§274f Reimbursement of Travel and Subsistence Expenses Incurred Toward Living Organ Donation

Summary

The Secretary may give grants to states, transplant centers, qualified organ procurement organizations under section 273, or other public or private groups to pay back travel and living costs for people who donate an organ while alive and to cover other small nonmedical costs the Secretary allows. The program must favor donors who are unlikely to be able to pay these costs. Grant recipients must not look at the organ recipient’s income when they reimburse a donor. The Secretary can also cover people who in good faith spent money preparing to donate but did not complete the donation, and can pay the same types of expenses for up to two relatives or helpers who accompany the donor. Grants cannot pay expenses already paid, or reasonably expected to be paid, by state compensation programs, insurance, federal or state health benefits, or prepaid health plans. "Donating individuals" means people who make living donations (and those described above). "Qualifying expenses" means the travel, subsistence, and allowed incidental nonmedical costs. There was authorization for $5,000,000 for each fiscal year 2005 through 2009. Beginning in fiscal year 2027, by December 31 each year the Secretary must prepare, send to Congress, and publish a report on whether the grants had enough money in the prior fiscal year to fully reimburse all donors. The report must estimate how many donors did not get full reimbursement and say how much money would be needed to pay them in full.