[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2673 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2673
To require the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland
Security to improve the transition of medics into the civilian
workforce in certain health care occupations and to modify the
assistance provided to separated members of the Armed Forces seeking
employment with health care providers, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
August 1, 2025
Mr. Kelly (for himself and Mr. Rounds) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland
Security to improve the transition of medics into the civilian
workforce in certain health care occupations and to modify the
assistance provided to separated members of the Armed Forces seeking
employment with health care providers, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Medic Education and Deployment Into
Civilian Careers Act of 2025'' or the ``MEDIC Careers Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENT OF TRANSITION OF MEDICS IN THE ARMED FORCES TO THE
CIVILIAN WORKFORCE IN HEALTH CARE OCCUPATIONS.
(a) Recommendations Required.--The Secretary concerned, in
consultation with each of the States (through the Defense-State Liaison
Office of the Department of Defense), the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Secretary
of Labor, shall develop recommendations to improve the transition of
medics under the jurisdiction of the Secretary concerned into the
civilian workforce in health care occupations, including as certified
nurse aides, licensed practical nurses, or medical assistants.
(b) Considerations.--In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary
concerned shall--
(1) identify any barriers--
(A) to improving the ability of the Secretary
concerned to determine and communicate how the military
credentials and experience of a medic separating from
the Armed Forces translate to credentialed civilian
employment in health care occupations;
(B) that exist to the standardization among the
Armed Forces of military medic credentials and
experience and the alignment of such credentials and
experience to credentialed civilian employment in
health care occupations;
(C) that exist to ensuring members of the Armed
Forces with military medic credentials and experience
have earned the equivalent civilian credential prior to
separation from the Armed Forces in addition to
receiving their military credentials;
(D) to the increased establishment and uptake of
accelerated or bridge programs to assist separating
members of the Armed Forces in translating military
credentials and experience into civilian health care
credentials and employment;
(E) to increasing the availability and
accessibility of preparatory activities under the
SkillBridge program established under section 1143(e)
of title 10, United States Code, in the health care
sector for members of the Armed Forces preparing for
separation, to include--
(i) the approval timeline for separating
members to participate in SkillBridge programs
in the health care sector; and
(ii) requirements to return to their duty
station for out-processing; and
(F) to providing information on civilian health
care credentials and employment under the Transition
Assistance Program to medics separating from the Armed
Forces, including information on State-by-State
licensing and credentialing; and
(2) consider the potential impact of--
(A) clarification by States through legislation,
actions of State licensing boards, or actions of State
credentialing boards of the civilian equivalents of
certain military credentials and experience in health
care;
(B) implementation, including through State-
provided incentives, of accelerated programs to bridge
military medic credentials and experience with civilian
health care credentials and licenses;
(C) financial support or incentives by States to
increase the availability and accessibility of such
programs;
(D) requiring the military departments to align
military health care credentials with civilian
equivalents; and
(E) requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs
and the Department of Labor to track and report the
number of separated members of the Armed Forces with
health care-related military credentials and experience
who continue in the civilian health care sector,
including the type of employment they pursue.
(c) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary concerned shall submit to the
relevant committees of Congress a report containing--
(1) the recommendations developed under subsection (a); and
(2) a plan to implement those recommendations.
(d) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Medic.--The term ``medic'' means a member of the Armed
Forces acting in a clinical health care-related occupation
while serving in the Armed Forces.
(2) Relevant committees of congress.--The term ``relevant
committees of Congress'' means--
(A) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, the Committee
on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee
on Education and Workforce, and the Committee on
Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives.
(3) Secretary concerned.--The term ``Secretary concerned''
means--
(A) the Secretary of Defense, with respect to
matters concerning the Department of Defense; and
(B) the Secretary of Homeland Security, with
respect to matters concerning the Coast Guard when it
is not operating as a service in the Department of the
Navy.
(4) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the several
States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa,
or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands that have a
Defense-State Liaison Office.
(5) Transition assistance program.--The term ``Transition
Assistance Program'' means the program of the Department of
Defense for pre-separation counseling, employment assistance,
and other transitional services provided under sections 1142
and 1144 of title 10, United States Code.
SEC. 3. HEALTH CARE WORKFORCE PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE PILOT PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--Section 1153 of title 10, United States Code, is
amended to read as follows:
``Sec. 1153. Health Care Workforce Preparedness and Response Pilot
Program
``(a) Grants.--The Secretary of Defense shall establish a pilot
program to award grants to eligible providers to support the hiring,
training, and retention by such providers of members of the Armed
Forces separating from the Armed Forces to improve access to, and
enhance the quality of, civilian health care occupations by such
members.
