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) 2024 Budget (No bill): Proposals in the Biden Administrations FY 2024 budget proposal submitted to Congress, specifically on 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, Older Americans Act programs, State Health Insurance Assistance Program funding, the Community Service Employment Program, the Social Services Block Grant, the Community Services Block Grant, and the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

Appropriations. Making appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024 (S. 2624, H.R. 5894): 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 the Presidents funding level, 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 Community Service Employment Program, the Social Services Block Grant, the Community Services Block Grant, and the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

Appropriations. Continuing Appropriations Act, 2024, and other Extensions Act (H.R. 5860); Continuing Appropriations and Border Security Act (H.R. 5525): 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 the Presidents funding level, including appropriation of SSA requested funding anomaly in any Continuing Resolution, restoration of Social Security statement mailings to all workers, providing sufficient funds for SSA field offices, Older Americans Act programs, State Health Insurance Assistance Program funding, the Community Service Employment Program, the Social Services Block Grant, the Community Services Block Grant, and the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, and opposing the establishment of an entitlement or fiscal commission.

Debt limit. Proposals to increase or suspend the national debt limit with no additional provisions (clean debt limit); Limit, Save, Grow Act (H.R. 2811), specifically provisions reducing the Limitation on Administrative Expenses (LAE) for the Social Security Administration and funding for programs administered under the Older Americans Act; the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (H.R. 3726 became P.L. 118-5), specifically provisions funding SSA and programs relating to older Americans.

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

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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. Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2023 (H.R. 5138): 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. 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. 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 raise the income threshold for the low-income subsidy.

Medicare Prescription Drugs. Affordable Pricing for Taxpayer-Funded Prescription Drugs Act of 2023 (H.R. 3093): Proposes 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 with, based on specified criteria, large economies and high incomes.

Medicare Prescription Drugs. (No bill) Supported an administrative 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) Supported HHS promulgating 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) Supported increased funding for LIS outreach and enrollment, so that low-income beneficiaries can more readily access needed medications at prices they can afford.

Medicare Reform. Assuring Medicares Promise Act (H.R. 34) and 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 Fund, which pays for Medicare Part A that covers inpatient care in hospitals, and to the Social Security Trust Funds.

Medicare Dental Coverage. 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 Part B of the Medicare program.

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

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. Inflation Reduction Act (Public Law No: 117-169): Proposals to expand Medicaid home and community-based services and the Medicare savings programs.

Medicaid Home And Community-Based Services. 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.

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

Medicare and Medicaid Nursing Home Ownership. (No bill) Supporting the final HHS regulations for comprehensive ownership disclosure in the nursing home sector issued on November 17th, 2023. Calling 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) Support for CMS to promulgate improved final regulations for 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): 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

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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) Support for funding increases for the OAA, 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 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.

Social Security Expansion. The Social Security 2100 Act: A Sacred Trust (H.R. 4583): 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): A bill to enhance Social Security benefits and ensure the long-term solvency of the Social Security program. 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. Protecting and Preserving Social Security Act (No bill): A bill 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. Protecting Our Widows and Widowers in Retirement Act (H.R. 3926): a bill to improve benefits for widows and widowers in two-income households; Surviving Widow(er) Income Fair Treatment Act (SWIFT Act) (S. 2741): legislation increase survivors benefits for disabled widows, widowers, and surviving divorced spouses.

Social Security Funding. Medicare and Social Security Fair Share Act (H.R. 4535, S. 1174): Legislation to close the loophole for wealthy individuals who bypass paying 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.

Fairness in Social Security Act (H.R. 4348): 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.

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): 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 (H.R. 4143 and S. 2204): Legislation 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 (No bill): Legislation to strengthen and restore the SSI program.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Program. SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act (S. 2767 and H.R. 5408): bills to amend title XVI of the Social Security Act to update the resource limit for supplemental security income 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. (No bill): 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 modernization of the fiduciary rule to strengthen protections for retirement investors who seek professional investment advice.

Social Security Administration. The Improving Social Securitys Service to Victims of Identity Theft Act (H.R. 3765, H.R. 3784): Improving 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.

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

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

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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

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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

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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