I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3494 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a National Care Corps, 
and to authorize grants for local care corps programs, through which 
qualified volunteers provide care, companionship, and other services to 
individuals in need, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 27, 2017 
Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in 
addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period 
to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a Na-
tional Care Corps, and to authorize grants for local 
care corps programs, through which qualified volunteers 
provide care, companionship, and other services to indi-
viduals in need, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Care Corps 
Act of 2017’’. 
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SEC. 2. NATIONAL CARE CORPS; LOCAL CARE CORPS PRO-
GRAMS. 
Part D of title III of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 254b et seq.) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating the second subpart XI (re-
lating to a community-based collaborative care net-
work program) as subpart XII; 
(2) by redesignating the second section 340H 
(42 U.S.C. 256i) as section 340I; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘Subpart XIII—National Care Corps; Local Care 
Corps Programs 
‘‘SEC. 340J. NATIONAL CARE CORPS. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There is established in the 
Department of Health and Human Services a pro-
gram to be known as the ‘National Care Corps’ 
through which Corps volunteers provide approved 
services to individuals in need via participation in 
local care corps programs. 
‘‘(2) STAFF.— 
‘‘(A) APPOINTMENT
OF
DIRECTOR.—The 
Secretary, acting through the Administrator of 
the Administration for Community Living, shall 
appoint a Director of the Corps. 
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‘‘(B) DUTIES OF DIRECTOR.—The Director 
shall— 
‘‘(i) design, develop, and administer 
Corps programs; 
‘‘(ii) manage the daily operations of 
the Corps; and 
‘‘(iii) report to the Administrator of 
the Administration for Community Living. 
‘‘(C) AUTHORITY TO EMPLOY STAFF.—The 
Director may employ such staff as is necessary 
to carry out this subpart. 
‘‘(b) SELECTION
AND
ELIGIBILITY
OF
VOLUN-
TEERS.— 
‘‘(1) SELECTION.—The Director shall select eli-
gible individuals as Corps volunteers. 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS.—To be eligible to 
serve as a volunteer in the Corps, an individual 
shall— 
‘‘(A) be at least 18 years of age on or be-
fore December 31 of the calendar year in which 
the individual begins participation in the Corps; 
‘‘(B) agree to participate in the Corps for 
a period of not more than 24 months, con-
sisting of not more than 2 terms of up to 12 
months; 
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‘‘(C) submit an application to the Director 
at such time, in such manner, and containing 
such information as the Director may require; 
‘‘(D) pass a criminal background check as 
described in paragraph (3); and 
‘‘(E) agree to comply with such terms and 
conditions as the Director may require. 
‘‘(3) CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Before selecting any 
individual to serve as a volunteer in the Corps, 
the Director shall request a criminal back-
ground check of such individual on a nationwide 
basis. 
‘‘(B) VOLUNTEER PROHIBITIONS.—An in-
dividual shall be ineligible to be a Corps volun-
teer if— 
‘‘(i) such individual refuses to consent 
to the criminal background check; or 
‘‘(ii) the criminal background check 
does not demonstrate to the Director’s sat-
isfaction that such individual is fit for 
Corps service. 
‘‘(c) AUTHORIZED BENEFITS FOR CORPS VOLUN-
TEERS.— 
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‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall provide 
for Corps volunteers to receive allowances, health in-
surance, and post-service educational awards author-
ized by this subsection. 
‘‘(2) ALLOWANCES.—The Director shall provide 
each Corps volunteer with such living, travel, and 
leave allowances, and such housing, transportation, 
supplies, equipment, and subsistence as the Director 
determines to be necessary for the volunteer’s main-
tenance and to ensure the volunteer’s health and ca-
pacity to serve effectively. 
‘‘(3) HEALTH INSURANCE.—The Director shall 
provide for each Corps volunteer to receive health in-
surance coverage meeting the requirements of sec-
tion 5000A(f) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. 
‘‘(4) POST-SERVICE EDUCATIONAL AWARD.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall es-
tablish an educational award for Corps volun-
teers. 
‘‘(B) AMOUNTS.— 
‘‘(i) NUMBER OF AWARDS.—A Corps 
volunteer may receive up to 2 educational 
awards under this paragraph, one for each 
term of service as a volunteer. 
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‘‘(ii) AMOUNT
FOR
FULL
TERM
OF 
SERVICE.—In the case of a Corps volun-
teer who completes a term of full-time 
service in the Corps for a period of 12 
months, as determined by the Director, 
such volunteer shall receive an educational 
award having a value equal to the max-
imum amount of a Federal Pell Grant 
under section 401 of the Higher Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a) that a stu-
dent eligible for such grant may receive in 
the aggregate (without regard to whether 
the funds are provided through discre-
tionary or mandatory appropriations) for 
the award year. 
‘‘(iii) INCENTIVE TO PURSUE A DE-
GREE IN A HEALTH CARE PROFESSION.— 
In the case of a Corps volunteer who com-
mits to using his or her educational award 
(or awards, if applicable) under this para-
graph for completion of a degree, certifi-
cate, or training in a health care profes-
sion, or in a social services profession re-
lated to the delivery of long-term services 
and supports to individuals in need, the 
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value of such awards shall be twice the 
value that would otherwise be applicable 
under clause (ii). 
‘‘(iv) AMOUNT FOR OTHER PERIODS 
OF SERVICE.— 
‘‘(I) In the case of a Corps volun-
teer who completes less than a 12- 
month term of full-time service in the 
Corps, as determined by the Director, 
such volunteer may receive a portion 
of the educational award described in 
clause (ii) or (iii) (as applicable) that 
corresponds to the quantity of service 
actually completed by the volunteer. 
‘‘(II) In the case of a Corps vol-
unteer who completes more than 12 
months of full-time service in the 
Corps, and less than 24 months of 
such service, as determined by the Di-
rector, such volunteer may receive, for 
the portion of service exceeding 12 
months, a portion of the educational 
award described in clause (ii) or (iii) 
(as applicable) that corresponds to the 
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