Welcome Back to the Health Care Workforce Act
Sponsored By: Senator Kaine, Tim [D-VA]
Introduced
Summary
Help internationally educated health care professionals (IEHPs) integrate into and expand the U.S. health workforce. This bill would create a grant program to fund career supports, licensing help, training, and system changes that recruit and retain IEHPs, with priority for areas facing workforce gaps like rural communities.
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- Families and patients in underserved areas gain better access to care when projects place more IEHPs where shortages exist. Grants prioritize communities with workforce gaps and may target rural areas.
- Internationally educated health care professionals get individual supports such as licensing process help, accelerated and contextualized English instruction, licensure exam prep, credential evaluation assistance, clinical training, and limited help with living expenses.
- Hospitals, schools, community groups, federally qualified health centers, tribes, and state or local governments can form consortia to apply. At least 20% of each grant must fund system-level improvements and administrative costs are capped at 10%.
- Recipients must report participant and outcome data annually, and the Health and Human Services Secretary must submit progress reports to Congress. Funding is authorized as needed for fiscal years 2027–2031.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Help for health workers trained abroad
If enacted, HHS would run competitive grants to help internationally educated health care professionals re-enter and advance in U.S. jobs. If you trained abroad and are lawfully authorized to work, you would be eligible for local services like help paying licensing and exam fees, ESL and exam prep, supervised clinical placements, career coaching, and short-term living or transport support. Grants must be awarded within one year of enactment and go to consortia of two or more local organizations; the Secretary must consult with Labor and Education before awarding. Grantees could spend no more than 10% on administration and must spend at least 20% of funds on system-level projects. Funding is authorized as “such sums as may be necessary” for fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
Annual reporting for grant projects
If enacted, each grant recipient would send yearly reports to HHS with data on participating IEHPs and outcomes. Reports must show counts of who accessed supports, who attained employment (by occupation and industry), who withdrew or failed board certification or were terminated, and country of education. The Secretary would report project progress to Congress not later than two years after enactment and annually thereafter until projects finish.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Kaine, Tim [D-VA]
VA • D
Cosponsors
Sen. Murkowski, Lisa [R-AK]
AK • R
Sponsored 7/16/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov