Description:
S. 2401 would reauthorize and amend programs authorized by the Assistive Technology Act of 1998 (ATA), including grants to states to provide support to people with disabilities. Although the authorization of appropriations for those programs expired at the end of 2010, the Department of Health and Human Services has continued to allocate funds for them, including $37.5 million in 2021. The bill would authorize the appropriation of $60 million in 2022 and the appropriation of whatever amounts are necessary for each year from 2023 through 2026 to help people with disabilities access assistive technology (e.g., wheelchairs, modified driving controls) and services that increase their functional capabilities. The bill also would amend the ATA to adjust the formula for distributing funds among states. For this estimate, CBO assumes that S. 2401 will be enacted in calendar year 2022 and that the authorized and estimated amounts will be appropriated in each year. For years after 2022, CBO estimates the authorization amounts by increasing the amount that would be authorized for 2022 consistent with the inflation rates that underlie CBO’s July 2021 baseline. Estimated outlays are based on historical spending patterns for existing or similar programs. On that basis, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost $248 million over the 2022-2026 period. The costs of the legislation, detailed in Table 1, fall within budget function 500 (education, training, employment, and social services).
