Bill Text: IA HF2137 | 2021-2022 | 89th General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to the establishment of a mental health practitioner loan repayment program, and providing an appropriation.(Formerly HSB 537; See HF 2549.)

Spectrum: Committee Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-03-15 - Withdrawn. H.J. 581. [HF2137 Detail]

Download: Iowa-2021-HF2137-Introduced.html
House File 2137 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2137 BY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES (SUCCESSOR TO HSB 537) A BILL FOR An Act relating to the establishment of a mental health 1 practitioner loan repayment program, and providing an 2 appropriation. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 5467HV (2) 89 pf/rh
H.F. 2137 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 261.117 Mental health practitioner 1 loan repayment program —— trust fund —— appropriation. 2 1. Program established. The commission shall establish 3 a mental health practitioner loan repayment program for 4 the purposes of providing loan repayments for mental health 5 practitioners who agree to practice in service commitment areas 6 for at least five years and who meet the requirements of this 7 section. 8 2. Eligibility. An individual is eligible to apply to enter 9 into a program agreement with the commission if the individual 10 is enrolled full-time in and receives a recommendation from an 11 eligible university in a curriculum leading to licensure as a 12 mental health practitioner. 13 3. Program agreements. A program agreement shall be 14 entered into by an eligible student and the commission when the 15 eligible student begins the final year of study in an academic 16 program leading to eligibility for licensure as a mental health 17 practitioner. Under the agreement, to receive loan repayments 18 pursuant to subsection 5, an eligible student shall agree to 19 and shall fulfill all of the following requirements: 20 a. Receive a graduate-level credential qualifying the 21 credential recipient for a license to practice as a mental 22 health practitioner. 23 b. Receive a license to practice as a mental health 24 practitioner in this state. 25 c. Complete any applicable residency or certification 26 program requirement with an Iowa-based residency or 27 certification program. 28 d. Within nine months of graduating from the applicable 29 professional program, residency program, or certification 30 program and receiving a permanent license in accordance with 31 paragraph “b” , engage in full-time practice as a mental health 32 practitioner for a period of five years in a service commitment 33 area. 34 e. During the five-year period of full-time practice, be 35 -1- LSB 5467HV (2) 89 pf/rh 1/ 8
H.F. 2137 enrolled as an actively participating Medicaid provider. 1 4. Priority to Iowa residents. The commission shall give 2 priority to eligible students who are residents of Iowa upon 3 enrolling in the university. 4 5. Loan repayment amounts. 5 a. The amount of loan repayment an eligible student who 6 enters into an agreement pursuant to subsection 3 shall receive 7 if in compliance with obligations under the agreement shall be 8 as follows: 9 (1) For a psychiatrist or a mental health professional, 10 forty thousand dollars annually with a maximum of two hundred 11 thousand dollars for an eligible loan, not to exceed the total 12 loan amount. 13 (2) For a psychologist, eight thousand dollars annually 14 with a maximum of forty thousand dollars for an eligible loan, 15 not to exceed the total loan amount. 16 (3) For a physician assistant practicing under the 17 supervision of a psychiatrist or a psychiatric advanced 18 registered nurse practitioner, ten thousand dollars annually 19 with a maximum of fifty thousand dollars, not to exceed the 20 total loan amount. 21 b. If the total amount of the eligible student’s loan 22 upon graduation is less than the maximum amount specified, 23 the commission shall divide the total amount of the eligible 24 student’s eligible loan by five to determine the annual amount 25 of loan repayment the loan recipient is eligible to receive. 26 c. Payments under this section may be made for each year of 27 eligible practice during a period of five consecutive years. 28 6. Refinanced loans. A loan repayment recipient who 29 refinances an eligible loan by obtaining a private educational 30 loan may continue to receive loan repayment under this section 31 if the amount of loan repayment does not exceed the lesser of 32 the amount specified in subsection 5 or the balance of the loan 33 repayment amount the loan repayment recipient qualified to 34 receive with the eligible loan. 35 -2- LSB 5467HV (2) 89 pf/rh 2/ 8
H.F. 2137 7. Program agreement limitation. The commission shall 1 by rule determine the number of agreements entered into 2 annually based upon the funding available. The percentage of 3 agreements entered into by eligible students attending eligible 4 universities shall be evenly divided. However, if there are 5 fewer applicants at one eligible university, eligible student 6 applicants enrolled in other eligible universities may be 7 awarded the remaining agreements. 8 8. Selection of service commitment area. A loan repayment 9 recipient shall notify the commission of the recipient’s 10 service commitment area prior to beginning practice in the area 11 in accordance with subsection 3, paragraph “d” . The commission 12 may waive the requirement that the loan repayment recipient 13 practice in the same service commitment area for all five 14 years. 