# 119-s-4420: Physical Therapist Workforce and Patient Access Act of 2026

119-s-4420, Physical Therapist Workforce and Patient Access Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] (D-NM); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-06-26).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4420
- As of: 2026-06-26
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4420
- Congress: 119
- Title: Physical Therapist Workforce and Patient Access Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-04-28
- Sponsor: Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] (D-NM)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-06-26

## Summary

**Would expand access to physical therapy in underserved communities by adding physical therapists to the National Health Service Corps and creating PT-specific shortage target areas.** It would also provide targeted funding for PT loan repayment and add physical therapy services to Medicare Rural Health Clinic and Federally Qualified Health Center programs.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Sen. Rounds, Mike [R-SD] (R-SD), 2026-04-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Daines, Steve [R-MT] (R-MT), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Loan repayment for physical therapists: benefit, medium. If enacted, physical therapists would be added to the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment Program. If you are a licensed physical therapist with a master's or doctoral degree and have federal student loans, you would be eligible to apply for NHSC loan repayment. The bill would also…
- Medicare covers physical therapy at clinics: benefit, medium. If enacted, Medicare would cover physical therapy services furnished by a physical therapist at Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). This change would apply to services furnished on or after January 1, 2027. The amendment adds "physical therapy services (as de…
- Target areas for physical therapy access: benefit, low. If enacted, the HHS Secretary would be required to identify "physical therapy health professional target areas" inside existing Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). The agency would set criteria, collect and publish data in the Federal Register comparing availability and need for physical th…

## Related bills

- 119-s-3257: John A. Hauser Mental Health in Aviation Act
- 119-s-1260: Rural Housing Service Reform Act of 2025
- 119-s-5025: Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026
- 119-s-3940: Access to Fair Financing for Opportunity and Resilient Development Act
- 119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025
- 119-s-4429: Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-s-4420 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4420)

## Related
- [119-s-3257: John A. Hauser Mental Health in Aviation Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3257)
- [119-s-1260: Rural Housing Service Reform Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1260)
- [119-s-5025: Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5025)
- [119-s-3940: Access to Fair Financing for Opportunity and Resilient Development Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3940)
- [119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1241)
- [119-s-4429: Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4429)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4420 (as of 2026-06-26).