Title 22, Foreign Relations and IntercourseRelease 119-110

§2504a Health Care for Volunteers at Peace Corps Posts

Title 22 › CHAPTER 34 — THE PEACE CORPS › § 2504a

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The President must make sure every overseas Peace Corps post has a medical office big enough and staffed to meet the post’s needs. If needed, licensed medical staff from other U.S. agencies can be sent to help. The Peace Corps Director must hire medical officers and support staff who are well qualified by looking at training, credentials, work history, admin and people skills, knowledge of local language and culture, ability to work in English, and other relevant factors. Medical officers in countries where malaria is common must get training to spot drug side effects. The Director, through the Associate Director of the Office of Health Services and country directors, must review staff performance, ensure continuing medical education and licensing, and say in the annual Peace Corps congressional budget justification that those reviews were done. The Director must also consult CDC experts about malaria prevention drug recommendations.

Full Legal Text

Title 22, §2504a

Foreign Relations and Intercourse, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In general

The President shall ensure that each overseas post has the services of a medical office that is consistent in size and scope with the needs of the Peace Corps at such post, including, if necessary, by detailing to any such post the licensed medical staff of other United States departments, agencies, or establishments.

(b)Hiring criteria

In selecting medical officers and support staff for overseas Peace Corps posts, the Director of the Peace Corps shall hire well-qualified and capable personnel to support the effectiveness of health care for Peace Corps volunteers by evaluating each candidate’s—

(1)medical training, experience, and accreditations or other qualifications;

(2)record of performance;

(3)administrative capabilities;

(4)understanding of the local language and culture;

(5)ability to work in the English language;

(6)interpersonal skills; and

(7)such other factors that the Director determines appropriate.

(c)Certain training

The Director of the Peace Corps shall ensure that each Peace Corps medical officer serving in a malaria-endemic country receives training in the recognition of the side effects of such medications.

(d)Review and evaluation

(1)In general

The Director of the Peace Corps, acting through the Associate Director of the Office of Health Services and the country directors, shall review and evaluate the performance and health care delivery of all Peace Corps medical staff, including medical officers, to—

(A)ensure compliance with all relevant Peace Corps policies, practices, and guidelines; and

(B)ensure that medical staff complete the necessary continuing medical education to maintain their skills and satisfy licensing and credentialing standards, as designated by the Director.

(2)Report to Congress

The Director of the Peace Corps shall include, in the annual Peace Corps congressional budget justification, a confirmation that the review and evaluation of all Peace Corps medical staff required under paragraph (1) has been completed.

(e)Antimalarial drugs

The Director of the Peace Corps shall consult with experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding recommendations for prescribing malaria prophylaxis, in order to provide the best standard of care within the context of the Peace Corps environment.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

22 U.S.C. § 2504a

Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110