15 9. Rules for additional loan repayment. The commission 16 shall adopt rules to provide, in addition to loan repayment 17 provided to eligible students pursuant to this section and 18 subject to the availability of surplus funds, loan repayment to 19 a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a mental health professional, 20 a physician assistant practicing under the supervision of 21 a psychiatrist, or a psychiatric advanced registered nurse 22 practitioner, who, as provided in subsection 3, received a 23 degree from an eligible university, obtained a license to 24 practice in this state, and is engaged in full-time practice in 25 the respective profession in a service commitment area. 26 10. Part-time practice —— agreement amended. A person who 27 entered into an agreement pursuant to subsection 3 may apply 28 to the commission to amend the agreement to allow the person 29 to engage in less than the full-time practice specified in the 30 agreement and under subsection 3, paragraph “d” . The commission 31 and the person may consent to amend the agreement under which 32 the person shall engage in less than full-time practice in a 33 service commitment area for an extended period of part-time 34 practice determined by the commission to be proportional to 35 -3- LSB 5467HV (2) 89 pf/rh 3/ 8
H.F. 2137 the amount of full-time practice remaining under the original 1 agreement. For purposes of this subsection, “less than 2 the full-time practice” means at least seventy percent of a 3 forty-hour workweek. 4 11. Postponement and satisfaction of service obligation. 5 a. The obligation to engage in practice in accordance with 6 subsection 3 shall be postponed for the following purposes: 7 (1) Active duty status in the armed forces, the armed forces 8 military reserve, or the national guard. 9 (2) Service in volunteers in service to America. 10 (3) Service in the federal peace corps. 11 (4) A period of service commitment to the United States 12 public health service commissioned corps. 13 (5) A period of religious missionary work conducted by an 14 organization exempt from federal income taxation pursuant to 15 section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. 16 (6) Any period of temporary medical incapacity during which 17 the person obligated is unable, due to a medical condition, to 18 engage in full-time practice as required under subsection 3, 19 paragraph “d” . 20 b. Except for a postponement under paragraph “a” , 21 subparagraph (6), an obligation to engage in practice under an 22 agreement entered into pursuant to subsection 3 shall not be 23 postponed for more than two years from the time the full-time 24 practice was to have commenced under the agreement. 25 c. An obligation to engage in full-time practice under 26 an agreement entered into pursuant to subsection 3 shall be 27 considered satisfied when any of the following conditions are 28 met: 29 (1) The terms of the agreement are completed. 30 (2) The person who entered into the agreement dies. 31 (3) The person who entered into the agreement, due to a 32 permanent disability, is unable to practice as a mental health 33 practitioner. 34 d. If a loan repayment recipient fails to fulfill 35 -4- LSB 5467HV (2) 89 pf/rh 4/ 8
H.F. 2137 the obligation to engage in practice in accordance with 1 subsection 3, the recipient shall be subject to repayment to 2 the commission of the loan amount plus interest as specified 3 by rule. A loan repayment recipient who fails to meet the 4 requirements of the obligation to engage in practice in 5 accordance with subsection 3 may also be subject to repayment 6 of moneys advanced by the service commitment area as provided 7 in any agreement with the service commitment area. 8 12. Trust fund established. A mental health practitioner 9 loan repayment program trust fund is created in the state 10 treasury as a separate fund under the control of the 11 commission. The commission shall remit all repayments made 12 pursuant to this section to the trust fund. All moneys 13 deposited or paid into the trust fund are appropriated and 14 made available to the commission to be used for meeting the 15 requirements of this section. Moneys in the trust fund up 16 to the total amount that an eligible student may receive 17 for an eligible loan in accordance with this section and 18 upon fulfilling the requirements of subsection 3, shall be 19 considered encumbered for the duration of the agreement entered 20 into pursuant to subsection 3. Notwithstanding section 8.33, 21 any balance in the trust fund on June 30 of each fiscal year 22 shall not revert to the general fund of the state, but shall 23 be available for purposes of this section in subsequent fiscal 24 years. 25 13. Report. The commission shall submit in a report to 26 the general assembly by January 1, annually, the number of 27 individuals who received loan repayment pursuant to this 28 section, where the participants practiced, the amount paid to 29 each program participant, and other information identified by 30 the commission as indicators of outcomes of the program. 31 14. Rules. The commission shall adopt rules pursuant to 32 chapter 17A to administer this section. 33 15. Definitions. For purposes of this section: 34 a. “Advanced registered nurse practitioner” means a person 35 -5- LSB 5467HV (2) 89 pf/rh 5/ 8
