Security Fairness Act of 2023 (H.R. 82 and S. 597) and the Public Servants Protection and Fairness Act (H.R. 4260): Proposals to repeal or modify the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision.

Social Security Notch. (No bill): Proposals to ensure that Social Security benefits for individuals born in 1960 and 1961 are not reduced as a result of the coronavirus-related drop in the average wage index.

Protecting Seniors from Garnishment. (No bill): Proposal to protect Social Security beneficiaries from having their Social Security benefits garnished to recover unpaid student loans.

Social Security Disability Insurance Claim Adjudication. (No bill): Proposal to nullify the rule finalized by the Social Security Administration on November 16, 2020, that outlines when its administrative appeals judges may hold hearings and issue decisions on individual cases. Currently, these judges serve an appellate function where they review, at the request of Social Security claimants, the decisions of the administrative law judges who issue decisions in individual cases.

Social Security Overpayments. (No bill): Proposals to protect retirees, survivors and people with disabilities from being forced to repay extra Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits they received through no fault of their own.

Strengthening Beneficiaries Rights. (No bill): Various proposals relating to the protection and rights available to Social Security and Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries.

Social Security Benefit Statements. The Know Your Social Security Act (No bill): Proposal to implement section 1143 of the Social Security Act by clarifying the Social Security Administration is required to mail annual benefit statements to all workers over age 25.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Program. The Supplemental Security Income Restoration Act (H.R. 7138 and S. 2767): Legislation to strengthen and restore the SSI program.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Program. The SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act (S. 2767 and H.R. 5408): Proposal to amend title XVI of the Social Security Act to update the resource limit for Supplemental Security Income eligibility. The Fairness in Social Security Act (H.R. 4348): Proposal to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exclude the portion of a lump-sum Social Security benefit payment that relates to periods prior to the taxable year from the determination of household income as it relates to SSI eligibility.

Retirement Plan Distribution: IRS Notice relating to Use of an Electronic Medium to Make Participant Elections and Spousal Consents (RIN 1545-Bq50).

House Committee on Aging. (H. Res. 1029): A Resolution amending the Rules of the House to reestablish a Permanent Select Committee on Aging.

Retirement Plan Fiduciary Rule: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Office of Regulations and Interpretations - RIN 1210-AC02; Application No. D-12057; Application No. D-12060. Supporting the Department of Labor proposed regulation to modernize the fiduciary rule to strengthen protections for retirement investors who seek professional investment advice; (H.J. Res 142 and S.J. Res 79): Opposing resolutions providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to "Retirement Security Rule: Definition of an Investment Advice Fiduciary".

Social Security Administration. The Improving Social Securitys Service to Victims of Identity Theft Act (H.R. 3765 and H.R. 3784): Proposal to improve Social Security's service to victims of identity theft by requiring the Social Security Administration to provide a single point of contact for any individual whose Social Security account number has been misused.

Social Security Administration. Comments in support of Omitting Food from In-Kind Support and Maintenance Calculations, Docket No. SSA-2021-0014; Comments in support of Expanding the Rental Subsidy, Docket No. SSA-2023-0010; Comments in support of Intermediate Improvement to the Disability Adjudication Process Including How We Consider Past Work, Docket No. SSA-2023-0024; Comments in support of Rulemaking Expanding the Definition of a Public Assistance Household, Docket No. SSA-2023-0015; Comments supporting and strengthening rule regarding the Use of Electronic Payroll Data to Improve Program Administration, Docket No. SSA-2016-0039.

Womens Retirement Security. The Womens Retirement Protection Act (S. 2627 and H.R. 5060): bill to amend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to provide for greater spousal protection under defined contribution plans.

Food Security for Seniors. Farm bill reauthorization (The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024, H.R. 8467; No Senate bill): opposing any cuts to future Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits or other harmful policies that would worsen the problem of hunger for Americas older adults and other food insecure individuals.

17. House(s) of Congress and Federal agencies Check if None

U.S. SENATE, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Social Security Administration (SSA), Administration on Aging, Executive Office of the President (EOP), Justice - Dept of (DOJ), Labor - Dept of (DOL), Treasury - Dept of

18. Name of each individual who acted as a lobbyist in this issue area

19. Interest of each foreign entity in the specific issues listed on line 16 above Check if None

​

LOBBYING ACTIVITY. Select as many codes as necessary to reflect the general issue areas in which the registrant engaged in lobbying on behalf of the client during the reporting period. Using a separate page for each code, provide information as requested. Add additional page(s) as needed.

15. General issue area code GOV

16. Specific lobbying issues

Social Security and Medicare Trust Fund Committees. The Fiscal Commission Act (H.R. 5779), the Fiscal Sustainability Act (S. 3262), the Sustainable Budget Act of 2022 (H.R. 710): Proposals to establish fiscal commissions to make recommendations that would likely include cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits and would be fast-tracked through Congress outside of the regular legislative process.

Voting Rights. (No bill): Proposals to require states to give every voter the option to vote by mail; and to require prepaid postage for all election materials and state-provided drop boxes for federal elections.

17. House(s) of Congress and Federal agencies Check if None

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, U.S. SENATE

18. Name of each individual who acted as a lobbyist in this issue area

19. Interest of each foreign entity in the specific issues listed on line 16 above Check if None

​

LOBBYING ACTIVITY. Select as many codes as necessary to reflect the general issue areas in which the registrant engaged in lobbying on behalf of the client during the reporting period. Using a separate page for each code, provide information as requested. Add additional page(s) as needed.

15. General issue area code CIV

16. Specific lobbying issues

Age Discrimination. The Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act (POWADA) (S. 1030, H.R. 6581): Proposal to restore the standard of proof in age discrimination cases to the pre-2009 level and treat age discrimination as unjust as other forms of employment discrimination; The Protecting Older Job Applicants (POJA) Act (H.R. 3491): Prohibits employers from limiting, segregating or classifying job applicants based on an applicants age.

17. House(s) of Congress and Federal agencies Check if None

U.S. SENATE, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

18. Name of each individual who acted as a lobbyist in this issue area

19. Interest of each foreign entity in the specific issues listed on line 16 above Check if None

​

Information Update Page - Complete ONLY where registration information has changed.

20. Client new address

21. Client new principal place of business (if different than line 20)

22. New General description of client’s business or activities

LOBBYIST UPDATE

23. Name of each previously reported individual who is no longer expected to act as a lobbyist for the client

ISSUE UPDATE

24. General lobbying issue that no longer pertains

AFFILIATED ORGANIZATIONS

25. Add the following affiliated organization(s)

Internet Address:

26. Name of each previously reported organization that is no longer affiliated with the registrant or client

FOREIGN ENTITIES

27. Add the following foreign entities:

28. Name of each previously reported foreign entity that no longer owns, or controls, or is affiliated with the registrant, client or affiliated organization

CONVICTIONS DISCLOSURE

29. Have any of the lobbyists listed on this report been convicted in a Federal or State Court of an offense involving bribery, extortion, embezzlement, an illegal kickback, tax evasion, fraud, a conflict of interest, making a false statement, perjury, or money laundering?
No Yes