``(b) Duration.--The duration of a grant awarded under this section
shall be for a period of three years, with an option to renew for
subsequent one-year periods until the earlier of--
``(1) two renewal periods; or
``(2) the date on which funds are no longer available for
grants under this section.
``(c) Eligible Providers.--To be eligible for a grant under this
section, an entity shall--
``(1) own or operate, or act as a consortium that
includes--
``(A) a rural health clinic, as defined in section
1861(aa) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
1395x(aa));
``(B) a nursing home, as defined in section 232(b)
of the National Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 1715w(b));
``(C) a medical facility, as defined in subsection
(a) of section 332 of the Public Health Service Act (42
U.S.C. 254e(a)), located in a health professional
shortage area designated under such section;
``(D) a Federally qualified health center, as
defined in section 1861(aa) of the Social Security Act
(42 U.S.C. 1395x(aa)); or
``(E) a health care facility, as defined in section
801 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 296);
``(2) be a public or private nonprofit organization, as
defined in section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986;
and
``(3) be located in a medically underserved area, as
designated pursuant to section 330(b)(3)(A) of the Public
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 245b(b)(3)(a)).
``(d) Use of Funds.--
``(1) In general.--An eligible provider receiving a grant
under this section shall use amounts received through the grant
to implement a new program or enhance an existing program--
``(A) to assist in the hiring or retaining by an
eligible provider of members of the Armed Forces
separating or recently separated from service in the
Armed Forces;
``(B) to assist such members who are transitioning
to employment with an eligible provider, including--
``(i) activities relating to the period of
time the member is pursuing licensing,
credentialing, or certification as required by
the State, field of service of the eligible
provider, or occupation of the member; and
``(ii) providing specific training to meet
Federal or State licensing or certification
requirements; and
``(C) to coordinate or improve coordination with
transition assistance programs operated by the
Department of Defense to ensure appropriate transition
by such members to civilian employment.
``(2) Exception for activities eligible for educational
assistance under title 38.--In the case of training described
in paragraph (1)(A)(ii), if such training is an eligible use of
educational assistance received under subchapter II of chapter
33 of title 38 and the recipient of such training is eligible
for the receipt of such educational assistance, the Secretary
of Defense shall coordinate with the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs to ensure that payment for such training is made
through the use of such educational assistance instead of
through the use of grant amounts awarded under this section.
``(e) Application.--An eligible provider seeking a grant under this
section shall submit to the Secretary of Defense an application at such
time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary
may require, including--
``(1) a description of the project that the eligible
provider will carry out using the amounts provided through the
grant;
``(2) an explanation of the reasons why Federal Government
assistance is required to carry out the project;
``(3) a plan for sustaining the project for which the grant
was awarded after Federal Government assistance for the project
has ended;
``(4) a description of how the population in the area or
areas to be served through the grant will experience increased
access to quality health care services across the continuum of
care as a result of the activities carried out by the eligible
provider; and
``(5) a description of such other priorities as the
Secretary of Defense considers appropriate.
``(f) Allocation of Grants to Rural Providers.--The Secretary of
Defense shall ensure that eligible providers located in rural areas are
adequately represented in the total number of grants awarded under this
section.
``(g) Maximum Grant Amount.--The amount of a grant made under this
section to a single grant recipient shall not exceed--
``(1) with respect to the initial three-year period,
$600,000; and
``(2) with respect to any additional year, $200,000.
``(h) Reports.--
``(1) Report to secretary.--An eligible provider awarded a
grant under this section shall periodically submit to the
Secretary of Defense a report evaluating the activities
supported by the grant.
``(2) Report to public.--Not later than two years after the
date of the enactment of the MEDIC Careers Act of 2025, and not
less frequently than annually thereafter, the Secretary of
Defense shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress
and make publicly available a report on the findings of the
Secretary with respect to the success of the pilot program
under this section in improving access by separating members of
the Armed Forces to civilian health care occupations and
enhancing the quality of those occupations.
``(i) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) The term `appropriate committees of Congress' means--
``(A) the Committee on Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions, the Committee on Armed Services, and the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate; and
``(B) the Committee on Education and Workforce, the
Committee on Armed Services, and the Committee on
Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives.
``(2) The term `eligible provider' means a health care
provider, as defined in section 3000 of the Public Health
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300jj).
``(j) Authorization of Appropriations.--
``(1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated
to the Secretary of Defense $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years
2026 through 2030 to carry out this section.
``(2) Administrative costs.--The Secretary of Defense may
use not more than 10 percent of the amount appropriated
pursuant to paragraph (1) for a fiscal year for the
administrative expenses of carrying out this section.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of
chapter 58 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by striking the
item relating to section 1153 and inserting the following new item:
``1153. Health Care Workforce Preparedness and Response Pilot
Program.''.
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