What This Bill Does
This bill changes a federal loan repayment program to help more people work in substance use disorder treatment and mental health jobs. The program pays back student loans for workers who agree to work in areas that don't have enough mental health professionals.
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Who It Affects
People who work or want to work as mental health professionals or substance use disorder treatment workers. The federal government agency that runs the loan repayment program. Areas with shortages of mental health professionals.
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Key Provisions
• Workers can now get loan repayment help if they agree to work in a "mental health professional shortage area" (areas where the government says there aren't enough mental health workers) (Sec. 2(1))
• The program now pays for loans used to get a master's degree, doctoral degree, or post-doctoral training in mental health or related fields from an accredited college (Sec. 2(2))
• Workers who treat substance use disorders must work full-time in areas with high drug overdose death rates or in mental health shortage areas, with no more than 1 year off between any 2 years of work (Sec. 2(3))
• Mental health professionals (such as psychologists, social workers, counselors, therapists, psychiatric nurses, and psychiatrists) can work up to 6 years in mental health shortage areas or other facilities the Secretary decides need more mental health workers (Sec. 2(3))
• Funding increases to $50,000,000 per year for fiscal years 2023 through 2032 (Sec. 2(7))
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What Changes
Workers in substance use disorder treatment now have a second option to qualify for loan repayment: they can work in either areas with high drug overdose death rates or in mental health shortage areas. Mental health professionals (beyond just substance use disorder workers) can now participate in the loan repayment program. The program now covers loans for master's degrees, doctoral degrees, and post-doctoral training in mental health fields. Funding for the program doubles and extends through 2032.
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Important Definitions
"Behavioral and mental health professional" means health service psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, licensed professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychiatric nurse specialists, and psychiatrists (Sec. 2(6))
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Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
II
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 462
To amend the Public Health Service Act to modify the loan repayment
program for the substance use disorder treatment workforce to relieve
workforce shortages.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
FEBRUARY 16, 2023
Ms. SMITH (for herself, Ms. MURKOWSKI, and Ms. HASSAN) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to modify the loan
repayment program for the substance use disorder treat-
ment workforce to relieve workforce shortages.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Mental Health Profes-
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sionals Workforce Shortage Loan Repayment Act of
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2023’’.
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•S 462 IS
SEC. 2. LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM FOR SUBSTANCE USE
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DISORDER TREATMENT WORKFORCE.
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Section 781 of the Public Health Service Act (42
3
U.S.C. 295h) is amended—
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(1) In subsection (a)(2), by inserting ‘‘, or the
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individuals each agree to complete a period of service
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in a mental health professional shortage area’’ be-
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fore the period;
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(2) in subsection (c)—
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(A)
by
redesignating
paragraphs
(2)
10
through (5) as paragraphs (3) through (6), re-
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spectively; and
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(B) by inserting after paragraph (1), the
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following:
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‘‘(2) Any loan used for obtaining a degree from
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an accredited institution of higher education for edu-
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cation in mental health or a related field leading to
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a master’s degree, leading to a doctoral degree, or
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consisting of post-doctoral study.’’;
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(3) by striking subsection (d) and inserting the
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following:
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‘‘(d) REQUIREMENTS OF SERVICE.—Any individual
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receiving payments under this program as required by an
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agreement under subsection (a) shall agree—
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‘‘(1) to an annual commitment to full-time em-
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ployment, with no more than 1 year passing between
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•S 462 IS
any 2 years of covered employment, in substance use
1
disorder treatment employment in the United States
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in—
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‘‘(A) a Mental Health Professional Short-
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age Area, as designated under section 332; or
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‘‘(B) a county (or a municipality, if not
6
contained within any county) where the mean
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drug overdose death rate per 100,000 people
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over the past 3 years for which official data is
9
available from the State, is higher than the
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most recent available national average overdose
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death rate per 100,000 people, as reported by
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the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
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or
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‘‘(2) to up to 6 years of full-time employment,
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with no more than 1 year passing between any 2
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years of covered employment, as a behavioral or
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mental health professional in the United States in—
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‘‘(A) a mental health professional shortage
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area of greatest need, as determined by the
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Secretary for the purposes of this section, as
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designated under section 332; or
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‘‘(B) any facility, program, center, or clinic
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as determined appropriate by the Secretary for
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purposes of this section because of a shortage
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of mental health professionals, including private
1
physician practices and other medical facilities
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designated under section 332(a) as having such
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a shortage.’’;
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(4) in subsection (e)(2), by inserting ‘‘338B,
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338I, or 846 of this Act, section’’ after ‘‘under sec-
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tion’’;
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(5) in subsection (h)(2), by inserting ‘‘and be-
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havioral and mental health services employees’’ after
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‘‘treatment employees’’;
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(6) in subsection (i)—
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(A)
by
redesignating
paragraphs
(1)
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through (3) as paragraphs (2) through (4), re-
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spectively; and
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(B) by inserting before paragraph (2) (as
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so redesignated), the following:
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‘‘(1) The term ‘behavioral and mental health
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professional’ means health service psychologists, li-
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censed clinical social workers, licensed professional
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counselors, marriage and family therapists, psy-
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chiatric nurse specialists, and psychiatrists.’’; and
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(7) in subsection (j). by striking ‘‘$25,000,000
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for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023’’ and in-
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serting ‘‘$50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023
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through 2032’’.
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Æ
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