A bill to amend title VII of the Public Health Service Act to ensure that social work students or social work schools are eligible for support under certain programs that would assist individuals in pursuing health careers or for grants for training projects in geriatrics, and to establish a social work training program.

Summary: Strengthen Social Work Training Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to include a graduate program in clinical social work or a program in social work among health professions schools eligible for grants to support programs for underrepresented minorities. Includes graduate programs in clinical psychology, graduate programs in clinical social work, and programs in social work among health education programs eligible for grants to: (1) provide scholarships to disadvantaged students; and (2) offer faculty positions to disadvantaged students.

Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants to, and enter into contracts with: (1) schools offering degrees in social work to provide support for geriatric training projects; (2) hospitals, schools, or other entities to plan, develop, and operate or participate in an approved social work training program and to provide financial assistance to program participants that are planning to specialize, work, or teach in the field of social work; and (3) schools offering social work programs to establish, maintain, or improve academic administrative units to provide clinical instruction in social work.

Authorizes health maintenance organizations (HMOs) to offer health services through a clinical social worker as provided for under state law.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Strengthen Social Work Training Act 
of 2009''.

SEC. 2. SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS.

    (a) Health Professions Schools.--Section 736(g)(1)(A) of the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 293(g)(1)(A)) is amended by inserting ``, 
including a graduate program in clinical social work or a program in 
social work'', after ``graduate program in behavioral or mental 
health''.
    (b) Scholarships.--Section 737(d)(1)(A) of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 293a(d)(1)(A)) is amended by inserting 
``(including a graduate program in clinical psychology, a graduate 
program in clinical social work, or a program in social work)'' after 
``mental health practice''.
    (c) Loan Repayments and Fellowships Regarding Faculty Positions.--
Section 738(a) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 293b(a)) is 
amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) subparagraph (A), by inserting ``social work,'' 
                after ``nursing,'';
                    (B) subparagraph (B), by inserting ``social work,'' 
                after ``nursing,''; and
            (2) in paragraph (3), by inserting ``, including graduate 
        programs in clinical psychology, graduate programs in clinical 
        social work, or programs in social work'' after ``offering 
        graduate programs in behavioral and mental health''.

SEC. 3. GERIATRICS TRAINING PROJECTS.

    Section 753(b) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 294c(b)) 
is amended--
     (a) in paragraph (1)--
            (1) by inserting ``schools offering degrees in social 
        work,'' after ``teaching hospitals,'';
            (2) by inserting ``(including social workers)'' after 
        ``behavioral and mental health professionals''; and
            (3) by inserting ``(including geriatric social work)'' 
        after ``geriatric behavioral or mental health'';
    (b) in paragraph (2)--
            (1) in subparagraph (C)--
                    (A) by inserting ``(including social workers)'' 
                after ``mental health professionals''; and
                    (B) by inserting ``(including social work)'' after 
                ``geriatric behavioral or mental health''; and
            (2) in subparagraph (d), by striking ``geriatrics or 
        behavioral or mental health'' and inserting ``geriatrics, 
        behavioral or mental health, or social work''; and
    (c) in paragraph (3)(A)(iii)--
            (1) by inserting ``(including social workers)'' after 
        ``behavioral and mental health professionals''; and
            (2) by inserting ``or departments of social work'' after 
        ``departments of behavioral or mental health''.

SEC. 4. SOCIAL WORK TRAINING PROGRAM.

    Subpart 2 of part E of title VII of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 295 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating section 770 as section 770A;
            (2) by inserting after section 769, the following:

``SEC. 770. SOCIAL WORK TRAINING PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Training.--The Secretary may make grants to, or enter into 
contracts with, any public or nonprofit private hospital, any school 
offering a program in social work, or any public or private nonprofit 
entity that the Secretary has determined is capable of carrying out 
such grant or contract--
            ``(1) to plan, develop, and operate, or participate in, an 
        approved social work training program (including an approved 
        residency or internship program) for students, interns, 
        residents, or practicing physicians;
            ``(2) to provide financial assistance (in the form of 
        traineeships and fellowships) to students, interns, residents, 
        practicing physicians, or other individuals, who--
                    ``(A) are in need of such assistance;
                    ``(B) are participants in any such program; and
                    ``(C) plan to specialize or work in the practice of 
                social work;
            ``(3) to plan, develop, and operate a program for the 
        training of individuals who plan to teach in a social work 
        training program; and
            ``(4) to provide financial assistance (in the form of 
        traineeships and fellowships) to individuals who are 
        participants in any such traineeship or fellowship program and 
        who plan to teach in a social work training program.
    ``(b) Academic Administrative Units.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary may award grants to, or 
        enter into contracts with, schools offering programs in social 
        work to meet the costs of projects to establish, maintain, or 
        improve academic administrative units (which may be 
        departments, divisions, or other units) to provide clinical 
        instruction in social work.
            ``(2) Preference in making awards.--In awarding grants and 
        contracts under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give 
        preference to any qualified applicant for such an award that 
        agrees to expend the award for the purpose of--
                    ``(A) establishing an academic administrative unit 
                for a program in social work; or
                    ``(B) substantially expanding the programs of such 
                a unit.
    ``(c) Duration of Award.--The period during which payments are made 
to an entity from an award of a grant or contract under subsection (a) 
may not exceed 5 years. The provision of such payments shall be subject 
to annual approval by the Secretary and subject to the availability of 
appropriations for the fiscal year involved to make the payments.
    ``(d) Funding.--
            ``(1) Authorization of appropriations.--There are 
        authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
        $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010, 2011, and 2012.
            ``(2) Allocation.--Of the amounts appropriated under 
        paragraph (1) for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall make 
        available not less than 20 percent for awards of grants and 
        contracts under subsection (b).''; and
            (3) in section 770A, as redesignated by paragraph (1), by 
        inserting ``except for section 770,'' after ``carrying out this 
        subpart,''.

SEC. 5. CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER SERVICES.

    Section 1302 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300e-1) is 
amended--
            (1) in paragraphs (1) and (2), by inserting ``clinical 
        social worker,'' after ``psychologist,'' each place the term 
        appears;
            (2) in paragraph (4)(A), by striking ``and psychologists'' 
        and inserting ``psychologists, and clinical social workers''; 
        and
            (3) in paragraph (5), by inserting ``clinical social 
        work,'' after ``psychology,''.