Sec. 203. Mental health provider student loan forgiveness
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Part F of title VII of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 295h ) is amended— by amending the part heading to read as follows: ; Substance use disorder treatment and mental health workforce loan repayment programs in section 781(e)(2), by striking 338I, or 846 and inserting 338I, 782, or 846 ; and by adding at the end the following: The Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, (in this section referred to as the Secretary ) shall carry out a program under which— the Secretary enters into agreements with individuals to make payments in accordance with subsection
(b)on the principal of and interest on any eligible loan; and the individuals each agree to the requirements of service in mental health services employment, as described in subsection (d). For each year of obligated service by an individual pursuant to an agreement under subsection (a), the Secretary shall make a payment to such individual as follows: The Secretary shall pay— for each year of obligated service by an individual pursuant to an agreement under subsection (a), 1/6 of the principal of and interest on each eligible loan of the individual which is outstanding on the date the individual began service pursuant to the agreement; and for completion of the sixth and final year of such service, the remainder of such principal and interest. The total amount of payments under this section to any individual shall not exceed $75,000. The loans eligible for repayment under this section are each of the following: Any loan for education or training for a substance use disorder treatment employment. Any loan under part E of title VIII (relating to nursing student loans). Any Federal Direct Stafford Loan, Federal Direct PLUS Loan, Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, or Federal Direct Consolidation Loan (as such terms are used in section 455 of the Higher Education Act of 1965). Any Federal Perkins Loan under part E of title I of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Any other Federal loan as determined appropriate by the Secretary. Any individual receiving payments under this program as required by an agreement under subsection
(a)shall agree to an annual commitment to full-time employment, with no more than 1 year passing between any 2 years of covered employment, in mental health services employment in the United States in a Mental Health Professional Shortage Area, as designated under section 332. No borrower may, for the same service, receive a reduction of loan obligations or a loan repayment under both— this section; and any federally supported loan forgiveness program, including under section 338B, 338I, 781, or 846 of this Act, or section 428J, 428L, 455(m), or 460 of the Higher Education Act of 1965. The Secretary may establish a liquidated damages formula to be used in the event of a breach of an agreement entered into under subsection (a). The failure by an individual to complete the full period of service obligated pursuant to such an agreement, taken alone, shall not constitute a breach of the agreement, so long as the individual completed in good faith the years of service for which payments were made to the individual under this section. The Secretary— may establish such criteria and rules to carry out this section as the Secretary determines are needed and in addition to the criteria and rules specified in this section; and shall give notice to the committees specified in subsection
(h)of any criteria and rules so established. Not later than 5 years after the date of enactment of this section, and every other year thereafter, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a report on— the number and location of borrowers who have qualified for loan repayments under this section; and the impact of this section on the availability of substance use disorder treatment employees nationally and in shortage areas and counties described in subsection (d). In this section: The term community-based organization includes, except as otherwise provided by the Secretary, a nonprofit community-based organization, a consortium of nonprofit community-based organizations, a national nonprofit organization acting as an intermediary for a community-based organization, or a community-based organization that has a fiscal sponsor that allows the organization to function as an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of such Code. The terms Indian tribe and tribal organization have the meanings given those terms in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. The term mental health services employment means full-time employment (including a fellowship)— where the primary intent and function of the position is the direct treatment or recovery support of patients with or in recovery from a diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder, including master’s level social workers, psychologists, counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychiatric mental health practitioners, child and adolescent psychiatrists, occupational therapists, psychology doctoral interns, behavioral health paraprofessionals and physicians, physician assistants, and nurses, who are licensed or certified in accordance with applicable State and Federal laws; and which is located at a mental health treatment program, private physician practice, hospital or health system-affiliated inpatient treatment center or outpatient clinic (including an academic medical center-affiliated treatment program), correctional facility or program, youth detention center or program, inpatient psychiatric facility, crisis stabilization unit, community health center, community mental health or other specialty community behavioral health center, recovery center, school, community-based organization, telehealth platform, migrant health center, health program or facility operated by an Indian tribe or tribal organization, Federal medical facility, or any other facility as determined appropriate for purposes of this section by the Secretary. The term municipality means a city, town, or other public body created by or pursuant to State law, or an Indian tribe. .
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Sec. 203
Mental health provider student loan forgiveness
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