Title: Physical Therapist Workforce and Patient Access Act of 2019
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Physical Therapist Workforce and Patient Access Act of 2019
This bill makes the provision of physical therapy services a profession eligible for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment Program. The NHSC Loan Repayment Program assists specified health care professionals to repay eligible student loans in exchange for providing services in areas with limited access to health care.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 970 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 970

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the participation 
   of physical therapists in the National Health Service Corps Loan 
               Repayment Program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 1, 2019

   Mr. Tester (for himself, Mr. Wicker, and Mr. King) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the participation 
   of physical therapists in the National Health Service Corps Loan 
               Repayment Program, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Physical Therapist Workforce and 
Patient Access Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE CORPS; PARTICIPATION OF PHYSICAL 
              THERAPISTS IN LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM.

    (a) Mission of Corps; Definition of Primary Health Services.--
Section 331(a)(3)(D) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
254d(a)(3)(D)) is amended by striking ``or mental health,'' and 
inserting ``mental health, or physical therapy,''.
    (b) Loan Repayment Program.--Section 338B of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254l-1) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``; and'' and 
                inserting a semicolon;
                    (B) by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph 
                (3); and
                    (C) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following:
            ``(2) an adequate supply of physical therapists, including 
        physical therapists for the prevention, treatment, or 
        management of pain for individuals with substance use 
        disorders, or at risk of developing a substance use disorder; 
        and'';
            (2) in subsection (b)(1)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A)--
                            (i) by striking ``, or be certified'' and 
                        inserting ``; be certified''; and
                            (ii) by inserting before the semicolon the 
                        following: ``; or have a doctoral or master's 
                        degree in physical therapy'';
                    (B) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ``physical 
                therapy,'' after ``mental health,''; and
                    (C) in subparagraph (C)(ii), by inserting 
                ``physical therapy,'' after ``dentistry,''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(i) Eligibility To Participate in Other Programs.--Nothing in 
this section shall be construed to prohibit any health care 
professional who is eligible to participate in the program under this 
section from participating in any other loan repayment program 
established by the Secretary for which such professional is 
eligible.''.
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