HR 4285 — COMMUNITIES Act

(a) Establishment The Secretary shall establish a program to be known as the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program to assure, with respect to the provision of primary health services pursuant to section 254d(a)(2) of this title— (1) an adequate supply of physicians, dentists, behavioral and mental health professionals, certified nurse midwives, certified nurse practitioners, and physician assistants; and (2) if needed by the Corps, an adequate supply of other health professionals. (b) Eligibility To be eligible to participate in the Loan Repayment Program, an individual must— (1) (A) have a degree in medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, or another health profession, or an appropriate degree from a graduate program of behavioral and mental health, or be certified as a nurse midwife, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant; (B) be enrolled in an approved graduate training program in medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, behavioral and mental health, or other health profession; or (C) be enrolled as a full-time student— (i) in an accredited (as determined by the Secretary) educational institution in a State; and (ii) in the final year of a course of a study or program, offered by such institution and approved by the Secretary, leading to a degree in medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, or other health profession; (2) be eligible for, or hold, an appointment as a commissioned officer in the Regular or Reserve Corps 1 of the Service or be eligible for selection for civilian service in the Corps; and (3) submit to the Secretary an application for a contract described in subsection (f) (relating to the payment by the Secretary of the educational loans of the individual in consideration of the individual serving for a period of obligated service). (c) Information to be included with application and contract forms; understandability; availability (1) Summary and information In disseminating application forms and contract forms to individuals desiring to participate in the Loan Repayment Program, the Secretary shall include with such forms— (A) a fair summary of the rights and liabilities of an individual whose application is approved (and whose contract is accepted) by the Secretary, including in the summary a clear explanation of the damages to which the United States is entitled under section 254o of this title in the case of the individual’s breach of the contract; and (B) information respecting meeting a service obligation through private practice under an agreement under section 254n of this title and such other information as may be necessary for the individual to understand the individual’s prospective participation in the Loan Repayment Program and service in the Corps. (2) Understandability The application form, contract form, and all other information furnished by the Secretary under this subpart shall be written in a manner calculated to be understood by the average individual applying to participate in the Loan Repayment Program. (3) Availability The Secretary shall make such application forms, contract forms, and other information available to individuals desiring to participate in the Loan Repayment Program on a date sufficiently early to ensure that such individuals have adequate time to carefully review and evaluate such forms and information. (4) Recruitment and retention (A) The Secretary shall distribute to health professions schools materials providing information on the Loan Repayment Program and shall encourage the schools to disseminate the materials to the students of the schools. (B) (i) In the case of any health professional whose period of obligated service under the Loan Repayment Program is nearing completion, the Secretary shall encourage the individual to remain in a health professional shortage area and to continue providing primary health services. (ii) During the period in which a health professional is planning and making the transition to private practice from ob...

(a) Authorization of appropriations For the purpose of carrying out this section,1 there is authorized to be appropriated, out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the following: (1) For fiscal year 2010, $320,461,632. (2) For fiscal year 2011, $414,095,394. (3) For fiscal year 2012, $535,087,442. (4) For fiscal year 2013, $691,431,432. (5) For fiscal year 2014, $893,456,433. (6) For fiscal year 2015, $1,154,510,336. (7) For fiscal year 2016, and each subsequent fiscal year, the amount appropriated for the preceding fiscal year adjusted by the product of— (A) one plus the average percentage increase in the costs of health professions education during the prior fiscal year; and (B) one plus the average percentage change in the number of individuals residing in health professions shortage areas designated under section 254f of this title during the prior fiscal year, relative to the number of individuals residing in such areas during the previous fiscal year. (b) Scholarships for new participants Of the amounts appropriated under subsection (a) for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall obligate not less than 10 percent for the purpose of providing contracts for— (1) scholarships under this subpart to individuals who have not previously received such scholarships; or (2) scholarships or loan repayments under the Loan Repayment Program under section 254l–1 of this title to individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. (c) Scholarships and loan repayments With respect to certification as a nurse practitioner, nurse midwife, or physician assistant, the Secretary shall, from amounts appropriated under subsection (a) for a fiscal year, obligate not less than a total of 10 percent for contracts for both scholarships under the Scholarship Program under section 254l of this title and loan repayments under the Loan Repayment Program under section 254l–1 of this title to individuals who are entering the first year of a course of study or program described in section 254l(b)(1)(B) of this title that leads to such a certification or individuals who are eligible for the loan repayment program as specified in section 254l–1(b) of this title for a loan related to such certification.