H.F. 2137 licensed as a registered nurse under chapter 152 or 152E who 1 is licensed by the board of nursing as an advanced registered 2 nurse practitioner. 3 b. “Eligible loan” means the recipient’s total federally 4 guaranteed Stafford loan amount under the federal family 5 education loan program or the federal direct loan program, the 6 recipient’s federal grad plus loans, or the recipient’s federal 7 Perkins loan, including principal and interest. 8 c. “Eligible university” means a college or university that 9 meets the requirements of section 261.2, subsection 10, and 10 is an institution of higher learning under the control of the 11 state board of regents or an accredited private institution as 12 defined in section 261.9. 13 d. “Federal mental health shortage area” means a federal 14 mental health shortage area designated by the health resources 15 and services administration of the United States department of 16 health and human services. 17 e. “Mental health practitioner” means a psychiatrist, 18 a psychologist, a mental health professional, a physician 19 assistant practicing under the supervision of a psychiatrist, 20 or a psychiatric advanced registered nurse practitioner. 21 f. “Mental health professional” means an individual who 22 meets all of the following qualifications: 23 (1) The individual holds at least a master’s degree from 24 an eligible institution in a mental health field, including 25 psychology, counseling and guidance, social work, marriage and 26 family therapy, or mental health counseling. 27 (2) The individual holds a current Iowa license if 28 practicing in a field covered by an Iowa licensure law. 29 (3) The individual has at least two years of post-degree 30 clinical experience, supervised by another individual in the 31 mental health field, in assessing mental health needs and 32 problems and in providing appropriate mental health services. 33 (4) The individual is not eligible for the rural Iowa 34 advanced registered nurse practitioner and physician assistant 35 -6- LSB 5467HV (2) 89 pf/rh 6/ 8
H.F. 2137 loan repayment program established pursuant to section 261.114. 1 g. “Psychiatric advanced registered nurse practitioner” 2 means an individual currently licensed as a registered nurse 3 under chapter 152 or 152E who holds a national certification in 4 psychiatric mental health care and who is licensed by the board 5 of nursing as an advanced registered nurse practitioner. 6 h. “Service commitment area” means a city in Iowa located 7 within a federal mental health shortage area that provides a 8 twenty thousand dollar contribution for deposit in the mental 9 health practitioner loan repayment trust fund for each loan 10 recipient in the community who is participating in the loan 11 repayment program. 12 Sec. 2. MENTAL HEALTH PRACTITIONER LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM 13 TRUST FUND —— APPROPRIATION. There is appropriated from the 14 general fund of the state to the college student aid commission 15 for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2022, and ending June 16 30, 2023, the following amounts, or so much thereof as is 17 necessary, to be used for the purposes designated: 18 For deposit in the mental health practitioner loan repayment 19 program trust fund established pursuant to section 261.117, to 20 be used for the purposes of the program: 21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 1,500,000 22 EXPLANATION 23 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 24 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 25 This bill establishes a mental health practitioner loan 26 repayment program, and provides an appropriation. 27 The bill requires the Iowa student aid commission to 28 establish a mental health practitioner loan repayment program 29 for the purposes of providing loan repayments for mental health 30 practitioners who agree to practice in service commitment 31 areas for at least five years and meet the requirements of 32 the bill. “Mental health practitioner” means a psychiatrist, 33 a psychologist, a mental health professional, a physician 34 assistant practicing under the supervision of a psychiatrist, 35 -7- LSB 5467HV (2) 89 pf/rh 7/ 8
H.F. 2137 or a psychiatric advanced registered nurse practitioner. 1 The bill includes provisions, similar to those for other 2 loan repayment and loan forgiveness programs for health 3 professionals under Code chapter 261, including the rural Iowa 4 primary care loan repayment program, relating to eligibility, 5 program agreements, program priority for Iowa residents, 6 loan repayment amounts, refinanced loans, program agreement 7 limitations, the selection of the service commitment area, 8 rules for loan repayment, rules for additional loan repayment, 9 part-time practice agreement amendments, postponement and 10 satisfaction of service obligations, the establishment of a 11 trust fund for the program, the submission of annual reports 12 regarding the program, and the adoption of administrative rules 13 for the program. 14 Under the bill, the loan repayment amount for a psychiatrist 15 or a mental health professional is $40,000 annually with a 16 maximum of $200,000 for an eligible loan, not to exceed the 17 total loan amount; for a psychologist is $8,000 annually with 18 a maximum of $40,000 for an eligible loan, not to exceed the 19 total loan amount; and for a physician assistant practicing 20 under the supervision of a psychiatrist or a psychiatric 21 advanced registered nurse practitioner is $10,000 annually with 22 a maximum of $50,000 not to exceed the total loan amount. 23 The bill provides definitions for the purposes of the bill 24 and provides for an appropriation from the general fund of the 25 state to the college student aid commission for FY 2022-2023 to 26 be deposited in the mental health practitioner loan repayment 27 program trust fund established under the bill to be used for 28 the purposes of the program. 29 -8- LSB 5467HV (2) 89 pf/rh 8/ 8
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