Bill would provide loan forgiveness for OTs in Mental Health
On July 25, 2023, Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA) and Rep. Annie Kuster (D-NH) introduced the Mental Health Professionals Workforce Shortage Loan Repayment Act. The legislation would provide loan forgiveness to mental health professionals, including occupational therapists, who practice in a mental health professions shortage area. The bill does this by amending an existing loan forgiveness program for professionals who treat substance use disorders which already includes occupational therapists. If the new legislation were to be enacted, occupational therapists who practice in a mental health professional shortage area would also be eligible for student loan forgiveness.
Congress has been considering proposals to address the increasing need for a robust mental health workforce, and the COVID-19 pandemic created added impetus for action. An earlier draft of this bill was introduced in the Senate by Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and did not include occupational therapists. Working with these Congressional offices, AOTA ensured that occupational therapists were included in the House version of the bill and in a new Senate bill scheduled to be voted on by the Senate Health Education Labor and Pension Committee.
While the House version of the bill defines “behavioral and mental health employment” to include working as an occupational therapist providing “treatment or recovery support of patients with or in recovery from a behavioral health or mental health disorder,” the Senate version includes a straightforward definition of “mental health professional.” Both bills include occupational therapists in these definitions. This legislation would not apply to occupational therapy assistants, as only masters, doctoral and post-doctoral degrees of study are eligible. However, the inclusion of “occupational therapists” in a federal definition of “mental health professional” would provide a tremendous boost to ongoing efforts to expand inclusion of, and reimbursement for, occupational therapy services in mental health settings at the local, state and federal levels. This expansion would lead to greater opportunities for both occupational therapy assistants and occupational therapists.
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