§ 1094. Licensure requirement for health-care professionals

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(1)A person under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of a military department may not provide health care independently as a health-care professional under this chapter unless the person has a current license to provide such care. In the case of a physician, the physician may not provide health care as a physician under this chapter unless the current license is an unrestricted license that is not subject to limitation on the scope of practice ordinarily granted to other physicians for a similar specialty by the jurisdiction that granted the license.

(2)The Secretary of Defense may waive paragraph

(1)with respect to any person in unusual circumstances. The Secretary shall prescribe by regulation the circumstances under which such a waiver may be granted.

(b)The commanding officer of each health care facility of the Department of Defense shall ensure that each person who provides health care independently as a health-care professional at the facility meets the requirement of subsection (a).

(1)A person (other than a person subject to chapter 47 of this title) who provides health care in violation of subsection

(a)is subject to a civil money penalty of not more than $5,000.

(2)The provisions of subsections

(c)and

(e)through

(h)of section 1128A of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320a–7a) shall apply to the imposition of a civil money penalty under paragraph

(1)in the same manner as they apply to the imposition of a civil money penalty under that section, except that for purposes of this subsection—

(A)a reference to the Secretary in that section is deemed a reference to the Secretary of Defense; and

(B)a reference to a claimant in subsection

(e)of that section is deemed a reference to the person described in paragraph (1).

(1)Notwithstanding any law regarding the licensure of health care providers, a health-care professional described in paragraph (2), (3), or

(4)may practice the health profession or professions of the health-care professional at any location in any State, the District of Columbia, or a Commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States, regardless of where such health-care professional or the patient are located, so long as the practice is within the scope of the authorized Federal duties.

(2)A health-care professional referred to in paragraph

(1)as being described in this paragraph is a member of the armed forces, civilian employee of the Department of Defense, personal services contractor under section 1091 of this title, contractor not covered under section 1091 of this title who is providing an examination or assessment under section 10206 of this title or medical treatment as part of a mission relating to emergency, humanitarian, or refugee assistance, or other health-care professional credentialed and privileged at a Federal health care institution or location specially designated by the Secretary for this purpose who—

(A)has a current license to practice medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, or another health profession; and

(B)is performing authorized duties for the Department of Defense.

(3)A health-care professional referred to in paragraph

(1)as being described in this paragraph is a member of the National Guard who—

(A)has a current license to practice medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, or another health profession; and

(B)is performing training or duty under section 502(f) of title 32 in response to an actual or potential disaster.

(4)To the extent provided in regulations prescribed by the Secretary for the purpose of assuring the availability of high-quality mental health care services to members of the armed forces and dependents entitled to health care under section 1076 of this title, a health care professional referred to in paragraph

(1)as being described in this paragraph is a mental health provider providing care through a network under the TRICARE program who—

(A)has a current license to practice as a mental health care professional;

(B)is providing tele-mental health care services to members of the armed forces or such dependents; and

(C)is providing such services under terms and conditions specified by the Secretary (which shall establish the scope of authorized Federal duties for purposes of paragraph (1)).

(e)In this section:

(1)The term “license”—

(A)means a grant of permission by an official agency of a State, the District of Columbia, or a Commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States to provide health care independently as a health-care professional, or the official agency of the government of a partner country; and

(B)includes, in the case of such care furnished in a foreign country by any person who is not a national of the United States, a grant of permission by an official agency of that foreign country for that person to provide health care independently as a health-care professional.

(2)The term “health-care professional” means a physician, dentist, clinical psychologist, marriage and family therapist certified as such by a certification recognized by the Secretary of Defense, or nurse and any other person providing direct patient care as may be designated by the Secretary of Defense in regulations.

(3)The term “partner country” means any of the following:

(A)Australia.

(B)Canada.

(C)New Zealand.

(D)The United Kingdom.

(E)Any other country designated as a partner country by the Secretary of Defense for the purposes of this section.

(Added Pub. L. 99–145, title VI, § 653(a)(1), Nov. 8, 1985, 99 Stat. 657; amended Pub. L. 99–661, div. A, title XIII, § 1343(a)(5), Nov. 14, 1986, 100 Stat. 3992; Pub. L. 101–189, div. A, title VI, § 653(e)(1), title XVI, § 1622(e)(3), Nov. 29, 1989, 103 Stat. 1463, 1605; Pub. L. 105–85, div. A, title VII, § 737, Nov. 18, 1997, 111 Stat. 1814; Pub. L. 105–261, div. A, title VII, § 734(a), Oct. 17, 1998, 112 Stat. 2072; Pub. L. 108–375, div. A, title VII, § 717(b), Oct. 28, 2004, 118 Stat. 1986;

Pub. L. 111–383, div. A, title VII, § 713, Jan. 7, 2011, 124 Stat. 4247; Pub. L. 112–81, div. A, title VII, § 713(a), Dec. 31, 2011, 125 Stat. 1476; Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title VII, § 718, Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2662; Pub. L. 118–159, div. A, title VII, §§ 713, 714(a), Dec. 23, 2024, 138 Stat. 1947; Pub. L. 119–60, div. A, title VII, § 716, Dec. 18, 2025, 139 Stat. 923.)

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