1.
This Act may be cited as the
Community-Based Health Care Retraining
Act
.
2.
Health professions training demonstration project
Section 171 of the Workforce
Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2916) is amended by
adding at the end the following:
(e)
Health professions training demonstration project
(1)
In this subsection:
(A)
The term covered
community means a community or region that—
(i)
has experienced a
significant percentage decline in positions in the manufacturing or service
sectors; and
(ii)
(I)
is eligible for designation
under section 332 of the Public Health Service
Act (42
U.S.C. 254e) as a health professional shortage area;
(II)
is eligible to be served by
a health center under section 330 or a grantee under section 330(h) (relating
to homeless individuals) of the Public Health
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254b, 254b(h));
(III)
has a shortage of personal
health services, as determined under criteria issued by the Secretary of Health
and Human Services under section 1861(aa)(2) of the
Social Security Act (relating to rural
health clinics) (42 U.S.C. 1395x(aa)(2));
or
(IV)
is designated by a Governor
(in consultation with the medical community) as a shortage area or medically
underserved community.
(B)
The term covered
worker means an individual who—
(i)
(I)
has been terminated or laid
off, or who has received a notice of termination or layoff, from employment in
a manufacturing or service sector;
(II)
- (aa)
is eligible for or has
exhausted entitlement to unemployment compensation; or
-
(bb)
has been employed for a
duration sufficient to demonstrate, to the appropriate entity at a one-stop
center referred to in section 134(c), attachment to the workforce, but is not
eligible for unemployment compensation due to insufficient earnings or having
performed services for an employer that were not covered under a State
unemployment compensation law; and
(III)
is unlikely to return to a
previous industry or occupation; or
(ii)
(I)
has been terminated or laid
off, or has received a notice of termination or layoff, from employment in a
manufacturing or service sector as a result of any permanent closure of, or any
substantial layoff at, a plant, facility, or enterprise; or
(II)
is employed in a
manufacturing or service sector at a facility at which the employer has made a
general announcement that such facility will close within 180 days.
(C)
The term health care
professional—
(i)
means an individual who is
involved with—
(I)
the delivery of health care
services, or related services, pertaining to—
-
(aa)
the identification,
evaluation, and prevention of diseases, disorders, or injuries; or
-
(bb)
home-based or
community-based long-term care;
(II)
the delivery of dietary and
nutrition services; or
(III)
rehabilitation and health
systems management; and
(ii)
includes nurses, home
health aides, nursing assistants, physician assistants, dental hygienists,
diagnostic medical sonographers, dietitians, medical technologists,
occupational therapists, physical therapists, radiographers, respiratory
therapists, emergency medical service technicians, speech-language
pathologists, and specific occupational needs of the community served by the
eligible entities as defined in section (e)(4) of this Act..
(2)
In accordance with
subsection (b), the Secretary shall establish and carry out a health
professions training demonstration project.
(3)
In carrying out the
project, the Secretary, after consultation with the Secretary of Health and
Human Services, shall make grants to eligible entities to enable the entities
to carry out programs in covered communities to train covered workers for
employment as health care professionals. The Secretary shall make each grant in
an amount of not less than $100,000 and not more than $500,000.
(4)
Notwithstanding subsection
(b)(2)(B), to be eligible to receive a grant under this subsection to carry out
a program in a covered community, an entity shall be a partnership that
is—
(A)
under the direction of a
local workforce investment board established under section 117 that is serving
the covered community; and
(B)
composed of members serving
the covered community, such as—
(i)
a 4-year institution of
higher education;
(ii)
an accredited community
college;
(iii)
an accredited vocational or
technical school;
(iv)
a health clinic or
hospital;
(v)
a home-based or
community-based long-term care facility or program; or
(vi)
a health care facility
administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
(5)
To be eligible to receive a
grant under this subsection, an entity shall submit an application to the
Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the
Secretary may require, including, at a minimum—
(A)
a proposal to use the grant
funds to establish or expand a training program in order to train covered
workers for employment as health care professionals or
paraprofessionals;
(B)
information demonstrating
the need for the training and support services to be provided through the
program;
(C)
information describing the
manner in which the entity will expend the grant funds, and the activities to
be carried out with the funds;
(D)
information demonstrating
that the entity meets the requirements of paragraph (4); and
(E)
with respect to training
programs carried out by the applicant, information—
(i)
on the graduation rates of
the programs involved;
(ii)
on the retention measures
carried out by the applicant;
(iii)
on the length of time
necessary to complete the training programs of the applicant; and
(iv)
on the number of qualified
trainees that are refused admittance into the training programs because of lack
of capacity.
(6)
In making grants under
paragraph (3), the Secretary, after consultation with the Secretary of Health
and Human Services, shall—
(A)
consider the date submitted
by the applicant under paragraph (5)(E); and
(B)
select—
(i)
eligible entities
submitting applications that meet such criteria as the Secretary of Labor
determines to be appropriate; and
(ii)
among such entities, the
eligible entities serving the covered communities with the greatest need for
the grants and the greatest potential to benefit from the grants.
(7)
(A)
An entity that receives a
grant under this subsection shall use the funds made available through the
grant for training and support services that meet the needs described in the
application submitted under paragraph (5), which may include—
(i)
increasing capacity,
subject to subparagraph (B)(i), at an educational institution or training
center to train individuals for employment as health professionals, such as
by—
(I)
expanding a facility,
subject to subparagraph (B)(ii);
(II)
expanding course
offerings;
(III)
hiring faculty;
(IV)
providing a student loan
repayment program for the faculty;
(V)
establishing or expanding
clinical education opportunities;
(VI)
purchasing equipment, such
as computers, books, clinical supplies, or a patient simulator; or
(VII)
conducting recruitment;
or
(ii)
providing support services
for covered workers participating in the training, such as—
(I)
providing tuition
assistance;
(II)
establishing or expanding
distance education programs;
(III)
providing transportation
assistance; or
(IV)
providing child
care.
(B)
To be eligible to use the
funds to expand a facility, the eligible entity shall demonstrate to the
Secretary in an application submitted under paragraph (5) that the entity can
increase the capacity described in subparagraph (E)(iv) of such facility only
by expanding the facility.
(8)
Of the amounts appropriated
to, and available at the discretion of, the Secretary or the Secretary of
Health and Human Services for programmatic and administrative expenditures, a
total of $25,000,000 shall be used to establish and carry out the demonstration
project described in paragraph (2) in accordance with this subsection.
.