42 U.S.C. § 246 — Grants and services to States

**(a) Comprehensive health planning and services** (1) In order to assist the States in comprehensive and continuing planning for their current and future health needs, the Secretary is authorized during the period beginning July 1, 1966, and ending June 30, 1973, to make grants to States which have submitted, and had approved by the Secretary, State plans for comprehensive State health planning. For the purposes of carrying out this subsection, there are hereby authorized to be appropriated $2,500,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1967, $7,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1968, $10,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1969, $15,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1970, $15,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1971, $17,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1972, $20,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1973, and $10,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1974. (2) In order to be approved for purposes of this subsection, a State plan for comprehensive State health planning must— (A) designate, or provide for the establishment of, a single State agency, which may be an interdepartmental agency, as the sole agency for administering or supervising the administration of the State’s health planning functions under the plan; (B) provide for the establishment of a State health planning council, which shall include representatives of Federal, State, and local agencies (including as an ex officio member, if there is located in such State one or more hospitals or other health care facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the individual whom the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall have designated to serve on such council as the representative of the hospitals or other health care facilities of such Department which are located in such State) and nongovernmental organizations and groups concerned with health (including representation of the regional medical program or programs included in whole or in part within the State), and of consumers of health services, to advise such State agency in carrying out its functions under the plan, and a majority of the membership of such council shall consist of representatives of consumers of health services; (C) set forth policies and procedures for the expenditure of funds under the plan, which, in the judgment of the Secretary, are designed to provide for comprehensive State planning for health services (both public and private and including home health care), including the facilities and persons required for the provision of such services, to meet the health needs of the people of the State and including environmental considerations as they relate to public health; (D) provide for encouraging cooperative efforts among governmental or nongovernmental agencies, organizations and groups concerned with health services, facilities, or manpower, and for cooperative efforts between such agencies, organizations, and groups and similar agencies, organizations, and groups in the fields of education, welfare, and rehabilitation; (E) contain or be supported by assurances satisfactory to the Secretary that the funds paid under this subsection will be used to supplement and, to the extent practicable, to increase the level of funds that would otherwise be made available by the State for the purpose of comprehensive health planning and not to supplant such non-Federal funds; (F) provide such methods of administration (including methods relating to the establishment and maintenance of personnel standards on a merit basis, except that the Secretary shall exercise no authority with respect to the selection, tenure of office, and compensation of any individual employed in accordance with such methods) as are found by the Secretary to be necessary for the proper and efficient operation of the plan; (G) provide that the State agency will make such reports, in such form and containing such information, as the Secretary may from time to time reasonably require, and will keep such records and afford such access thereto as the Secretary finds necessary to assure the correctness and verification of such reports; (H) provide that the State agency will from time to time, but not less often than annually, review its State plan approved under this subsection and submit to the Secretary appropriate modifications thereof; (I) effective July 1, 1968, (i) provide for assisting each health care facility in the State to develop a program for capital expenditures for replacement, modernization, and expansion which is consistent with an overall State plan developed in accordance with criteria established by the Secretary after consultation with the State which will meet the needs of the State for health care facilities, equipment, and services without duplication and otherwise in the most efficient and economical manner, and (ii) provide that the State agency furnishing such assistance will periodically review the program (developed pursuant to clause (i)) of each health care facility in the State and recommend appropriate modification thereof; (J) provide for such fiscal control and fund accounting procedures as may be necessary to assure proper disbursement of and accounting for funds paid to the State under this subsection; and (K) contain such additional information and assurances as the Secretary may find necessary to carry out the purposes of this subsection. (3) (A) From the sums appropriated for such purpose for each fiscal year, the several States shall be entitled to allotments determined, in accordance with regulations, on the basis of the population and the per capita income of the respective States; except that no such allotment to any State for any fiscal year shall be less than 1 per centum of the sum appropriated for such fiscal year pursuant to paragraph (1). Any such allotment to a State for a fiscal year shall remain available for obligation by the State, in accordance with the provisions of this subsection and the State’s plan approved thereunder, until the close of the succeeding fiscal year. (B) The amount of any allotment to a State under subparagraph (A) for any fiscal year which the Secretary determines will not be required by the State, during the period for which it is available, for the purposes for which allotted shall be available for reallotment by the Secretary from time to time, on such date or dates as he may fix, to other States with respect to which such a determination has not been made, in proportion to the original allotments to such States under subparagraph (A) for such fiscal year, but with