Title: Physical Therapist Workforce and Patient Access Act of 2021
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Physical Therapist Workforce and Patient Access Act of 2021
This bill makes physical therapists eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program. This program assists primary care, mental health, and dental providers in repaying eligible student loans in exchange for working in areas with shortages of such providers.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2676 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2676

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

                             August 9, 2021

Mr. Tester (for himself and Mr. Wicker) 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; FINDINGS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Physical Therapist 
Workforce and Patient Access Act of 2021''.
    (b) Findings.--Congress finds as follows:
            (1) Physical therapists play an important role in the 
        prevention, treatment, or management of pain for individuals, 
        including those with substance use disorders, or at risk of 
        developing a substance use disorder.
            (2) Physical therapists are also playing an important role 
        in the physical rehabilitation needs of individuals who have 
        developed chronic health conditions as a result of COVID-19.

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)(1), by inserting ``physical 
        therapists,'' after ``dentists,'';
            (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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