Support Student Loan Repayment for Physical Therapists

Support Student Loan Repayment for Physical Therapists (HR 1134/S. 2485)

Urge Your U.S. Senator and Representative to Co-Sponsor the Physical Therapist Student Loan Repayment Eligibility Act (HR 1134/S. 2485)

On December 14, 2007, U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-MT), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), and Tim Johnson (D-SD) introduced legislation to enable physical therapists to participate in the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment Program, the Physical Therapist Student Loan Repayment Eligibility Act (S. 2485) Earlier this year U.S. Representatives Marion Berry (D-AR) and Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO) introduced the companion bill, HR 1134.

APTA needs you to assist in building support for making physical therapists who choose to practice in underserved areas eligible to participate in the National Health Service Corps Student Loan Repayment Program. Call both your Senators and your House member to urge them to support this legislation today!

What Can You Do?

Contact your U.S. Senators and Representative and request that he or she cosponsor HR 1134/S. 2485

• Call your member of Congress today (202/224-3121)! When connected to the office, ask to speak with the health care legislative assistant.
• Send an email or letter through APTA’s Legislative Action Center or access more information on the issue at the NHSC Legislation Resources Center (www.apta.org/advocacy).

SUMMARY OF THE LEGISLATION (HR 1134/S. 2485)

• The bill adds physical therapy to the definition of the National Health Service Corps’ primary health services by amending Section 331(a)(3)(D) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254d(a)(3)(D).
• The bill adds physical therapists to the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program to the list of eligible providers by amending Section 338B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254l–1)
• The bill adds the following to the Loan Repayment Program’s eligibility requirements by amending Section 338B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254l–1).

1. receipt of a doctoral or master’s degree in physical therapy;
2. enrollment in a physical therapy graduate training program;
3. and enrollment as a full-time student in a course of a study or program leading to a degree in physical therapy

TALKING POINTS

• The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) strongly supports The Physical Therapist Student Loan Repayment Eligibility Act (HR 1134/S.2485) to enable physical therapists to participate in the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment Program. This initiative will encourage physical therapists to practice in rural and urban underserved communities by helping to address the rising student loan debt load of physical therapists that might otherwise not be able to afford to practice in those areas.
• As with the health professionals serving within the Corps today, physical therapists are committed to improving the health of the Nation’s underserved communities. HR 1134/S. 2485 will ensure that physical therapists are part of the National Health Service Corps’ comprehensive team-based approach to health care services delivery.
• Demand for the services of physical therapists continues to grow across the country. Including physical therapists in the NHSC Loan Repayment Program will help to ensure that underserved communities have adequate access to the physical therapist services they need.
• As of 2005, the average total costs of tuition and fees for a physical therapy student attending an in-state public, out-of-state public, or private institution were $26,000, $50,000, and $64,000, per year respectively. Rural and urban underserved communities often have difficulty recruiting needed health professionals such as physical therapists, due in part to the significant student loan debt load many health care professionals carry when leaving school.

The maximum loan repayment through the NHSC Loan Repayment Program during the required initial two-year contract period is currently $25,000 each year. These payments can help address the student loan debt load of physical therapists and may enable the physical therapist to decide to practice long-term in these communities once NHSC service is complete.

DONT FORGET RALLY DAY! JANUARY 17th, 2008!

BJ Stockton, SPT
UPS SOMPTA President