such proportionate amount for any of such other States being reduced to the extent it exceeds the sum the Secretary estimates such State needs and will be able to use during such period; and the total of such reductions shall be similarly reallotted among the States whose proportionate amounts were not so reduced. Any amount so reallotted to a State from funds appropriated pursuant to this subsection for a fiscal year shall be deemed part of its allotment under subparagraph (A) for such fiscal year. (4) From each State’s allotment for a fiscal year under this subsection, the State shall from time to time be paid the Federal share of the expenditures incurred during that year or the succeeding year pursuant to its State plan approved under this subsection. Such payments shall be made on the basis of estimates by the Secretary of the sums the State will need in order to perform the planning under its approved State plan under this subsection, but with such adjustments as may be necessary to take account of previously made underpayments or overpayments. The “Federal share” for any State for purposes of this subsection shall be all, or such part as the Secretary may determine, of the cost of such planning, except that in the case of the allotments for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1970, it shall not exceed 75 per centum of such cost. **(b) Project grants for areawide health planning; authorization of appropriations; prerequisites for grants; application; contents** (1) (A) The Secretary is authorized, during the period beginning July 1, 1966, and ending June 30, 1974, to make, with the approval of the State agency administering or supervising the administration of the State plan approved under subsection (a), project grants to any other public or nonprofit private agency or organization (but with appropriate representation of the interests of local government where the recipient of the grant is not a local government or combination thereof or an agency of such government or combination) to cover not to exceed 75 per centum of the costs of projects for developing (and from time to time revising) comprehensive regional, metropolitan area, or other local area plans for coordination of existing and planned health services, including the facilities and persons required for provision of such services; and including the provision of such services through home health care; except that in the case of project grants made in any State prior to July 1, 1968, approval of such State agency shall be required only if such State has such a State plan in effect at the time of such grants. No grant may be made under this subsection after June 30, 1970, to any agency or organization to develop or revise health plans for an area unless the Secretary determines that such agency or organization provides means for appropriate representation of the interests of the hospitals, other health care facilities, and practicing physicians serving such area, and the general public. For the purposes of carrying out this subsection, there are hereby authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1967, $7,500,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1968, $10,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1969, $15,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1970, $20,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1971, $30,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1972, $40,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1973, and $25,100,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1974. (B) Project grants may be made by the Secretary under subparagraph (A) to the State agency administering or supervising the administration of the State plan approved under subsection (a) with respect to a particular region or area, but only if (i) no application for such a grant with respect to such region or area has been filed by any other agency or organization qualified to receive such a grant, and (ii) such State agency certifies, and the Secretary finds, that ample opportunity has been afforded to qualified agencies and organizations to file application for such a grant with respect to such region or area and that it is improbable that, in the foreseeable future, any agency or organization which is qualified for such a grant will file application therefor. (2) (A) In order to be approved under this subsection, an application for a grant under this subsection must contain or be supported by reasonable assurances that there has been or will be established, in or for the area with respect to which such grant is sought, an areawide health planning council. The membership of such council shall include representatives of public, voluntary, and nonprofit private agencies, institutions, and organizations concerned with health (including representatives of the interests of local government of the regional medical program for such area, and of consumers of health services). A majority of the members of such council shall consist of representatives of consumers of health services. (B) In addition, an application for a grant under this subsection must contain or be supported by reasonable assurances that the areawide health planning agency has made provision for assisting health care facilities in its area to develop a program for capital expenditures for replacement, modernization, and expansion which is consistent with an overall State plan which will meet the needs of the State and the area for health care facilities, equipment, and services without duplication and otherwise in the most efficient and economical manner. **(c) Project grants for training, studies, and demonstrations; authorization of appropriations** The Secretary is also authorized, during the period beginning July 1, 1966, and ending June 30, 1974, to make grants to any public or nonprofit private agency, institution, or other organization to cover all or any part of the cost of projects for training, studies, or demonstrations looking toward the development of improved or more effective comprehensive health planning throughout the Nation. For the purposes of carrying out this subsection, there are hereby authorized to be appropriated $1,500,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1967, $2,500,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1968, $5,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1969, $7,500,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1970, $8,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1971, $10,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1972, $12,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1973, and $4,700,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1974.